While spas are a service business by classic definition, consumers today want more than just services. Now, consumers are looking for an experience that is memorable and lasting.
A menu of spa services can be confusing to anyone unfamiliar with the terminology used to describe the array of treatments available. However, a look into the traditions from which the treatments come, their countries of origin, or the people who developed techniques can shed light on the unique language found within a spa.
Spa treatments come from all over the world and have been developed over the centuries by people from many cultures, religions, and medical perspectives. Many modern spa therapies have their origins in one or more of the long-standing traditions described below.
There are scores of massage therapies, based on different needs, techniques, and materials used. Some of the better-known massage therapies are explained here.
Part of health and wellness is understanding how one’s body works and how the proper functioning of the body contributes to an overall experience of physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
Body treatments include wraps and scrubs that use natural substances to enhance beauty, improve circulation and skin tone, and introduce trace elements into the body through absorption.
A facial is a skin treatment that generally consists of the following steps: cleansing, steaming, exfoliating, extraction, massaging, treating, and moisturizing.
Deep-tissue massage directed specifically at muscles used in athletic activities. This massage can be either preventive or corrective in approach.
Because it is given to those whose body tone and condition is tied to performance, it can be as specific as working over of leg muscles (in a runner, for example), or kneading muscles to assure optimal flexibility appropriate to the sport the person is engaged in.
A ceramic-tiled room with wet heat generated by temperatures of 110-130° Fahrenheit designed to soften the skin, cleanse the pores, calm the nervous system and relieve tension.
The act of soaking or cleansing the body, as in water or steam. The water used for cleansing the body. A building equipped for bathing. A resort providing therapeutic baths; a spa.
A program of meditation, deep relaxation or any activity intended to reduce the ill effects of stress on the system.
Most spas offer a variety of tension-relieving techniques that fall under the category of stress management (yoga, meditation, guided relaxation and visualization, stretching and breathing exercises, positive thinking, and nutritional counseling).
This treatment involves the use of sugar often mixed with oils and applied to the skin with the intent to remove dead skin cells from the skin’s epidermis.The exfoliation is achieved by both a mechanical (manual) and a chemical means.The alpha hydroxy acid from the sugar loosens the bonds between dead skin cells and the coarseness of the sugar gently sloughs them away. The exfoliation not only leaves the skin with a better appearance and texture, but the treatment also increases the blood circulation and cell generation.
Rooted in ancient practices, sugaring is the most natural and long-lasting treatment for eliminating unwanted hair from all areas of the body for both men and women. Using only 100% natural ingredients, it is the least painful of all hair removal techniques and is great for all skin types.
Therapeutic baths using warm sea water. Warm sea water allows minerals, trace elements and vitamins to be drawn into the blood stream while toxins are actively eliminated.
