Six Popular Reasons to Enjoy a Day Spa

Today, so many of us lead very busy lives no matter what our profession or circumstances, we all could do with a welcome break or relaxation when the opportunity arises. Well, why not take a trip to a day spa for some well-earned rest and relaxation, plus enjoy any of the range of therapies you are likely to encounter on your therapeutic experience?

Here are just some of the reasons you should maybe consider attending a day spa or for a longer therapeutic spa holiday break.

Get Healthy and Restore Balance

Day spas are a healthy way of restoring balance back into your body through many of the treatments on offer at your chosen day spa. There you will be treated by a professional practitioner who will discuss your needs and requirements, plus any health issues you might have before you enjoy some of the many treatments on offer.

Relaxation and Stress Reduction

Modern day spas are a great way to relieve day-to-day stresses and strains from work and our hectic lifestyles. This can be achieved through many of the therapeutic treatments available, with various massage treatments being some of the most popular.

Lose Weight

Certain day spas will be able to assist in your fitness and dietary requirements, with the aim to assisting you to regaining a targeted weight. This can be monitored and tailored to suit your lifestyle, plus many of the current spa treatments available could assist in your weight loss programme.

Detox

We are all aware if we detox our bodies periodically, it will assist in our wellbeing and re-energize our body once again. Detoxing can take many forms, both internal and external and there are now many therapeutic treatments which offer detoxing capabilities. External treatments available include, therapeutic body wraps, mud treatments, with various face and full body rituals.

Take a Friend or a Loved One

Make your spa experience memorable by taking a friend or a loved one, so you can share your spa experience and share the rewards of a day or a weekend break at your chosen spa location.

Give a Spa Break as a Gift

Why not give a give a spa break as a gift or a present to someone you love? Most day spas offer the facility to gift a spa treatment, usually by way of pre-paid vouchers. This could be the perfect birthday or anniversary gift to your partner, a parent or a way to say thank you to a friend.

How to Get Spa Waxing Results Without Paying Spa Prices

Let's face it, at least in the United States, if a woman has hair any place other than the accepted locations (e.g., head, eyebrows, eyelashes), she is probably looking for a way to get rid of it. A lot of these women -- and you may be one of them -- go to day spas or salons and pay on average anywhere from $8.00 for brows to $88 and up for a Brazilian. Sure they get pampered and leave with silky smooth skin, but... is it really worth the cost? Is there a way to get the same results without that expense?

The short answer is: Yes.

You may have been led to believe that only a "trained technician" with "professional products" can give you a perfect wax, but, let's face it, when you go to a spa or salon, most of your money is going for an experience. If what you're really looking for is results, you can achieve them at home on your own.You can do a professional waxing job at home with minimal equipment and expense. All you really need to get started are:

Wax
a wax warmer (a one-time investment)
spatulas for application
strips for wax removal
a little practice

Many spas also offer special cleansers and soothing creams as a part of their treatments, but don't be fooled: You can get your own equivalents of salon products without paying the high mark-ups they'll charge you.

Once you've assembled your equipment and supplies, the steps to waxing are straightforward and easy.

The day before you wax, exfoliate your skin. This removes dead skin cells and helps avoid ingrown hairs.

Just before waxing, apply a powder to your skin. This will help the wax stick to the hair and not the skin.

Following the directions on the package, heat your wax. Be sure to test the temperature before you start applying the wax.

Using a spatula, apply the wax in the direction that the hair grows. Your application should be same size as the removal strips you're using, and you should work section by section: Do not apply all of the wax at once and plan to rip it all off at one time.

To remove the wax, place the cloth strip over it and rub firmly. You want the strip to have contact with as much wax as possible. Then, hold the skin taught and quickly pull the strip in the opposite direction of the hair's growth. Be careful to pull the strip along the skin and not upward.

If any excess wax is left on your skin, you can remove it with olive oil or, if you prefer, a product designed for the purpose.

To finish, apply a soothing lotion or cream, but avoid anything with alcohol or perfumes that might irritate your skin.

As with most techniques, waxing may require a little practice to get the results you're looking for, but it's really not that hard, and I think you'll find the savings and convenience (no more appointments!) well worth the small effort.

Chocolate Spa Treatments - Pamper Yourself Today!

Pampering yourself at least once a month can relieve your stress and rejuvenate your body inside out. So why not indulge your equally stress-relieving sweet tooth at the same time by having a chocolate spa treatment? There are several spas and hotels nationwide that offer different spa treatments using chocolate as the main ingredient and theme. However, if you are on a budget and cannot afford to travel to the nearest chocolate spa, there are several homemade recipes you can use for your own chocolate spa treatment right in the privacy of your home.

Studies have shown that chocolates have anti-oxidants and minerals which promote good health inside out. chocolates contain a chemical called tryptophan which gives you that heady feeling when you eat chocolates. Aside from this, chocolates contains other chemical elements that can provide you with a relaxing, feel good and giddy sensation all over whether you eat or apply chocolates on your skin. Just the smell of chocolates creates brain reactions that promote feel good sensations.

Applying chocolate spa products on your skin has several health benefits such as:

* The cocoa butter that can be extracted from cacao beans, which are used to make chocolates, is rich in fatty acids. Facial or body spa treatments with cocoa butter can provide great softening effects on your skin.
* Glycerides are ingredients which can also be found in cocoa which provide moisturizing lipids and fats. These will help plump and firm your skin.

