THE NEW SPA OFFERINGS
A unique experience in relaxation
Written by KEELY LATCHAM
Imagine yourself indulging in a luxurious spa experience.
Perhaps it involves a massage, a manicure or a facial. But
do you picture yourself being slathered in sugar?
Massaged with warm stones? Soaked in a bath of mud?
These treatments, which seemed exotic and alternative just a
few years ago, are slowly becoming staples in spas around
the country and right here in Denver.
The spa industry has been on the rise in recent years, with
spas springing up across the country and more than 32 million
Americans making trips to indulge in massages and body treatments
each year. While in the past, spa visits typically meant a
long weekend at a resort or hotel, day spas offering single treatments
and one-day packages have now expanded to make up
80 percent of the industry. Manicures, pedicures and full-body
massages are the favorite choices of spa-goers, but newer therapies
are quickly gaining popularity. Some may sound bizarre
or hard to believe, but their benefits are real.
One treatment that is becoming more common among
spa-goers is the mud wrap. While the idea of drenching oneself
in a substance more commonly associated with certain
farm animals may seem off-putting, mud actually is very rich
in nutrients and can exfoliate and enhance the skin. Mud
wraps usually involve covering the body in mud and then
wrapping it in blankets, allowing the mud to draw toxins out
of the skin. The benefits of mud wraps include softer skin,
increased hydration and a deep feeling of relaxation.
Different types of mud may be used in these wraps. The
Moor Mud Wrap offered by the Oxford Club and Spa, for
instance, uses mud harvested from moors in Australia, which
is rich in organic matter and proteins and can help preserve
the skin. According to club and spa director Christina
Critchell, moor mud is “extremely hydrating and helps raise
the natural body temperature,” allowing for greater detoxification.
The Oxford Club’s body treatment involves an exfoliating
brushing followed by an oil and warm mud wrap, which
is gently painted onto the body. Once wrapped, clients relax
in an aromatic steam tent to allow the skin to absorb the
properties of the mud. Critchell says the “decadent” two-hour
treatment is one of the spa’s most popular offerings.
Mud has other beauty benefits as well, including the reduction
of that pesky little problem known as cellulite. Certain mud
wraps can reduce cellulite through a combined process of perspiration
and compression, resulting in smaller body dimensions.
Although the cellulite-fighting effects of mud wraps usually
don’t last, they are perfect for a temporary tightening.
Mud wraps often are more than just mud, however. The
Rejuvenating Mud Wrap offered at the Aria Spa & Club at Vail
Cascade Resort, for example, contains cinnamon and paprika
in addition to the minerals and antioxidants provided by the
mud itself. The spa says these stimulating ingredients work
to “detoxify and revitalize.”
Mud is not the only unexpected element showing up in
salons these days. Sugar, most often used in sugar body
scrubs, is another popular substance. Because of its fine texture,
sugar is a perfect exfoliator that helps the skin glow naturally.
It also can help restore the skin’s natural oils and
reduce blemishes.
The Oxford Club and Spa offers a sugar scrub treatment in
which spa-goers are covered in warm oil and then sprinkled
with sugar. While this might sound more like a recipe for
sugar doughnuts than a skin treatment, it has hydrating benefits
that leave the skin feeling smooth and refreshed.
Critchell, who notes that this treatment is one of her personal
favorites, says sugar’s exfoliating properties allow products such as lotion and moisturizers to
better penetrate the skin after the treatment.
She also says that sugar is less
abrasive than other substances such as
salt, “and therefore more relaxing.”
Because of sugar’s popularity, many
spas have created specialty sugar
scrubs, with vitamin-rich ingredients
and creams or butters that work to soften
and protect the skin. The Aria Spa &
Club, for example, offers several exciting
options, including a Pear and Green
Apple Scrub as well as a Pomegranate
Cranberry Scrub. The raw sugar granules
in the scrubs exfoliate and hydrate
the skin, and both blends are full of
antioxidants and Vitamins A, C and E.
If mud and sugar don’t appeal,
what about water? Hydrotherapy massage
is another trend that is on the
rise in the spa industry. Hydrotherapy,
or the use of water to treat disease,
heals wounds and calms the nerves
and has been practiced for centuries.
The Greek physician Hippocrates prescribed
bathing in spring water to heal
diseases as early as the 4th century
B.C., and both Roman and Egyptian
civilizations emphasized the physical
and mental health benefits of bathing
practices. Today, many spas are combining
water therapy with massage
treatments to provide a soothing and
regenerative experience for both the
body and mind.
The Hydro Vida massage at the
Woodhouse Day Spa, for instance, combines
hydrotherapy, massage and essential
oils to provide pain relief for sore
muscles and joints. Spa manager Tina
Lovelace explains that guests soak in a
warm bath after a half-hour Swedish
massage. “The water is treated with fossil
silts and mineral salts that boost skin’s
metabolism and regenerate the skin’s
immune system while plumping the layers,”
she says. The aromatherapy aids in
relaxation and detoxification. Lovelace
notes that in addition to relieving sore
muscles and reducing stress, hydrotherapy
also increases the heart rate while
decreasing blood pressure and can
increase blood and lymph flow.
Even spas that don’t specifically offer
hydrotherapy treatments still tap into the
soothing power of water. Many spas
offer treatments that begin or end with a
relaxing bath, often accompanied by
calming aromatherapy. The Aria Spa &
Club’s “Escape” treatment, for example,
begins with a 30-minute soak in a private
tub, followed by a full-body massage. At
the Oxford Club, an Essential Bath
Enrichment treatment is suggested as an
accompaniment to the Sugar Scrub, Mud
Wrap or other massage treatments. The
Bath Enrichment, intended to “refresh
and restore your being,” includes a custom
blend of essential oils and a facial
massage, while guests relax in the water
for 30 minutes.
While using water to calm the mind and treat muscular aches might not
sound all that unusual, placing heated
volcanic stones on your body might.
However, the Oxford Club’s Critchell
says that hot stone massages are one of
the most popular trends in the industry
today. Basalt, a volcanic stone that
absorbs heat well, is typically used for
this treatment. The flat, smooth stones
are heated up to 120 degrees and then
placed on specific parts of the body,
such as the back or palms. The warm
stones work to relax the muscles and
expand the blood vessels, allowing for
a more effective massage. The Oxford
Club’s Signature Stone Treatment,
which lasts nearly two hours, combines
the use of stones with an aromatic massage
and promises to “melt your muscles
into a state of pure bliss.”
In some cases, the stones themselves
are rubbed across the body. The
one-and-a-half-hour Volcanic Stone
Massage offered by the Woodhouse
Day Spa involves a masseuse who
glides the stones along the body in traditional
massage strokes. Lovelace says
that the massage is a “very popular
choice” among clients, as the stones “pull tension from the muscles for a
more penetrating massage, leaving the
guest relaxed.” The use of stones rather
than the therapist’s hands allows the
muscles and tissue to relax with less
application of pressure, which makes
the massage perfect for those who
often find regular massages rough or
painful. The increased flow of blood
and relaxation of muscles also promote
a more serene state of mind.
Clearly, the offerings of the spa
industry have expanded to include
treatments from many different cultures
and practices. Despite seeming
strange or unfamiliar, these treatments
have real benefits. They are tailored
to address different muscular
and tissue aches, concerns about
aging and cellulite, and to provide the
most relaxing mental experience possible.
Stepping out of your comfort
zone to explore some of these new
trends may take your spa day from
unremarkable to unbelievable!
