Get The Royal Treatment

Not everyone has the time or money to take a trip to a luxury spa. But Steve Capellini, massage therapist, spa consultant, and author of The Royal Treatment: How You Can Take Home the Pleasures of the Great Luxury Spas, can tell you how to get the benefits of a spa without going to one.

Here are four exhilarating, relaxing techniques that are used at some of the most famous, most expensive luxury spas in the world that you can do at home at a reasonable cost.

Brief descriptions of each technique are below. Click here for the full Royal Treatment recipes.

The Royal Treatment

• The Body Exfoliant recipe comes from the Sans Souci Spa in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. A body exfoliant gently yet thoroughly scrubs away dead skin cells, leaving the pores open and clean. Because the skin is the largest organ of the human body and its major vehicle of elimination, Capellini says, it is vital to periodically rid it of the natural buildup of dry peeling cells. He also believes that the body needs help with its natural process of rejuvenation. It is not medicinal, just soothing. An exfoliant is a great way to begin your spa treatments. Done properly it will leave your skin cleansed and ready to receive the maximum benefit from any of the treatments that follow.
• The second treatment is an Herbal Wrap from The Golden Door in Escondido, California. These wraps work by combining the effects of heat and herbs. By raising the body's core temperature, Capellini says, we trick it into thinking it has a fever. The first thing a body does during a fever is to throw off, through sweat, toxins that are attacking it. The herbs used are chosen for their detoxifying properties, and they aid in the fever effect. Some draw through the skin, others quicken circulation, others calm nerves, others stimulate circulation through the kidneys. Heat retention is important, so how you wrap yourself is important. The choice of herbs also is key. Capellini suggests chamomile for soothing the nerves and skin; ginger root for a diuretic; eucalyptus for the lungs and respiratory system; rosemary for the skin and muscles; clove stems for soothing aches and pains; peppermint for stimulating circulation; and lemongrass for its antiseptic properties.
• The third treatment is A Facial For Your Man from The Phoenician in Scottsdale, Arizona. This facial can be used for men or women. But men need to have their face cleansed and treated, too.
• A Mud Bath is last bu not least, to soothe your aching feet. This recipe comes from the Camelback Inn in Phoenix. There are three types of mud that can be used for a foot massage. There is fango, which comes from volcanic muds. There also is clay from the desert or mineral-rich areas, and mud from lakes and swamps. The quickest way to soak up the benefits of a mud or clay bath without dirtying up the entire tub is to have a footbath massage.

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