Nowadays, there are several spas and hotels that offer different chocolate spa treatments such as facials, body treatments, body wraps, manicure, pedicure and massage. These chocolate spa treatments can provide you with:

* anti-aging benefits such as lightening or diminishing wrinkles,
* remove harmful radicals and
* leave your skin looking fresh, glowing and younger-looking.

One of the most popular places for a chocolate spa treatment is The spa at the Hotel Hershey. Who else knows chocolate more than Hershey? They offer different types of spa treatments but of course the best one you can get is their "Everything chocolate" experience. It includes:

* Whipped Cocoa Bath - $40 worth of 15 minutes soak into foaming chocolate milk bath for softer skin and an experience to indulge in a one of a kind Hershey chocolate experience
* Chocolate Hydrotherapy - for 25 minutes and $55 you will hydrate and moisturize your skin in a very unique way
* Chocolate Bean Polish - 30 minutes of blissful skin exfoliation using cocoa bean husks and walnut shells plus softening Cocoa Body Moisturizer prized at $65
* Chocolate Sugar Scrub - 30 minutes worth $65 of sweet chocolate scrub that can leave your skin silky smooth
* Chocolate Fondue Wrap - wrap yourself for 60 minutes with the spa's exclusive formula made of warmed moor mud and essence of cocoa. It is $115 worth of luxurious body brushing, fondue application, body wrap for a total effect and a Vichy Shower to rinse
* Cocoa Massage - you can choose to have a 50 minute or 80 minute massage of Swedish massage using the Hershey's chocolate scented massage oil. Prices are $100 for 50 minutes and $160 for 80 minutes.

3 New Spa Treatments for 2012

Treating yourself to a relaxing spa session is an excellent way of unwinding from the stresses of daily life. You may think you are familiar with every spa treatment under the sun but, looking forward to the New Year, we have discovered some innovative new methods that are being offered by spas around the world.

1) There is an increasing trend of some experimental spas beginning to offer multi-sensory treatment. One centre in Pennsylvania has started advertising something known as a Tibetan sound massage. Using Tibetan singing bowls, this intriguing new treatment is designed to 'balance the body' through vibrations from the traditional instrument. Another US resort puts an even greater emphasis on sound, combining the therapeutic effects of music, rhythm and the sounds of nature to assist relaxation. Perhaps even more intriguing is the resurgence in popularity of some ancient Ayurvedic treatments, which uses colour therapy to correct chakra imbalances. With otherwise traditional massage and sauna techniques now mixing light and sound together to create a very different kind of health experience, multi-sensory therapy certainly seems to be the new craze in spa treatment for 2012.

2) According to a new breed of 'coaching' practitioners, effective spa-like healing is even available on your computer screen. If you have been to a far-flung destination on holiday and visited a spa, it is now sometimes possible to continue your treatment at home. With coaches offering advice on everything from sleeping patterns to eyebrow grooming, you could choose to abandon traditional spas in favour of e-mail. Although these techniques could be an effective method of sticking to health routines you became familiar with whilst away, it is important to keep in mind that taking this option will mean you do the work - at a spa, it is all done for you!

3) If a 'starfish sparkle manicure' or 'ice-cream pedicure' doesn't sound quite like your sort of thing, that may be because they are two examples of new spa treatments that have been specifically designed for children. Spa sessions for under 18s are becoming increasingly common, with some resorts offering full days dedicated to their younger customers. There is a spa in Hawaii which also offers parents the chance to sign up for baby massage classes. This new brand of treatments does not yet seem to have caught on in Britain, but may be an interesting activity for your family to try if you are on a holiday in the US!

Top 4 Services Offered by Med Spa

If you are considering one or more cosmetic procedures, you need to find a medical spa that offers the services you are interested in. When you locate a medical spa, make certain that it is properly licensed and that each cosmetologist is also licensed. You may want to check online for feedback from other customers and the Better Business Bureau before making your first appointment. A medical spa will offer you a number of services related to your body, skin, hair and veins.

1. Spa Services Related to Weight Loss

Weight loss is one of the top reasons people contact a medical spa. The practitioners can help you lose weight and become healthier. Typical services offered include liposuction, cellulite treatment with body wraps, a supervised HCG medical weight loss program and various purification and detoxification programs. A consultant will meet you when you first come into the medical spa to determine your dietary needs. You are likely to be assigned a health coach who will assist you with permanent changing of your dietary habits so you don't regain the weight you lose.

2. Skin Care Procedures

Most spas offer facials, chemical peels and microdermabrasion. These procedures are intended to remove wrinkles, age spots, frown lines, acne scars and other blemishes permanently. They are also used to reverse the signs of aging and give you a healthier skin tone. The practitioner at the spa may use a laser to exfoliate the top layer of skin on your face and bring the second layer, called the epidermis, to the surface. These skin care procedures typically take less than one hour with minimal discomfort afterwards.

3. Hair Removal and Restoration

Practitioners can remove hair from unwanted places on your body, including the mouth area of women, the back, the pubic area and other areas of the face. This is done with a laser that breaks up the hair follicles underneath and causes the hair to fall out. The process may need to be repeated every few months as hair grows back again.
Men or women with thinning hair can benefit from the natural hair growth products offered at medical health spas.

4. Vein Treatment

You can have your varicose veins removed with a special laser that causes the blood flow to the veins to stop, clot and eventually disappear. It may take up to several months for the varicose veins to be no longer visible.