Revitalizing Spa Treatments Perfect for the New Year

As 2021 ends, there is no doubt that you will face new challenges in the new year. However, staying up-to-date on the latest spa trends can help you face these challenges by keeping your body and mind soothed and focused on the present. Here is a list of various treatments that will prepare you to take on whatever 2022 brings your way!

Cryotherapy

One of the most popular spa treatments today is cryotherapy. Cryotherapy treatment is done within a cryo sauna chamber that uses a combination of cooling techniques to drop your surface body temperature between 30 and 50 degrees in just a few minutes. This cooling is achieved via a form of liquid nitrogen that cools the air around you. Although the treatment can last up to five minutes in total, you’ll begin feeling the benefits within as little as 30 seconds.

Spending just a few minutes in a cryo sauna is an excellent way to replenish your skin and experience a myriad of health benefits. Some of the effects include decreasing inflammation, promoting healing, and aiding in skin firming and weight loss.

Chilling the body’s surface temperature kicks your metabolism into high gear and can cause you to burn 500 to 800 calories in a single session! In addition to burning calories, cryotherapy releases endorphins likened to those released when doing high-intensity exercises. This therapy also positively affects your skin. Once your skin is immersed in the cold rush, it begins to produce more collagen which increases elasticity in the epidermis and improves the look of cellulite in problem areas, namely the back of the thighs and rear end.

Bamboo Massage

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Though the bamboo massage is a lesser-known treatment, it rivals the health benefits of deep tissue and trigger point massages. Bamboo massage therapy is essentially the same as a Swedish massage but with a twist. Instead of a massage therapist using their hands to warm your muscles to reduce joint and ligament pain, a roll of heated bamboo is used to achieve the same replenishing results. The warmed roll of bamboo is kneaded into your muscle tissue just as fingers would, allowing therapists to dig deeper and administer firmer pressure. The heated bamboo stalk can actually reach knots formed by lactic acid and other hidden tension that fingers alone could not.

After receiving a bamboo massage, your skin can improve due to the silica within the bamboo extracts. The silica assists the body in absorbing calcium, potassium, magnesium, and other essential minerals, leading to supple, replenished, glowing skin. Bamboo massages can also help alleviate psoriasis and eczema because of the antioxidant and anti-irritant properties of the bamboo. Additionally, this trendy spa treatment can help you increase lymphatic drainage, release endorphins, and improve joint stiffness, sleep quality, and mental clarity.

Body Wraps

Body wraps, also known as “body cocoons” or “body masks”, are spa treatments that have maintained their popularity for years. During a body wrap, a nourishing oil or mineral-rich formula is applied to your torso and limbs. Your body is then wrapped in cotton, mylar bandages, or a plastic film to seal in all of the beneficial products. While most wraps are applied to the entirety of the body except for the face and genitals, some target specific areas of cellulite, such as the back of the legs. Overall, body wraps aid in extracting dirt, toxins, and excess water from the skin. The therapy enhances skin health and appearance, with some forms even temporarily reducing body measurements.

Applying algae, seaweed, mud, or clay before the skin is wrapped can result in metabolic skin cell stimulation via detoxification. Since the skin is the body’s largest organ, detoxing the epidermis has major health and wellness benefits. Most wraps contain intensely moisturizing components, leaving the skin hydrated, nourished, and smooth. A bonus in some wrap therapies is an exfoliation stage, where dead cells are removed to achieve a smoother, glimmering complexion. There are a variety of kinds of body wraps to choose from, each with their own specific goal. These popular therapies allow you to take around 30 minutes to soak up moisture, detox, and let go of life’s stresses.

Soy Candle Massage

Soy candle massage therapy is a warming and rejuvenating treatment that uses Swedish massage techniques and soy oil-based candles. During the massage, your muscles are stretched, worked, and relaxed with calming Swedish therapy and soy oil. Candles formulated specifically for these massages are heated to just above body temperature, poured onto the skin, and massaged into your body to soothe muscles and break down knots.

The soy oil is rich in skin-nourishing vitamin E, leaving your skin soft, hydrated, and rejuvenated. This natural alternative to expensive creams can help relieve stress, aches, pains, cracked heels, rough cuticles, eczema, and psoriasis. Essential oils are often added to enhance the experience of this relaxing and restoring treatment. What better way to ring in the new year than unwinding and de-stressing with a natural remedy?

Crystal Healing Therapy

Crystals have been used for wellness purposes for centuries, dating back to ancient Greece, Egypt, and the Sumerians of Mesopotamia. These mystical stones help absorb, focus, direct and diffuse energy fields to enable a diseased or out-of-balance body to find its natural energetic rhythm.

Therapies using crystals have seen a recent resurgence in popularity within the spa scene, with stars like Katy Perry and Gwyneth Paltrow singing their praises. Crystal lovers tout that crystals possess specific energetic and vibrational healing properties, with different stones serving different purposes. As more people accept the healing power of crystals, more spas are begining to use them in massage and facial therapies. Adding crystals to a massage or facial deepens the relaxing spa experience.

One popular crystal therapy uses jade or rose quartz face rolling tools to gently massage the face and stimulate the lymphatic system to detoxify, ease muscle tension, decrease puffiness, and increase blood flow, leaving your skin glistening. Another way to incorporate crystals into spa treatments is to have clients hold onto stones or to place specific stones on various parts of the body. Some believe that using crystals intentionally when decorating a treatment room can also have a positive impact on healing. For instance, selenite supposedly helps clear and cleanse your mind and body, making it an ideal option for a revitalizing spa treatment space. Many spas across the globe use crystals in manicures, pedicures, exfoliation treatments, facials, and so much more.

Flotation Therapy

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True REST® (Reduced Environmental Stimulus Therapy) is a zero-gravity flotation therapy that allows your body and mind to relax and reset completely. Utilizing 1,000 pounds of Epsom salts, the buoyancy of the water makes clients feel as if they are floating on air. Eliminating the forces of gravity pulling down on musculoskeletal and nervous systems rids the body of pain, improves sleep quality, and creates an ultra-relaxing and rejuvenating experience.

The benefits of flotation therapy (also known as sensory deprivation) are cumulative, building with every subsequent session. Your body experiences a complete reset with the three pillars of this incredible therapy: salt, weightlessness, and meditation. Epsom salts exfoliate and repair skin, hair, and nails while easing stress and relieving joint pain. A thousand pounds of salt in 180 gallons of water creates a profoundly relaxing anti-gravity environment free from distractions. This relaxing environment reduces cortisol production, allowing your mind to drift into a serene theta brain-wave state associated with deep sleep and dreaming. When seeking something unique and intensely calming, flotation therapy is the way to go.

Watsu

Finally, Watsu® is a powerful form of massage therapy that combines the healing forces of water and traditional Japanese shiatsu massage. In 1980, massage therapist Harold Dull observed that many of his clients’ muscles and tissues relaxed best in water. Additionally, he found that shiatsu techniques were more effective in water, leading him to develop Watsu.

Watsu is done in a pool or hot tub heated to 95 degrees Fahrenheit. A therapist then gently moves your body in water, massaging pressure points and using gentle twisting, rocking, cradling, and stretching movements. The water and massage procedure alleviates various aches and pains, including muscle tension, lower back pain, chronic pain, fibromyalgia, anxiety, depression, PTSD, pregnancy discomfort, spinal cord injury, and more. Decreasing pain and anxiety while increasing joint mobility are significant benefits of Watsu. Though Watsu is widely used to rehabilitate injuries and manage chronic conditions, people with various ailments and stress use it to replenish their bodies and clear their minds.