Spa Week- pt. 2

It's been two weeks after I received all the treatments listed in my last post and I promised to talk about how the experience was...so here goes...

Herbal body wrap- my friend and I went in not knowing what to expect, all we knew were the pre-prep work that had to be done. Shower and exfoliate 2hrs prior and avoid putting on any lotions, wear a bikini, and USE the bathroom before getting wrapped!
We go into individual stalls and the technician comes in to explain the process. First she asks me where my problem areas are and applies a cellulite balm onto those areas, then she starts wrapping me up like a mummy with cloth that is soaked in a herbal infused soak. Soak consists of:

Horse Chestnut-astringent and anti-inflammatory to help to help tone vein walls.

Burdock Root-removes toxins and purifies the blood.

Bladderwrack Seaweed-high in iodine, helps soothe and calm the irritated tissues of the body.

Devil’s Club-member of the ginseng family and helps with eczema and external infections.

Echinacea-healing agent.

Lavender-relieves pain, disinfectant, enhance blood circulation

Green Tea-antioxidant and antibacterial

Marshmallow Root-anti-inflammatory

Yarrow-antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, contains salicylic acid

Cayenne-stimulates blood circulation

Baking Soda-maintains pH equilibrium

Epsom Salts-soften and exfoliates skin

Rosemary Essential Oil

Lavender Essential Oil

(the benefits are accumulated through research online and by no means are claimed accurate facts from me, if you are considering using any of the herbs please do your own research and definitely consult a physician prior to use)

After being wrapped like a mummy, a plastic coat was put on us and we laid in a relaxing room for about an hour. They put socks over our feet and gave us a 5min. light foot massage, emphasis on the word light. Considering that I'm the type that likes deep tissue massage, I was going to tell her that she can use a little more pressure, but I realized that she was probably using lymphatic drainage techniques (which usually consists of light touch to move fluids in the body).

The wrap claims to work for seven days after the treatment and although I can't say that there was much of a difference in inch loss, my skin definitely felt softer. Being in this industry I know that technicians are not miracle workers, so I didn't expect to see full results after one treatment, but it definitely is a treatment I would consider doing again prior to travelling.

Intuitive massage-not much to say, but good massage. Main thing I want to put out there is, DON'T be afraid to communicate with your technician. They'll appreciate you telling them what you like and dislike, that way you'll most likely leave with a satisfying experience.

1. Facial-Same advice as massage goes here, communication is key to achieving the results you want. I broke out a bit after the facial, but that is usually expected for my skin. I would say that is one of the most commonly asked question I get and here is my answer...it is perfectly normal to have a minor breakout after a facial (note: keyword minor). Facials act as a detox for your skin and sometimes there are cloggings in the deeper levels that estheticians can't get to during your treatment. So the facial will actually excelerate the process of your skin's natural exfoliation and pull those impurities up to the surface of your skin. This is a good thing, you should see that those breakouts should heal a lot faster than a regular breakout. It lessens the chances of more inflammation, which can cause post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation is the reason we still get a brown mark after the pimple heals even if we didn't pick, inflammation causes stress to your skin and the pigment that comes up is our bodies natural way to fight the stress.

On my next blog I will go into more detail about hyperpigmentation (aka brown spots or scarring), so once again, join me on my journey to beautiful skin!