candlesandoils.com
Sponsored Spas Results:

Spa Overview

By:

Published: July 25, 2006

A spa is a place where people can de-stress, detoxify and escape the chaos of everyday life with massages, facials and a host of other treatments.

There are an astounding number of spa products available. Depending on the spa, you can get anything from an exotic seaweed body wrap to a Vichy shower treatment. This amazing diversity in products allows patrons to tailor their spa experience to their specific interests.

Spas are becoming increasingly mainstream and affordable, which has made them popular within virtually every industry. This includes travel, business, leisure and medical industries. Where today it might be trendy to take your business colleagues to bond for a day at the spa, this was an entirely foreign concept just ten years ago.

As spas continue to innovate, it is hard to predict what the next new spa idea will be. One thing is for certain, however, spas are here to stay, and will continue to evolve and gain reputability as along as our demand for more efficient ways to balance our lives continues to persist.

While the variety of spas is great, all these options may leave patrons wondering where to begin. The answer is to start with yourself. Think about your interests, your goals and your cost restrictions and you will begin to see which category of spa best fits your needs. Ultimately, no matter what spa you choose, you should walk away from treatments feeling like royalty.

Basic Rules of Spas

Most spas provide robes and slippers, and are equipped with showers, lockers and essential toiletries including towels and shampoo. When you get a full-body massage, you will be expected to take off all your clothes. A sheet will cover your entire body except for the area being massaged. If you are uncomfortable, wish for more or less pressure or experience pain, you should tell your masseuse. After all, spa treatments are meant to be enjoyable. Also, if you are getting a water treatment, they will expect you to shower beforehand.

Different Types of Spas

Salon Spa: This spa is attached to a salon. It is ideal for people who want a convenient stop at the spa after their salon visit.

When you enter the spa area, you will experience a shift in atmosphere. Noise is blocked from the salon. This spa offers many of the basic spa treatments, but tends not to have extensive water treatments. What it lacks in size, it makes up in convenience, offering a range of massages and facials. A Swedish massage is a full-body massage popular for first-timers.

Day Spa: This type of spa is larger in size and generally offers a wide range of treatments. Some services include massages, facials, body wraps, manicures, pedicures and aromatherapy treatments.

Day spas are great because they are versatile. You can make it a brief 30-minute session or prepare for a mini-getaway by blocking off a few hours. The day spas are usually more extensive in terms of treatments compared to a salon spa. Some of these include hydrotherapy, steam and sauna rooms and sometimes pools. You may find they have yoga or meditation options as well.

Destination Spa: The destination spa is geared toward the individual looking for total rejuvenation in body, mind and spirit. In addition to regular treatments, destination spas offer educational programs, fitness classes, yoga sessions and healthy cuisines. This spa goes beyond temporary customer satisfaction and strives to change a person's lifestyle habits.

The length of stay at a destination spa typically ranges anywhere from overnight to a week. This type of spa has become immensely popular for vacations, where people are confident they will return to their everyday life completely renewed.

Medical Spa: The people attending medical spas are interested in doctor-supervised healthy outcomes. These spas focus on specific results attained through medical equipment and burgeoning technology. For instance, there are weight loss programs offered in conjunction with skin-tightening procedures. Microdermabrasion, electrolysis hair removal and Botox injections have become popular trends in medical spas. Some spas offer endermologie to reduce cellulite.

Common Spa Treatments

Seaweed body wrap: This procedure is meant to smooth, exfoliate and soften skin.

Hot Stone Massage: Smooth rocks are heated and placed strategically on the body. This massage creates intense penetrating sensations in the surrounding muscles and tissues.

Swedish Body Massage: By applying gliding strokes with palms, fingertips and thumbs, this massage increases the oxygen flow in the blood and release toxins from the muscles.

Vichy shower treatment: This pressure-point water massage administers warm water over the entire body, especially targeting the shoulders, back and legs.

Facial: This procedure thoroughly cleanses and exfoliates the face. You will be asked questions about your face type, whether it is oily or dry, so the person administering the facial can create an individualized blend just for you.