Confession time. I like to relax. Sometimes it’s curling up with a good book. Sometimes it’s going for a hike. Sometimes it’s going to a spa. Sometimes it’s a bad spa. (This is my attempt to be funny, bad means bath in German and I love them.) I’ve been to day spas, destinations spas, hotel spas and more.
Until 2008, I didn’t know spas were named after Spa, Belgium. I learned this little factoid on a trip to Spa. If Spa did some more marketing it might become as well known as Champagne, France. Talk about being “on brand”!
I’ve been to spas in the US, Canada, Costa Rica, St Maarten, Belize, Peru, Belgium, France, Italy, Iceland, Germany, Sweden, Albania, Spain, Croatia, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt, Morocco, Dubai, Pakistan, India, Cambodia, Indonesia, Philippines and Australia! (Told ya I liked to relax!) And there are differences! Oh girl are there differences.
First Some Definitions:
Day Spa: A location providing massage, facial, nail, and hair services (not all will provide all services)
Hotel Spa: Many upscale hotels will have a spa adjacent to their health club or pool area, typically they provide the same services as a day spa but may also include hot tub, sauna, steam rooms. They may offer additional services or treatments for body or skin. They may also have natural hot or mineral spring pools.
Medispa (aesthetic): A type of spa specializing in aesthetic treatments ranging from laser hair removal to lip filler injections to chemical facials and more. They may have a certified doctor on staff.
Destination Spa: A specific type of hotel spa that may offer additional medispa services, fitness classes, special diets, and more.
Video Zen @ Mogambo Spa
Hammam: Turkish public bath with gender specific areas, most often includes a thorough full body scrubbing by a member of the staff, then relaxing in hot and cold pools. For more about hammams check out this post.
Therme (also Terma and Thermae): A Roman style public bath for bathing, swimming, and socializing. It includes pools of hot, tepid, and cold water, possibly a dry hot room, and a steam room.
Thermal Bath: A natural warm or hot water spring use for relaxation, not for washing, bathing, or cleansing.
Hot Spring: A natural warm or hot water spring use for relaxation, not for washing, bathing, or cleansing. Sometimes outside, and sometimes free!
Onsen: Japanese bath for soaking, not for washing, bathing, or cleansing.
Bad: A German spa town, generally with a natural hot spring.
Sentō (銭湯): is a type of Japanese communal bath house where customers pay for entrance.
Sauna: A traditional Finnish bath and bathhouse sauna featured a fireplace where stones were heated to a high temperature. Water is thrown on the hot stones to produce steam and to give a sensation of increased heat.
Infrared Sauna: a type of sauna that uses light to create heat the infrared waves fall on the light spectrum. A traditional sauna uses heat to warm the air, which in turn warms your body. An infrared sauna heats your body directly without warming the air around you.
Bastu: a Swedish sauna.
Banya: Russian Bath Houses will include dry saunas, wet saunas, dunking pools, an in-house restaurant, and you can usually book a massage for an extra charge. The bathhouse is about extremes — you get very hot then take an ice cold shower or dunk and get very cold, then repeat.
Jjimjilbang: A Korean place with such as massages, saunas, and body scrubs, you can also catch a movie, take a nap in a salt cave and, because they are open 24 hours, you can even spend the night for an extra fee.
Hanjeungmak: A Korean sauna/kiln made of stone, salt, clay or jade (for different health benefits, apparently) – and are heated to between 15 and 50 degrees Celsius, including the floor!
Seshin scrub: A really aggressive by an ajumma with her scrubbing mitt.
Steam Room:A steam-filled room for relaxation and cleansing.
Changing/Locker Room: May be gender specific, may not. For the rooms that are not, they will have lockable rooms to change from your street clothes to your spa clothes. For thermal baths, it’s often one way. Walk in from one side, close and lock the doors, change, take all your possessions, place them in a locker then walk to the wet areas. When you leave you go back to the changing room and exit a different door.
Wrist fob/lock: Some thermal baths have lockers and payment systems tied to a electronic bracelet (fob) so you do not have to bring your wallet into the wet areas.
Wine Bath (vinotherapy): Soaking in a bath of warm water and wine making residue (grape skins, pits, etc). It may include a glass of red or white wine. Said to be beneficial because of the resveratrol and polyphenols in wine.
Beer Bath: Soaking in a bath of warm water and beer. Contains polyphenols from hops. The yeast may be helpful with ‘bacne”. Beer is also a good hair conditioner.
Milk Bath: Cleopatra famously bathed in milk and honey. Milk baths use lactic acid, an alpha hydroxy acid, to dissolve the proteins which hold together dead skin cells.
Oatmeal Bath: Warm bath with uncooked whole oats. Oatmeal binds to your skin and forms a protective barrier. It also helps hold in moisture and ease inflammation and itching.
Thalassotherapy: The use of seawater as a form of therapy or bath.
Hydrotherapy: Use of various water temperatures and pressures, for therapeutic purposes, to stimulate blood circulation and promote relaxation. I miss my whirlpool tub.
Cryotherapy: A subset of hydrotherapy using cold water.
Ice bath/plunge: A cold bath or pool from 3-10c or 36-50f.
Contrast Bath: A form of hydrotherapy. It is also called hot/cold immersion therapy. It is the use of hot and cold water to help decrease pain and increase circulation in area of injury and restricted blood flow.
Balneotherapy: (mudding) Immersion or wrap in warm mineral water or mineral-laden mud.
Infrared Scent Room: A dry sauna room with various soothing natural scents for example lavender, forest, woodlands, Eucalyptus, citrus, sandalwood, etc said to aid in relaxation.
Cupping: A local suction is created on the skin using heated cups. As alternative medicine it is practiced primarily in Asia but also in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America.
Shirodhara: Ayurvedic hair and scalp treatment gentle dripping of warm herbal oil to the “third eye” and quiets the mind and balances the nervous system.
Reflexology: The application of pressure to specific points on the feet.
Acupressure: Use of fingers, palms, elbows or feet, or special devices to apply pressure to acupoints on the body’s meridians.
Aromatherapy: Use of aromatic materials, including essential oils and other aroma compounds, with claims for improving psychological well-being in conjunction with massage or relaxation.
Facials: A family of skin care treatments for the face, including steam, exfoliation, extraction, creams, lotions, facial masks, peels, and massage.
Manicure: A type of beauty treatment for the hands, a therapeutic service that involves cutting, filing, and shaping nails.
Pedicure: A cosmetic treatment of the feet and toenails. NOTE: I do NOT recommend fish pedicures, they are linked to various health, safety, sanitary and environmental risks.
Massage
I almost always get a massage. My job has me sitting at a desk in front of a computer for 6-16 hours a day, so I almost always have a knot in my neck and a massage can help. I had an OUTSTANDING 90 minute massage at the Daniel Dead Sea Hotel. I my legs were like mush, I was so relaxed after. I’ve had deep tissue massages that hurt, A LOT. [NOTE: a good deep tissue massage will break up muscle adhesions (knots) but you shouldn’t be hurting for days after.] I’ve had soft, soothing “relaxing” massages, that honestly felt like I was being petted like a cat. I’ve had a massage that left me dripping with oil. I turned down a “chocolate” massage at the Hershey Hotel Spa, because I didn’t want to smell like chocolate all day long.
Some massages are on lovely adjustable, heated tables. Some are on mats on the floor. Some you wear clothes (thai stretching massages). Some are “couples” massages with both people in the same room on separate tables or mats. Some require wearing underwear. Some give you disposable underwear to wear. Some require nakedness. [Some spas/hot springs, especially in Europe, do not allow clothes. Make sure you check and only go somewhere you are comfortable! NOTE: DO NOT STARE AT OTHERS, no matter what kind of spa. I saw a recent Facebook post commented on an mixed gender area of a spa in Netherlands that *required* nudity *and* removal of pubic hair.] Some spas have a lounge area where you wait for your attendant after changing.
In most spas in the Western Hemisphere, the attendant will talk with you about your health, if you have any specific issues or places to avoid. In some spas on the other side of the Atlantic, and the further east you go, you may find the attendant does not leave the room while you get under the sheet or towel. If this makes you uncomfortable, you can always ask for a moment of privacy, however the attendant is going to see much or all of your body, eventually. In European and Asian spas women may be asked if they want a chest massage. It is not intended to be sexual, it’s intended to relax. You can always decline if it makes you uncomfortable.
My US chiropractor’s office once hired a Chinese woman to give massages. She didn’t understand much English, but gave a great massage. The first time she pulled the sheet back up over my back, I admit I was very surprised when she jumped up on the table and started walking on my back! It was a bit odd, but felt pretty good.
What all of that means is there are a lot of different massage options available. But don’t stop at a massage. I like scrubs too. In a scrub, an attendant exfoliates your skin by rubbing a combination of sugar or salt and oils into your skin. I like having a scrub, followed by a steam session, then a shower, then a massage, another shower to remove the oil, then maybe a soak in a hot or warm bath. I don’t like reflexology, I don’t like wraps, I really don’t like cupping (sore with bruises for days). Soaking in a bath of wine, while sipping a glass of wine and getting a scalp massage may be the most decadent thing I’ve ever done.
Thermes
If you like sitting in warm or hot water, you might like a thermal bath. If like me you are currently living in a place without a tub, or have an old low tub that you could stretch out your legs and your upper body would be out of the water, you might miss taking a bath. In Europe thermes are very popular, for good reason, they have lots of hot springs and soaking in hot water is nice! When you visit a therme, you generally buy a block of time, starting at 2 hours. Remember this isn’t your house, you aren’t supposed to stay all day. If they offer treatments, the 2 hours will be in addition to your treatment time, a one hour massage at a therme equals three hours total time, plus a bit extra to shower and change.
This is just the beginning of possible options. There are so many more.
Some tips:
1. Bring a bathing suit.
2. Bring a large ziplock bag for your wet suit (some spas have suit dryers but many do not).
3. If you have special feet, bring your own footwear (most spas will provide slippers or flip flops but you can always BYO).
4. If you have spa-ed before and find the robes are more revealing than you would like, BYO.
5. If you have a preference for male or female attendant mention it when you book your appointment NOTE: In some countries, you will only get an attendant of the same sex regardless of preference.
6. If the massage is too hard or too soft, tell the attendant. They won’t know you’re unhappy unless you tell them.
7. Just because your friend, sibling, spouse loves one type of treatment, doesn’t mean you will, give it a try and find what YOU like.
8. You can shower after your treatment or not. You can BYO your own products if you want. NOTE: The Blue Lagoon in Iceland is heated by natural sulphuric volcanic deposits. It took me 5 days and 8 shampooing sessions to get all of the smells out of my long hair.
9. In hotels with spas you can likely wear your robe and slippers to lunch!
10. Spas may provide many grooming tools, but it might be a good to BYO, just in case.
11. Leave your jewelry at home.
12. Don’t bring your mobile device. Electronics and water don’t mix. (This one is tough for me, since I read 90% of my books on my device.)
13. Outside the US & Canada you don’t tip your attendant.
14. Check online for discounts and coupons. More savings = more spa-ing!
15. Ask the staff or attendant if you have questions.
16. For public baths BYO towel, suit, robe, flipflops and toiletries. Maybe even bring 2 towels, one for lounging, quick drying and one for showering.
Recommended Spas:
These are all spas or baths that I personally visited and recommend.
Thermes de Spa, Spa, Belgium
Hotel Palmenwald, Freudenstadt, Germany
Caracalla Therme, Baden Baden, Germany
Gellert Thermal Baths, Budapest, Hungary
Thermae Bath Spa, Bath, UK
ValVital Thermes, Chevalley Aix-les-Bains, France
Blue Lagoon, Reykjavik, Iceland
Phoenicia Hotel, Beirut, Lebanon
David Dead Sea Resort and Spa, Israel
Carmel Forest Spa Resort, Israel (music in the background was Gregorian Monks chanting REM Losing My Religion)
AIRE Ancient Baths, Almeria, Spain (wine bath)
Omni Homestead Resort, Hot Springs, VA, USA
Baños Termales, Aguas Calientes, Peru
Royal Mansour, Marrakech, Morocco
The Grand Hotel, Stockholm, Sweden
St Kilda Sea Baths, South Pacific Health Club, St Kilda, Australia (most relaxing ocean view)
Westin Dawn Beach Resort and Spa, St Maarten
Park Plaza Belvedere, Medulin, Croatia
Maruba Jungle Resort and Spa, Maskall, Belize (being painting with different mud is fun)
Amatrra Spa, New Delhi, India
Rana Spa, Labuan Bajo Flores Island, Indonesia (amazing 4 handed massage)
Mogambo Spa, Plantation Bay Resort, Cebu, Philippines
What are you waiting for, go spa!
Disclaimer: I have received no financial compensation, perks, gratuities, or freebies from any recommended hotel or spa.
