From Mud Baths to Vinotherapy: Common Spa Treatments And Their Benefits
Article by Janette Vince
If you’ve never treated yourself to a spa day before, taking a bath in wine, milk, or mud can sound far from appealing. But such treatments are believed to have significant health and beauty benefits. They’re also pleasurable and relaxing. If you’re considering a trip to the day spa, here are a few treatments worth indulging in.
Balneotherapy. This term refers to bathing in order to bring about a medical benefit. It actually encompasses many common immersion-based spa treatments, including mud baths, vinotherapy, aromatherapy, and hydrotherapy. During the bath, the patient is immersed in a substance–usually wine, water, milk, or mud. There are often herbs and essential oils included. These are believed to have physiological and psychological health benefits.
Mud therapy. Taking a bath in mud might seem a bit strange at first. But the mud used in spas is not the same stuff you track in the house if you forget to wipe your feet. It’s “clean” mud, usually clay-based and specially formulated to draw impurities out of the skin. It can be applied during facials or full-body baths. Many spa-goers are surprised at how good it feels to indulge in a mud bath–and how great their skin looks afterwards.
Hydrotherapy. This is one of the most ancient forms of spa treatment around. For thousands of years, people have believed that hot, cold, and mineral springs have restorative powers. The ancient Greeks and Romans indulged in hot and cold baths; people of centuries past went to mineral spring resorts to “take the waters;” and today, water-based therapies are used to treat arthritis, improve circulation, and more.
Aromatherapy. Aromatherapy involves using essential oils to provide a wide variety of health benefits. Essential oils are extracted from plants and used in baths, soaps, facial treatments, and more. Depending on the patient’s needs, aromatherapy can be used in many ways, including improving skin condition, treating arthritis and other ailments, relaxing or invigorating the body, and stimulating circulation.
Vinotherapy. Ever consider taking a bath in your favorite wine? It might sound eccentric, but vinotherapy is the latest in anti-aging therapy. Wine grapes are high in anti-oxidants, and a bath in their juices soothes irritation, softens and heals skin damage, and rejuvenates skin. It’s said to relieve the symptoms of menopause as well. In addition to these benefits, the treatment is relaxing and soothing to aching muscles and overstressed minds.
Thalassotherapy. The word comes from the Greek word, “thalassos,” meaning “sea.” And thalassotherapy has everything to do with the sea. Seawater contains trace amounts of magnesium, potassium, sodium, sulphates, and other beneficial minerals that are believed to be absorbed through the skin. Thalassotherapy includes marine mudpacks, showers of warm seawater, seaweed and algae paste wraps, and inhalation of sea fog. It is believed to help relieve arthritis pain, hypertension, asthma, bronchitis, and hypertension, among other things.
Milk baths. Bathing in milk is an ancient tradition. Queens and princesses in many ancient cultures were believed to have bathed in it to acquire soft, pure white skin. Today, some spas offer milk baths as a skin treatment. The lactic acid in the milk is believed to break down old skin cells and soften, smooth, and exfoliate the new skin. There may be something to the belief that a bath in milk can give you the skin of a princess.
Massage therapy. Massage therapy is a common spa treatment, and it comes in many different forms. All massage techniques, however, apply pressure to the body’s soft tissues in order to achieve a specific medical result. Different types of massage are designed to relieve stress, manage pain, treat physical ailments, help the healing process, and more. It’s often best to talk with a doctor or massage therapist before making an appointment at a spa, so you’ll know what type of massage is best for you.
Acupuncture. Acupuncture is the practice of inserting needles at various pressure points in the body to relieve pain. It is an ancient medical practice developed in China over two thousand years ago. While its methods are not based in scientific practice, there is documented evidence that acupuncture works. It is believed to be most effective against back pain, headache, and neck pain.
Different spas offer different treatments, so be sure to check the menu of each spa you consider to be sure the treatment you’re looking for is available. There are many ways to experience relaxation, improved health and wellness, and a well-deserved day of pampering at the spa.
About the Author
Janette Vince is director of the online experience days company ThanksDarling.com For a wide selection of UK spa breaks and spa days visit http://www.thanksdarling.com/health-spas.htm
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