Health and Fitness Travel, a global luxury wellness travel company, has just released a list of The World’s 10 Most Unusual Spa Therapies.
According to the company, the unconventional therapies will raise the eyebrows of even the quirkiest spa aficionado. So if you’re looking for treatments to help your salon stand out from the crowd, or just want to book a unique spa vacation for yourself, read on.
Moxibustion Chinese Therapy (Lefay SPA – Italy)
Moxibustion’ is a Chinese therapeutic technique which involves the burning of mugwort, a small, spongy medicinal herb, on various acupuncture points and energy pathways around the body. After the ‘moxa’ is placed on the body and lit, it is extinguished and removed before it burns the skin, producing a pleasant heating sensation. The treatment promises to “strengthen the blood, stimulate energy levels and boost the results of other therapies”.
Red & Black Pepper Lipolysis (Porto Elounda Detox – Greece)
Using the medicinal properties of red and black pepper to stimulate the breakdown of fatty tissue, this is a deeply moisturising and refreshing treatment that combines warm and cool techniques to tone the skin. It is followed by a firming massage which “stimulates detoxification and further enhances the treatment’s slimming properties” to increase blood and lymph circulation.
Himalayan Heart Stone Massage in (Fusion Maia – Vietnam)
The Himalayan Heart Stone Massage is a gentle, alkalising therapy using warm heart-shaped salt stones and pomelo oil to promote inner peace. The warmth from the stones eases tense muscles and soothes aches and pains, while the stones’ positive ions are believed to rid the body of harmful vibrations and clear the air around it.
Green Coffee Sculpting (Zighy Bay Sense of De-stress – Oman)
Focused on the thighs, waist, stomach and buttocks, this energising body treatment aims to “break down fat cells, stimulate circulation and boost metabolism”. The treatment includes dry skin brushing and then a massage with thermogenic, salon-strength chilli and coffee oil.
Nasal Treatment (SwaSwara Ayurveda – India)
Nasya, an ancient Ayurvedic practice, encourages nasal administration of medicinal herbs, decoctions and oils, to clear sinus congestion and expel toxins from the head and neck region. According to the spa, the nose is the “gateway to the brain” so “you’ll breathe easy knowing you’re healing your mind as well as your body”.
Colour Therapy (The Banjaran Rejuvenation – Malaysia)
Chromotherapy uses colours to adjust body vibrations to frequencies that encourage greater health and harmony. According to the spa, “cultivating the frequencies of individual colours” can balance and re-shape the energy in our bodies to achieve “a greater level of physical and spiritual healing”.
Chavutti Thirumal Massage (Body Holiday De-Stress – St Lucia)
Whilst having someone walk all over you may not seem like therapy, this ancient Indian massage technique releases muscular tension, stretches the body and improves circulation and energy flow, and is perfect for those who enjoy deep tissue massage. Also known as Indian rope massage, the therapist holds onto a rope above the client’s head “for balance and to adjust pressure” while using their feet to deliver a stronger, deeper massage.
Farm-to-Facial (Borgo Egnazia Spa – Italy)
The ‘Abbel Bel’ treatment (translating to ‘slowly slowly’ features fresh herbs harvested in Borgo’s kitchen garden. With an ingredients list that reads more like a salad dressing, this “sentimental” treatment for the face combines lemon, mint, sage, rosemary, lavender, almond milk, camellia oil and olive oil to create a facial treatment that “nurtures the skin, relaxes the senses and promotes an overall sense of well-being”.
Eye Therapy (Ananda Rejuvenation – Nepal)
‘Akshi Tarpana’ is an ayurvedic treatment that involves applying ghee to the eyes to treat eye disorders or simply revive tired eyes. A ‘ring’ of flour paste is formed around the client’seyes and then medicated ghee is then gently poured in while the client intermittently opens and closes their eyes.
Anja Light Therapy (Phuket Cleanse – Thailand)
Anja Light Therapy uses “dynamic neural stimulating brainwave technology” to induce deep meditative states which can “develop clarity and direction, reduce stress and anxiety, and cultivate a more profound connection with a broader reality”. According to the spa such meditative states are usually only reached by meditative experts such as Buddhist monks and Shamans, but with the Anja Light Therapy “you might even be lucky enough to experience out-of-body and astral projections”.
Health and Fitness Travel is a global luxury wellness travel company that is committed to “providing healthy holidays that enhance and change lives”.
For more information visit www.healthandfitnesstravel.com.au