What's the most special spa experience you've ever had? The avocado and passion fruit face mask? The most original, wacky spa treatments around the world, or "out of the box" spa treatments we've come across, take daring and even hardened spa-goers to try. Still others simply need initiated "hunters" of absolute relaxation or luxury.
01. Gondola Massage
In one of the most romantic cities in the world, Venice, everything is fairytale and different. So why not a massage too? This is what they thought at the Casanova Spa of the Cipriani hotel and among their luxurious services they also offer massages on gondolas. After all, no one can get enough of the view of the city no matter how long they stay. The massage takes place in a private secluded spot on one of Venice's charming canals.
www.hotelcipriani.com
02. Nightingale Dropping Facial
Although Steven Spielberg's film Geisha never mentioned it in her Memoirs, all Kabuki actors (traditional Japanese theater art) and geishas in Japan have shared a grooming and beauty secret for years. Smearing their face with nightingale droppings for clean, soft and white skin! Following their example, the Diamond Spa of the homonymous Resort & Spa in Hawaii, added to its spa menu, a facial treatment with the same raw material in powder, removing the smell. www.diamondresort.com
03. Snake Massage
Just the idea of being touched by a snake makes us cringe. Despite man's primordial phobia of snakes and despite the fact that we would never imagine the word "relaxation" with "snake" in the same sentence, tight muscles are "loosened" with a snake massage in northern Israel, at therapist Ada Barak's signature spa. For around €50, her six non-venomous snakes are supposed to take away tension and relieve sore muscles!
04. Dieci Mani
It means ten hands and at Qua Spa in Atlantic City, that's exactly how many hands are massaging you! Of course, it is enough to notify 24 hours in advance and, most importantly, to be willing to pay a lot for your relaxation. Sure ten hands is much better than two, but in this case it will cost you around €3,500! Economical aside, this experience feels like Heaven when you consider that it includes a synchronized head-to-toe massage by four therapists, with the fifth exclusively handling the facial massage. At the end you also get a refund of around €700, in a set of designer gifts that every fashion lover would like to have.
www.harrahs.com/qua
05. Fish Therapy
At Sampuoton Spa in Selangor, Malaysia, swimming with the fish takes on another meaning. Here the specialized healers have no business and their place is taken by a species of small fish that feeds on dead cells. They are called "Garra Rufa Obtusa" and they bite the brave who dare to enter a heated pool filled with them. Nevertheless, it is a completely painless experience. This tickling treatment results in soft, smooth and healthy skin and a new appreciation for this hungry species of carp, informally called “Doctor Fish”.
www.sampuotonspa.com
06. 24K Gold Facial
It seems that Cleopatra had discovered centuries earlier another "precious" beauty secret, apart from milk and honey baths, making face masks with real gold, to look younger. Today, although the effectiveness of this practice has not been scientifically proven, many beauty experts claim that it penetrates the skin, softening fine lines and wrinkles. Following the example of the Queen of the Nile, famous and loyal spa friends pay around €300 to live the ultimate experience of a 24K Gold Facial.
www.veronicaskincare.com
07. Beer Therapy
THE detoxification είναι στην κορυφή των απαιτήσεων των spa-goers που απολαμβάνουν ένα λουτρό μπύρας στο spa που βρίσκεται στο ζυθοποιείο της οικογένειας Chodovar στην Τσεχία. Οι επισκέπτες μπορούν να βυθιστούν σε μία μπανιέρα γεμάτη με μαύρη μπύρα, ενώ ταυτόχρονα πίνουν ένα μεγάλο ποτήρι με μη παστεριωμένη μπύρα “Rock Lager” με ενεργή μαγιά, που υποτίθεται ότι κάνει θαύματα στο πεπτικό σύστημα. Πέρα από την προφανή εξήγηση της υγρής ευτυχίας, το λουτρό αυτό πιστεύεται ότι ανεβάζει την κυκλοφορία και βοηθά στην αποτοξίνωση. Εις υγείαν!
www.chodovaplana.cz
08. Virtual Dolphin Therapy
The "dance" of dolphins in the ocean is certainly one of the most wonderful, relaxing and liberating experiences. La Quinta Healing Arts Spa in California said it wants to bring dolphins a little closer to us, with a holistic treatment it calls "Virtual Dolphin Therapy." The visitor lies on a vibrating bed with a plasma TV on the ceiling that shows dolphins swimming and listens to the sounds of friendly fish. The ocean-friendly feeling is complemented by having a plush vibrating dolphin on their chest, during the entire treatment…
www.laquintahealingarts.com
09. Cactus Massage
The purpose of the “Hakali” massage, at the Apuane Spa of the Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita in Mexico, is relaxation, albeit with cactus leaves! This massage is based on a special Mexican "wisdom". He uses cacti for massage, but without thorns, in a mixture of prickly pear, tequila and "pulque" (a drink that comes from agave plants).
www.fourseasons.com/puntamita/
By Dimitra Chronopoulou
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