How about checking out one of these spas next time you’re on your travels? From relaxing with snakes and having your scalp soaked in semen to being one of the main ingredients of ramen soup, there are certainly a few weird and wonderful therapies to choose from. Needless to say, each of these wellness retreats is a one-off!
Deep tissue massage? Serpently! – Carnivorous Plant Farm, Israel
According to Ada Barak, who runs a Carnivorous Plant Farm and spa in Talmei, Elazar in Northern Israel, having reptiles writhe around on your skin can be incredibly therapeutic. Having discovered the treatment after allowing guests to hold the snakes, Ada now has a waiting list as long as her arm. Her guests reported feeling more relaxed after their handling sessions so she now uses a combination of large and small snakes. Her larger snakes are said to give a good, deep kneading massage while the smaller ones lightly brush the skin to give a calming sensation.
Semen shampoo please! – Hari’s Salon, London
The ever-so-stylish Hari’s Hair Salon in Knightsbridge is at the forefront of futuristic treatments for some of the world’s most famous tresses – some of which are lathered in bovine ejaculation. Yes, you can actually ask for a ‘Bull Sperm Hair Treatment’, which is said to transform dry and over-styled hair into healthy, flowing locks of which Jerry Hall would be proud. It’s a delicate combination of Aberdeen Angus bull semen and a lesser-known plant root from Iran which is simply massaged into the hair and left for a bit before rinsing off for the ultimate in trichological results.
Beer bath, anyone? – Beer Wellness Hotel, Czech Republic
Apparently, yeast and hops invoke health boosting chemicals which enhance the complexion and help relieve muscle tension so it’s no wonder beer lovers in the Czech Republic like to immerse themselves in the stuff. The Chodovar Prave Pivni Lazne Spa – attached to the Beer Wellness Hotel at the Chodovar Family Brewery in Chodova Plana – offers hot relaxation baths poured with a heady concoction of the brewery’s own beer, mineral water, hops and other herbs with a serving of ice, cold beer to drink. Once the beer bathing is over, guests are invited to wrap themselves up in blankets and relax in a warm, dark room with another cold beer.
The treatment creating a buzz… – Medobory Sanitorium, Ukraine
At a former Soviet spa in western Ukraine, part of one of its most popular treatments is to get stung by bees. It might not sound very relaxing but, apparently, it helps to stimulate the nervous system, boost the immune system and relieve joint pain – and is all done while guests gorge on honey and bathe in beer to help the kidneys, stimulate digestion and rejuvenate the skin. It should come as no surprise, however, as many Eastern Bloc countries are known for their unconventional home remedies and alternative therapies.
“Waiter, there’s a man in my soup” – Yunessun Spa, Tokyo
We all have a penchant for ramen soup but perhaps not when it’s full of dead skin cells and hair. Cue the Ramen Soup Bath… a treatment to sit in rather than sup, however. In this spa in Hakone, which is just south of Tokyo, the Japanese are invited to take a communal dip in a bowl-shaped bath filled with steaming broth and seasoned with garlic, pepper and collagen to kick-start the metabolism and nourish the skin. Other beverage themed baths available there include green tea, red wine and sake but perhaps even stranger is that this hot springs spa doubles up as a water park for holidaymakers.
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