3 Spa Services That Offer Amazing Health Benefits
Do you think of a spa as a place where you can treat yourself to advanced facial, skin, and beauty services? A typical spa certainly offers those services -- but you may find that your local spa can provide some serious health benefits, as well. Here are three kinds of spa services that can enhance your wellness, comfort, and function even as you're rejuvenating your looks.
Massage
Massage makes you feel relaxed and at peace with the world, but that substantial plus is just one of this healing modality's capabilities. By manipulating your tissues in specific patterns, different types of massage can convey a world of other health and wellness benefits. For instance, the same relaxation induced by Swedish massage can also free up hard muscle knots that refer pain to various parts of the body. More relaxed tissues can also equal better sleep quality, helping your body repair itself overnight with greater efficiency. Another technique called deep tissue massage can actually release tissues trapped by scar tissue, relieving longstanding pain and stiffness from old injuries.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is just as time-honored a healing technique as massage, with records of this practice extending back some 4,000 years. Many modern-day spas are finally catching up with history by adding this staple of traditional Chinese medicine to their available spa services. Fine needles are gently inserted into the skin at specific points and in combinations designed to achieve a variety of goals -- from chronic pain management to deep relaxation. Scientists now believe that the needles prompt the body to release more endorphins, substances that naturally relieve pain and induce a sense of well-being. Don't be afraid of the prospect of becoming a human pincushion; the needles are so thin and so shallowly inserted that you may not even feel them at all.
Steam
The power of steam goes far beyond clearing sinuses and operating machinery. Many spas have their own steam rooms -- isolated chambers in which water is brought to a boil, creating a wall of steam that enhances your health more profoundly than an ordinary sauna (which merely makes use of heated rocks). Steam baths have been associated with cardiovascular benefits ranging from improved heart function to reductions in blood pressure. Steam can also encourage the skin to sweat out toxins. Steam room sessions may even help with calorie burning and immune system health.
The next time you envision a trip to your local spa, don't just regard it as an occasional reward -- think of it as a valuable part of your health and wellness routine. Schedule a visit today and explore the various ways that your spa can help you thrive.
For more information, contact a spa near you.