From Naked Natural Pools to Pins & Needles - The wide variety of Spa treatments around the world.
We all need a break to restore from travel (and life,) and there are so many spectacular spas all over the world promising restoration!
But the word Spa implies different things in different countries. What one culture or traveler finds relaxing another might find boring or even painful. So it’s always good to have an idea about your destination's spa culture before booking treatment.
From the Roman Baths and Greek Healing Temples of antiquity to the modern Urban Day Spa - below is a brief overview some of the different ways people have and continue to pamper themselves around the world.
Some may sound a bit crazy, but I personally love to try unusual, even wacky, experiences, so be brave, check out the spa styles that sounds interesting and maybe book something new while on your adventure!
Discussed in this Article
Assisted Bathing & Body Scrubs
Mud & Alternative Baths & Wraps
Creepy, Kooky and Cringe Treatments
Healing Waters - The Original Spa Experience
The term Spa | Spa - /spä/ - is used rather loosely to mean any place or resort designed for relaxation and renewal - but it actually comes from the Belgium town, Spå.
The name means gushing spring, (possible from the Latin sparsa = scattered & gushing) and spa technically refers specifically to springs whose natural mineral make up is considered to have physical health benefits.
The waters can naturally be hot or cold and the mineral make-up varies. They can be bathed in directly or the healing waters can be pumped to a secondary pool, where they are sometimes enjoyed nude and sometimes in swimwear, but the spa concept is always the same; mineral waters, usually combined with beautiful natural scenery;
Pure - Simple - Mentally calming - Physically relaxing...
While nearly every spa of this type is a very pleasant experience, they can be pricey and I personally don't think just sitting in mineral water is worth spending a lot of money on, so I only visit this type of spa if there are additional amenities I wish to participate in. (There are also lots of countries were you can find natural mineral waters to bath in in the 'wilderness' for free.)
The Hot Box - Sauna Based Spas
In Europe a tradition of Sauna culture evolved from both of the Roman Bathhouse tradition in the South and the heated structures built for bathing in the North. And in the Americas similar sweat lodge rituals have been practiced for thousands of years
Unlike the Healing Waters based spas, the health benefit of a Sauna practice is focused on controlling and altering of humidity and body temperature extremes. They can utilize either wet (steam) or dry heat and vary widely in temperature.
Both dry sauna and steam room popularity has spread. They're now frequently combine with mineral water spas and included as amenities in most resorts regardless of the local traditions.
Enjoyed nude or partially clothed, with some countries separating genders and others mixed, (even when nude,)
I always love a good sauna. Unlike the mineral springs, the intense heat is not something I can duplicate in my own bathroom. If you're smart about what amenities you use at a responsibly priced sauna spa they can be enjoyed economically.
Full Body Scrubs - Assisted Bathing Rituals
Several cultures combine bathhouses with elaborated cleansing rituals and attendants performing a hybrid of a body scrub and massage. In some traditions they are added to sauna rituals and in other traditions they are associated with soaking pools, but in both the assisted bathing includes a deep exfoliation of the full body; (body sanding might be a better description than body scrub, as the treatment is aggressive.)
These bathhouses and saunas might be my favorite spa experiences. Some people are put off by the idea of being touched so intimately be a stranger while nude, and they worry that the scrubbing will hurt - but I highly encourage anyone who hasn’t tried it to give it a go. I promise no one cares in sauna what you look like naked, and while the exfoliating is rough, most find it pleasurable and you definitely feel incredible afterwards. My skin never feels as good as it does after one of these treatments, it's even fresher than a newborn babe!
Down & Dirty - Baths & Wraps in MUD and More
The same minerals which enrich spa waters also infuse the soils around them, so it's no surprise a tradition of bathing in the mineral muds grew up around sources of mineral waters. The mud is believed to detoxify, exfoliate, and invigorate the skin.
Mud baths are similar to water baths with the addition of the incredible calming sensation of weight and gentle compression. Mud is also an excellent retainer of heat and the temperate in a mud bath builds quickly. Often the there is a time limit to how long one can safely soak so as not to overheat.
Mud can also be used in treatments like body wraps, where it's applied to the skin before the whole body is wrapped tightly in a sheet or blanket (like being swaddled!)
The heat and compression combo can be achieved with other mineral rich substances too, like mulches, wood chips, peat, seaweed algae and more.
I can't swear to the health benefits of the mineral portion of the treatments but the weighted blanket sensation and bone deep body warmth are worth experiencing, at least once, even if the service seems pricey for just 'sitting' in something 'dirty'- I don't know if my nervous system has ever felt as instinctually safe and at peace as it has while in a cedar mulch bath.
Here's The Rub - A Multitude of Massages
I love a good massage - from gentle to hold your breath intense - there is nothing better to release the tension built up from travel, and just life. A massage can put my whole being at ease and leaves me loose and limber for days afterwards. There are a seemingly infinite variety of massages in the world and I sincerely hope to eventually experience them all!
Most full body massages are administered while the client is at least partially undressed, and covered by a sheet, so the masseurs can directly manipulate the skin and muscles, and apply soothing oils or lotions.
Personally, I prefer to be nude, but many people will keep their underwear on and most massage traditions allow the client to choose their state of undress, so no need to worry if you're self-conscience.
No Pain, No Gain - Chinese Needles, Blades & Cupping
Some people (like my Mother) find even a gentle Swedish massage unpleasant, anything more than a light back scratch was too much for her. These Chinese traditions are not for people like my mother! But if your a bit of a masochist, like me, you might want to try a few of these alternative therapies...
Spas on the Rocks with a Twists:
There was a time when a hot rocks were a novel twist on massage, but, with the fierce competition in the spa industry, resorts are constantly having to invent new eye catching treatments to attract clients. So river rocks have given way to more exotic rocks; diamond massages, ice treatments & tequila (hold the rocks...)
Add to these some odd traditions from far off lands and you have a cornucopia of creepy, kooky and cringe treatments.
Which would you allow on your face?
A) Bird Poo
B) Bee Venom
C) Fire
Related Posts
