SPA PREVIEW
The Way Ahead
Trends and fashions change in the world of spas too; perhaps not so frequently, or as drastically, as they do in design, but change does take place. Jo Foley highlights the main spa trends for the year.
W
hat fickle creatures we are, no sooner have we been massaged Thai style than we decide we want an aromatherapy treatment. And, while we have enjoyed years of a papaya scrub, suddenly
its lavender and thyme we hanker after. Spa users have, over the last two decades, enjoyed some of the finest pampering on the planet with scented oils, fragrant wraps and flower-strewn baths. We have been seduced by all the Orient has to offer in fabric and fragrances, relaxation and rituals while at the same time demanding some of the newest research into skin care and facials. We have exercised in gyms, in spinning and dance classes and
with yoga and Pilates experts; we have walked, run, jogged, swum and boxed. More than any other generation, we have paid atten- tion to our health through diet, exercise and relaxation techniques.
Enter, The Medi-Spa
And we still want more – we want to be kept abreast with the lat- est research and we want to know about developing techniques. Which is why one of the major trends for the next couple of years is the development of the medi-spa. We want a few more bangs for our bucks and are looking for a therapeutic approach as well as a cosseting version.
has also provided some of the great names in beauty throughout the years, from Helena Rubinstein to Eve Lom via the Carita sisters and Anne Semonin, so the interest in therapeutic beauty and skin treatments may well have their origins in Europe.
Europe’s Best
Italy not only is in the forefront of fashion but also in many of the developments of therapeutic and anti-ageing treatments. Grotta Giusti, for instance, set as it is in that part of Tuscany renowned for its thermal waters and therapeutic mud, offers a host of consultations to evaluate your biological age alongside a general medical consultation. Also on offer is a postural consultation and realignment, as well as a thorough skin check-up. The skin therapies on offer are skin peels and microdermolifts (see more at
www.grottagiustispa.com).
Hence so many spas now include fitness tests, food intolerance tests and body mass index measuring alongside more medi- concepts, such as skin peels and non-invasive facial treatments, as well as acupuncture, cupping and other aspects of Traditional Chinese Medicine. You’ll notice it coming when you begin to see the words medi-cosmetics or cosmeceuticals on the menu of treatments and products used, alongside a number of non-invasive cosmetic procedures and a host of anti-ageing offerings. The US was the first off the mark with this medi approach but
Europe was not far behind with many of the traditional European spas throughout Austria, Switzerland and Italy introducing this more therapeutic option.
Europe, of course, is not only the home of Spas (Salus Per Aqua, or health through water, as the Romans would have said) it
48 WORLD OF CRUISING I Spring 2011
Further north overlooking Lake Garda, a new kid on the block, LeFay Resort and Spa offers treatments that merge classical Chinese medicine with the latest in western scientific research. Doctors and specialists abound, all geared to re-energising even the most exhausted bodies and minds using acupuncture, reflexology, tuina (traditional Chinese massage) as well as a plethora of massages, wraps, exercise classes and great, natural healthy food in glorious grounds (
www.lefayresorts.com).
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