BCAA Travel Blog

Demi Moore loves getting her blood sucked. During a recent interview with David Letterman, the movie actress admitted that she had travelled to an Austrian spa to have her hemoglobin eaten by “highly trained medical leeches.” The hungry little creatures were first placed in her belly button. “You feel them bite down on you, and you want to go, ‘You bastard!’ and then you relax and and work on your lamaze breathing,” said Moore. “You watch it swell up and get fatter and fatter, and then when it’s super drunk on your blood it just kind of rolls over like it’s stumbling out of the bar. They have a little enzyme that they release when they are biting down in you, it gets into your blood and generally you bleed for quite a bit–and your health is optimized. It detoxifies your blood.”

Although there is no scientific basis for Moore’s claims of leech-assisted “blood detoxification,” that didn’t stop her from seeking out and spending a good deal of money on this unusual rejuvenation therapy. She is just one of a growing number of spa goers (most of them women), who have dispensed with the traditonal massage and manicures and are now pursuing increasingly bizarre health and beauty treatments. The novelty factor is clearly a major part of the appeal. But do any of these therapies actually work? I’ll let you be the judge.

Soothing Serpents
Israel’s contribution to the world of massage tourism is a spa called “Ada Barak’s Carnivorous Plant Farm.” Among the shadows of northern Israel’s famous orange groves, Barak has long opened her home to curious travellers to see her collection of carnivorous plants and other natural oddities. When snakes became part of the exhibition, she noticed the soothing effect they had on visitors–and the snake massage was born. For 300 shekels (US$70), the spa will treat clients to what it claims is a relaxing massage to cure aching muscles and joints using six non-venomous snakes. The larger reptiles are supposedly good for deep tissue massage, while their smaller counterparts are ideal for delicate areas such as the face. (Rats balanced on one’s feet during the massage are apparently optional).

Lotta Bull
Is your hair feeling limp and uninspired? If so, then maybe what you need is a trip to Hari’s Salon in London, England. The upmarket salon uses bull semen as a protein-rich hair treatment to nourish hair follicles and brighten and repair. The bull spunk is combined with Katera root, another protein powerhouse. The mixture is massaged into the client’s tresses after it has been shampooed. Then the customer is put under a steamer so the treatment penetrates to the roots. Finally, it is blow-dried. Salon owner Hari Salem claimed he had tried hundreds of products, including wild New Zealand avocados and truffle oil, before adopting his new conditioner. “I have been searching for an organic product with a lot of protein because that is what hair is made of and lacks when it is dry. All the best treatments are protein based. Synthetic treatments are good, but they are heavy if you have fine hair and can make it look greasy. In the end, the bull’s sperm was the winner,” he said, adding that the liquid is refrigerated before use and doesn’t smell. The treatment costs $125 and uses semen from Aberdeen Angus bulls.

Dung-Faced
At the Diamond Spa at the Diamond Hawaii Resort & Spa in Maui, spa-goers looking for a little face finessing can now turn to the complexion-healing power of nightingale dung. The skin is treated with coating of dehydrated droppings, a technique used for centuries by Japanese Kabuki actors and Geisha girls to remove heavy makeup while leaving their skin fresh and supple. Nightingale droppings are said to contain natural enzymes that act as exfoliants and skin brighteners, so what looks unsightly on the ground actually makes your face look great. “The reason this product may work is the high concentration of urea in the fecal-urine combination in bird feces,” says dermatopharmacologist Brian Keller. “Urine has a lot of urea in it and it has long been used as a skin-softening agent.” Also known as Geisha Facials, the cost of a single treatment ranges between $144 and $225.

“Beam Me Up Scotty”
The newest in weight-loss therapy is the Oxy-LED Spa Capsule, a machine that looks like it belongs on the bridge of the Starship Enterprise. Acoording to the Med Spa Clinic in Tunbridge Wells, England, the capsule emits light in wavelengths ranging from 625 to 980 nm, that stimulate your body in such a way that you shed the pounds. It also will rejuvenate and relax you, reduce stress, increase circulation, detoxify your body, relieve pain and improve your sleep. This light therapy can be combined with other spa treatments, like the dry thermal heat and vibratory massages for even better effects. The company’s website mentions that the machine provides “intense physical stimulation,” which sounds suspiciously X-rated. A session will set you back anywhere from $130 to $200, depending upon whether you stay inside 30 or 100 minutes.

Electric Buns
Smooth Synergy Cosmedical Spa in New York City offers what it calls “the Fanny Facial.” The spa has skipped the face completely and headed directly south with a treatment that combines a body scrub, microcurrents to zap zits, and a sunless tanning application. The microcurrent therapy also helps reduce the appearance of cellulite and tones your backside. According to spa owner Nicole Contos, “The derriere is an area that is often neglected, but people are concerned about keeping it in shape and there aren’t many other spa treatments that pay attention to this area.”

Dr. Fish
Sticking your feet into a tub full of flesh-nibbling fish and calling it a pedicure is already de rigueur in several parts of Asia—but at the Sampuoton Spa in Selangor, Malaysia, the garra rufa (a small fish in the carp family that feeds on dead skin cells) is used for full-immersion purposes. The process is simple: you lounge in a heated pool for an hour while swarms of “nibble fish” snack away at rough spots and deep-clean your pores. While feeding, the fish also reportedly exude an enzyme that slows the return of skin problems like acne. The ticklish need not apply.

Midas Touch
They say that Cleopatra maintained her youth by wearing a face mask of pure gold to bed. Now in luxury-obsessed Japan, you too can gild your features and feel like a modern-day queen. This treatment, which was showcased at Beautyworld Japan 2007 by Umo Inc., is now available at some 30 salons and spas across Japan. In the 24-Karat Gold Facial, sheets of gold are applied directly to the skin. This metallic mask “hydrates, lifts and firms, fights free radicals, lightens and brightens and leaves a golden glow.” Gold leaf supposedly accelerates cell growth in the basal layer of the skin. “The effects of gold include anti-ageing. It can also remove wrinkles and blemishes that women often worry about,” said a UMO spokesperson. The price of one session, which lasts between one and two hours, runs around $300.

Yeast of Eden
“It was the dream of many men, to swim in beer, and now it’s a reality, says Mojmir Prokes, general manager of the Chodovar Beer Spa in the Czech Republic. Visitors are immersed in a hot bath of dark Czech lager and mineral water enriched with active beer yeast and dehydrated crushed herbs. The warm water opens pores providing skin with a “wide range of vitamins, proteins and saccharides” that soften and regenerate the skin. Prokes claims that “the mineral water is good for people with high blood pressure, and the hops in the beer are good for relaxing the body.” After a 20-minute soak, clients enjoy 25 minutes of bed rest, covered in a fleece quilt, and then 30 to 50 minutes of massage. One question remains unanswered though: Do you come home smelling like a bar?

Photo Credits:
#1: chinadaily.com
#2: daylife.com
#3: farm3.static.flickr.com
#4: trendhunter.com

 

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