Top Ten Beauty Treatments

What's Hot: Top Ten Beauty Treatments

An esthetician performs
the popular oxygen facial.

Suffering for beauty is officially out. Today it's about how you look and how you feel. That's why most of today's beauty treatments include "feel-good" spa elements.

Estheticians and bodyworkers take a holistic approach, offering clients a soothing and healing experience that also addresses physical imperfections such as unwanted body hair, wrinkles and uneven skin tone.

For some of today's hottest beauty treatments, read on...

Ginger Body Rub

This holistic skin care treatment is inspired by Ayurvedic medicine, which celebrates the warming power of ginger. Warm essential oils and freshly grated ginger are rubbed all over the skin to increase body temperature. The client is then wrapped in a heated blanket for about twenty minutes to sweat out toxins in the system. This treatment may be followed by a Vichy shower and a massage to complete the relaxing and detoxifying process.

Fruit Enzyme Peel

Unlike microdermabrasion, laser peels and many other popular deep exfoliation techniques, enzyme peels do not require the involvement of a medical professional. A licensed esthetician applies natural enzymes that gently slough away old cells and reveal new healthy skin. This holistic skin care technique reduces the appearance of age spots, superficial scars and fine lines. Over time, it can even lessen the appearance of deeper wrinkles.

Two of the most popular fruits used in enzyme peels are papaya and pineapple, both rich, natural sources of alpha hydroxy acid. These fruits also contain protein-dissolving enzymes that encourage collagen production. Peels may also be derived from lemon, grapefruit and grapes.

Oxygen Facial

The key elements of any facial include cleansing, steaming, exfoliation, extraction of blackheads, facial massage, application of masks, toning and protective creams. In an oxygen facial, after cleansing, steaming and exfoliation, the client's face is sprayed with ozone to increase circulation and encourage a warm, healthy glow.

Oxygen facials have been reported to prevent breakouts, diminish fine lines and buffer the effects of environmental pollution. Regular treatments may counteract premature aging and are particularly beneficial for smokers.

Body Sugaring

This ancient Egyptian method of hair removal is enjoying a renaissance in the spa world because it is gentle and uses all natural ingredients. Spa therapists spread a warm paste of sugar, lemon and water onto the eyebrows, upper lip, bikini area, legs or underarms. They then press fabric strips over the paste and quickly pull back in the opposite direction. Hair is removed from the roots and skin stays smooth for four to six weeks.

Unlike wax, body sugar leaves no residue. And because the sugar mixture is warm, not hot like wax, it's less painful and causes less skin irritation. Like waxing, sugaring weakens the hair root over time so that new hair grows in softer and finer.

Herbal Wrap

For detoxification and weight loss, this herbal skin care treatment is one of the most effective options available. The client is wrapped tightly in herb-soaked sheets. A cold compress is applied to the forehead, and the person is covered in a blanket for about 30 minutes.

Though not recommended for pregnant women or those with heart conditions or high blood pressure, herbal wraps are extremely rejuvenating for most spa-goers. Specific herbal blends may be customized to tighten skin, extract toxins or even encourage fat lipids to detach from cell walls so that permanent fat loss may occur.

Vichy Shower

The soothing experience of a Vichy shower often follows another treatment, such as an exfoliating salt scrub or detoxifying body wrap. Clients recline on a padded table as water pours over them from five to seven showerheads. Water is generally heated to body temperature for a gentle relaxing cascade. Often a massage therapy session is added during this treatment to encourage release of toxins and circulation of lymph.

Paraffin Pedicure

Dipping the feet in paraffin wax is an increasingly popular highlight for spa pedicures. After cleaning, smoothing and buffing the feet and nails, the esthetician wraps them in steaming towels to open the pores. The feet are then immersed in a warm bath of paraffin and when the wax is removed, feet emerge baby-soft. This is usually followed by a final application of moisturizer and nail polish.

Underwater Massage

Watsu (short for water shiatsu) is a form of spa massage performed in a shallow pool as the client floats in soothingly warm water. The therapist provides support so that the client can fully relax and massages away tension.

Acupressure and directed range-of-motion exercises are often incorporated to address specific issues. Often described as a "back-to-the-womb" experience, watsu encourages the release of tension, boosts energy and removes blockages from the body's energy channels to encourage healing.

Some practitioners describe the goal of watsu as "heart coherence," bringing the giver and practitioner into harmony to create a sense of oneness with the world. The technique is particularly beneficial to clients with chronic pain or arthritis because the buoyancy of the water makes it easier for them to move without discomfort.

Electrology

Electrology is a permanent hair removal method. Small amounts of electricity are applied to the base of the hair follicle, destroying the hair growth tissue. Advanced technology makes electrology more comfortable and effective than ever before, and electrologists are trained to create a private, confidential environment.

Electrology can remove hair from almost anywhere on the body. Common treatment areas include the eyebrows, hairline, neck, shoulders, back, chest, upper lip, earlobes, bikini line, underarms, toes and hands.

Botox

In medical spas, individuals can supplement spa treatments with cosmetic treatments that must be administered by a medical professional, such as Botox injections. Botox is the brand name of a toxin which, through small diluted injections, weakens muscles and causes wrinkles to relax and soften. Large amounts of Botox, however, can cause botulism, or food poisoning.

Botox is most often used to reduce the appearance of frown lines on the forehead and crow's feet around the eyes. Wrinkles caused by gravity or sun damage will not respond to Botox though.

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Sources:
The Day Spa Association, 2001-2006
About, Inc., 2007