From bathing in beer to breast milk facials, we take a look at some of the world’s most bizarre spa treatments – and whether they actually work!
While most spas pamper with the standard facial and massage, others are pushing the boundaries and offering some avant-garde treatments in the pursuit of beauty. Today there are just about as many spa treatments as there are stars in the sky. Many are fabulous, but some are just plain wacky.
We go down the road less travelled and take a look at the endless weird and wonderful spa treatments to try (or avoid) at your next spa visit.
Gold Facials
Cleopatra is rumoured to have covered her face in a pure gold mask in hopes of 
maintaining her youthful appearance. It turns out she wasn’t alone in thinking the precious metal contained anti-ageing properties. The gilded stuff has long been a symbol of luxury and wealth, but lately beauty brands have embraced its anti-ageing, pro-radiance powers.
A gold facial is a therapy involving the application of a sheet of 24-karat gold leaf to the face. Said to have been an age-old Ayurvedic skin treatment, advocates of this treatment claim improved skin elasticity, relaxed wrinkles, blemish and scar lightening, and a youthful glow.
Gold facials are touted as the ultimate in luxurious skin treatments, with modern techniques such as nano-misting and healing light therapy added to boost the absorption of beneficial minerals.
Some skin experts say the post-facial glow is most probably due to the moisturising, massage or exfoliation that comes with the gold facial. But modern-day celebs like Cameron Diaz, Nicole Kidman, and Bar Rafaeli have all tried solid gold facials and, if it’s good enough for a supermodel, it’s good enough for us!
Beer Spa
Do you love beer so much you could bathe in it? At Chodovar Brewery, Hotel and Spa in Czech Republic, you can take a relaxing soak in a tub full of hops, herbs, active beer yeasts and plenty of foam. Kept at a steady 37 degrees Celsius and continuously bubbling to ‘promote dissolution of ingredients’, it is said to release vitamins, carbohydrates and proteins.
These “real beer baths” are warm, encouraging circulation and opening pores, while the hops act as a peel and the yeasts add vitamin B.
The treatment is sold as a chance to treat your body ‘from the inside and outside’ and leave you invigorated at the end.
‘It is a very old and unique spa therapy, where only natural materials are used,’ the company says. The beer served in the Beer Spa is produced using a traditional technique from the best variety of Czech hops. According to the spa, the benefits of bathing in beer have been proven since the Middle Ages.
The beer baths fit couples or singles and if the experience wasn’t beer-soaked enough by the end, each visitor gets a bottle of Beer Bernard as a parting souvenir. But be warned: for the full benefit of the beer spa, you won’t be able to shower for 12 hours after your visit.
Breast milk facial
Breast milk beauty treatments are being offered at a spa called Mud in Chicago, which sources breast milk from a local milk bank to enhance skin texture.
Approximately 60 to 80 percent of all protein in human milk is whey protein. These proteins have great infection-busting properties. The antibodies in breast milk can help heal minor illnesses and injuries, such as pink eye or an ear infection, and it can also soothe sore nipples. Breast milk has great infection-busting properties, being so high in antibodies and whey protein. It’s also resplendent in a type of fat called lauric acid – also a component of coconut oil, which has been shown in studies to help improve acne.
Given all that magical power, it only makes sense that someone would want to incorporate it into your next spa experience.
The breast milk is mixed with a white clay packed with vitamin E to create a mask which is then applied to the face for around 30 minutes. The end result? Skin is said to feel hydrated, smooth and rejuvenated.
As for where this milk comes from, Mud purchases it from gracious mothers who stick to an all-organic diet.
Diamond treatments
We all know that diamonds are a girl’s best friend, but did you know that a diamond can do more than sparkle on a ring? A diamond facial is a peel treatment that is claimed to be one of the latest breakthroughs in skin beautification, stimulating cells below the surface to provide radiant, softer skin with fewer lines and wrinkles.
Diamonds are widely used as exfoliating agents, offering a longer exfoliation effect to the skin in comparison to some other ingredients. Delivering amazing exfoliation effects to the skin, diamond facial removes dead cells resulting in a youthful radiance and glow to the skin.
Diamond facials are also touted as age-busters. Diamonds help to remove toxins, which in turn purifies the skin and helps in oxygenation. Activating the dormant skin cells, it boosts the metabolic functions of the skin and promotes regeneration of cellular life. So, in this process it can control the effects of age on the skin.
As well as smoother, more even skin, the ‘wow’ factor of having a diamond treatment is certainly a big drawcard!
