Under the Spell

In the rush of daily life, the ritual of the spa flourishes. A distinctive trend toward using local natural resources makes falling under the spell of the spa even more magical. These four enchanting spa treatments will soothe, cleanse, rejuvenate, and beautify you.

Turkish Style Steam Bath

Traditional Middle Eastern steam baths are hot, hot, hot–in more ways than the obvious one. Their popularity is surging as a way to release tension while getting what amounts to a total body and pore cleanse. Tight muscles and worried minds are quickly soothed in this steamy world. A decidedly ethereal experience, the Turkish bath (spa style) blends ancient traditional techniques with luxurious pampering that can include massage with essential oils. They are not commonplace, but they are well worth the search.

Turkish baths can be so beautifully appointed, they magically transport you to that faraway, exotic land.

Hot Stone Massage

Beachcombers know the power of hot rocks. Simply holding a sun-warmed rock in the palm of your hand feels amazing. Just imagine the bliss of being massaged with hot stones! Massage practitioners of this technique hold round, heated basalt stones in their hands while delivering soothing, rhythmic strokes of traditional Swedish massage. Small, hot stones are frequently placed along specific points on the spine, in the palms, on feet, and between toes where they provide light pressure and radiate penetrating warmth. Deep, stress-alleviating sighs are an immediate side effect of this treatment.

Natural Food Facial

Feed your face with real food. More spas are beginning to use simpler, fresher, natural ingredients for facials. Instead of smearing on dubious chemical cocktails that often include alcohol and petrochemicals, they are applying blends of natural foods. From maple sugar exfoliating scrubs to moisturizing avocado skin masques, delectable foods are the base for nourishing skin facials. Honey, papaya, sea salt, baking soda, oats, almonds, eggs, blueberries, green tea, and flaxseeds all have their place in this new world of chemical-free, nourishing facials. Ask your spa to use only organically grown food sources so you are not exposed to common toxic agrochemicals. This trend of putting on your skin only what you would put in your mouth makes getting a regular facial a rather tasty habit!

Deep-Tissue Massage

Some like to go deep when it comes to a massage. Deep-tissue massage is not for everyone, but for many seasoned massage hounds, especially men, it’s the only kind that will do. This intense massage treatment is designed to reach deeper tissue structures of the muscle and connective tissue, releasing built-up muscle tension and knots. Ideally used as part of an extended treatment program, deep-tissue massage gradually untangles and releases those muscular knots we’ve tied over the course of our lives.