Unforgettably Relaxing: 8 Unique Spa Treatments From Around the World

Lateet July 21, 2019

Beauty is only skin deep but there’s nothing like a pampering spa day to unleash your inner glow and highlight your external appearance.

Besides, these revitalizing procedures are good for you. Research shows that regular massages can improve circulation and you don’t need a scientist to tell you that they relieve stress.

Today, spa therapies go way beyond the usual range of massages, sometimes bordering on the bizarre. Check out these unique spa treatments from around the globe.

1. Something Fishy

Anyone who’s traveled to southeast Asia has probably dunked their feet into a bath of hungry carp in pursuit of pedal-perfection.

This trendy treatment involves allowing the fish to nibble the dry skin off your extremities, leaving you with feet as smooth as the proverbial back end of an infant.

Fans of this fishy therapy claim that it can also help with ailments like gout, psoriasis, and eczema. It’s also good for your soul(s).

Fish foot spas originated in Turkey, but now they’re making their way to a state near you, with outlets in Virginia and Florida.

2. Python Pampering

If you don’t like the thought of being fish food, perhaps another Asian therapy is more your style – snake therapy.

Yes, you read it right. The latest in Indonesian delights involves lying on your back while a therapist dumps a load of pythons on your chest. They’re big, they’re muscular and they’re harmless as long as you don’t yell at them or blow on them.

As the snakes slither to get as far away from you as they can, you get what’s purported to be the best massage ever. Enthusiasts say the relaxing results far outweigh the abject terror of the process.

3. Surround Sound

No, it’s not the sound of music. During this odd therapy, you’ll spend some time in the Mojave Desert inside the Integratron.

This 38-foot high wooden dome is a resonant tabernacle designed for rejuvenation as well as time travel. Yes, really.

The sessions last for an hour and involve quartz crystal singing bowls played to harness the geomagnetic forces of the surroundings and set your chakras in order.

4. Splashing Out

If you’d rather immerse yourself in something more familiar, there’s always water or mud.

Healing natural hot springs have been a hit with mankind since the days of the ancient Greeks and Egyptians. When she wasn’t bathing in the Nile or a tub of milk, Cleopatra also enjoyed a good mud pack to maintain her legendary beauty.

You’ll find thermal baths all over the world which you can enjoy in varying states of undress. If you can’t handle the queues at Turkey’s famous turquoise baths in Pammukale, head for Chile. Here you’ll find individual thermal pools nestled in the forest surrounded by waterfalls and wooden walkways

The most hardcore mud bath on Earth has got to be in Colombia. In Santa Catalina, you can immerse yourself inside a literal crater of volcanic mud inside the Volcan del Tutoma.

If these traditional treatments are too tame for you, take a trip to Czechoslovakia where you can take a dip in a tank of beer. At some Japanese spas, coffee, red wine, green tea, and sake are on the menu of bathing options.

5. Taking a Direct Hit

IV Therapy uses the latest therapy to improve on nature’s answer to great well-being. This unique service delivers vitamins and nutrients directly to your bloodstream for an instant pick-me-up.

Although it’s a little strange, this therapy is a logical, harmless and effective way to combat the ravages of poor nutrition and stress. You can choose from a range of cocktails designed to treat specific conditions. It’s far more effective than popping vitamin pills.

6. Soak Up the Sea Air

Unfortunately, the days when doctors would banish their patients to the seaside to ‘take the air’. On the plus side, you can get the same effect from visiting a natural salt cave in Poland or Iran.

Those who’ve done say these vaults of calcium chloride can alleviate insomnia and asthma. To get the benefits, all you need to do is recline on a lounger within the cave and inhale your salty surroundings.

7. Freaky Facials

If you’d like to exfoliate and lighten the skin on your face, bird poop is the way to go.

Known as a geisha facial, this ancient technique involves spreading sanitized and treated nightingale droppings all over your face. Believe it or not, New York and London are the best places to indulge in this icky but effective therapy.

If bird droppings don’t do it for you, perhaps you’d like to try a snail facial. As expected, this therapy involves letting snails blaze a trail of slime across your face. Short on time? You can buy a bottle of snail-based creams to try at your leisure.

8. Fire and Ice

Cupping is just one of the hot tricks used by Chinese wellness experts. This technique involves placing heated suction cups on your back to suck out all the tension.

You can also take it to the next level in China with a fire massage. This strange practice means you’re covered in clingwrap and alcohol-soaked towels and then set alight, bit by bit. The therapist extinguishes each blaze before the next one is lit.

The benefits of this crazy idea? Those who’ve been there claim it’s supremely relaxing and can ease muscle and joint pain.

On the other end of the scale, ice therapy can help to exfoliate the skin and cleanse pores. The treatment involves stepping into an ice chamber filled with swirling menthol-infused mist and submitting to a thorough scrub with flaked ice.

Other Unique Spa Experiences

If you aren’t brave enough to try any of these unusual spa treatments, you can still add an element of excitement to more ordinary pampering.

The advent of the outdoor treatment room means everyday massages become a thing of beauty with gorgeous views over tropical, wild, or mountain scenery.

You can enjoy some of the best ones here: