Going to Extremes

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Sat, 05/24/2008 10:51 AM  |  Life

Forget chocolate and wine wraps, coffee scrubs and hot stone massages. Once exotic treatments now belong to the realm of the run-of-the-mill, as spas around the world continue to push the boundaries with weirder and more far out spa rituals than we care to try.

 
Only suckers need apply
Leech Therapy
What: Demi Moore caused a right stir when she announced on Late Night with David Letterman that she was believer in the beauty benefits of this treatment.  According to Moore, these medically-trained leeches (as opposed to the slimy,swamp variety), release an enzyme in your blood when they’re chomping down on you and sucking up your blood – thus helping you detoxify.
Where: A home-styled spa somewhere in Austria. Divulging little about the whereabouts of this bizarre bloodsucking treatment, Moore is keeping this beauty secret pretty hush-hush, only saying it the treatment was done at “some woman’s house, laying on her bed”. Medicinal leech therapy isn’t a modern day construct though, going as far back as medieval Europe.
How much: Moore doesn’t say what the treatment will cost you, but we’re guessing a lot of blood, and your better judgment.

It’s no longer enough to just eat it
Caviar Treatments
What: The delicacy is no longer just fit for your taste buds, but your face, feet and hair. High-end cosmetics brand La Prairie has cornered the market when it comes to caviar for your beauty needs, and its Caviar Collection —creams, serums and eye gels containing a high concentration of caviar extract and sea proteins — has been incorporated into spa facial treatments around the world.  Caviar, which is high in omega-3 fatty acids, is purported to improve the tone and texture and elasticity of the skin.
Where: Spas at the Ritz Carlton and Four Seasons Hotels feature Caviar Firming Facial Treatments which feature La Prairie products. These treatments include face and eye massages and masks. Meanwhile, Hari’s hair salon in South Kensington in the United Kingdom uses the fish eggs to keep your tresses healthy and shiny.  The caviar is flown in fresh from Iran just a few days before an appointment, liquefied to eliminate any odors and then smeared onto clients’ hair, combed through and left to set.
How much: La Prairie caviar facial treatments at the top-end hotels cost from US$285 for a 90min session while Hari’s caviar hair wash, which Catherine Zeta-Jones is reportedly a big fan of, costs US$400.

Best friends have your back
Diamond massage
What: Luuuurve diamonds? You can now have them placed along your back, their uneven edges working to promote circulation, as you get massaged.
Where: Spa on Location, a mobile spa based in Santa Monica, California, that makes house calls to Hollywood’s glitterati and anyone who can afford their services.
How much: With the ‘Dream Girl’ Diamond Massage using US$1 mil of loose diamonds on your back in this treatment, we’re guessing a lot of bling.

Probably drunk when they came up with this
Beer bath
What: A spa treatment after Homer Simpson’s own heart, this booze-based bath in the Czech Republic – the first in the world - has been keeping booze hounds happy (and high) since its debut in 2006. The 20 min beer bath is followed by 25min of rest and relaxation (snooze time, in other words) and ends off with a 30-50min massage. Consisting of dark beer, enriched with active beer yeast and dehydrated crushed herbs, the beer bath delivers detoxifying, regenerative and softening benefits to your skin through the wide range of vitamins proteins and sugar contained in beer yeast. And because no self respecting beer treatment would deprive you of a cold one while you soak in the tub, a pint of the Rock Lager is served to you during your bath.
Where: Chodovar Family brewery in Chodova Plana, Czech Republic
How much: From US$22 for a beer wrap

+Chan Hse May 

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