Thai Spa Massages

Thai massages are one of the hottest “new” massages available in spas around the world, but they are well known in the far east as they originated in India where they were developed by Buddhist monks and introduced in Thailand over 2,500 years ago. Known for their healing and relaxing powers, Thai massages are based on Ayurveda and Yoga and use passive stretching and gentle pressure along the body’s energy lines, known as “Sen” to increase flexibility, relieve muscle and joint tension and balance the body’s energy systems. The intention of the massage is to guide the body, mind, and spirit into balance and harmony, providing an opportunity for self-healing.

Unlike many other well known massages, the Thai massage is practiced when you are fully dressed and many spas even provide you with a specific outfit to wear. You start by laying on your back, and the therapist uses gentle compression and stretching techniques to open up your body, beginning with you feet. The therapist literally uses her whole body, including her feet, to move your body into various positions, so in some ways it feels intimate, but it is by no means to be confused with sensual or sexual massages. Thai massages originated from spiritual tradition and their purpose is to heal physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Destination Spa: Holistic Spa, Kamalaya Koh Samui, Thailand

The Asian Spa Awards for 2008, which are in their fourth year of celebrating and are organized by AsiaSpa magazine were held in Hong Kong in the middle of this month. Not surprisingly, Thailand took most of the awards for best spas which are judged in terms of innovation and quality by 29 independent judges. For Destination Spa of the Year, the award went to the Holistic Spa at the Kamalaya resort on the island of Koh Samui in Thailand. The resort itself is a true magical sanctuary which is centered around a monk’s cave that once served Buddhist monks as a place of meditation and spiritual retreat. Koh Samui is the third largest island in Thailand and it is known as the “island of the coconuts.”

The Holistic Spa combines authentic ancient healing traditions with contemporary therapies and offers diverse range of holistic therapies, therapeutic body treatments, restorative massages, and nurturing body treatments. Whether you chose a private setting in a room with your loved one enjoying a relaxing spa treatment followed by a private sunset dinner in this paradise or you chose one of the many ancient therapies like Reiki, Sound Healing or indulge in an exotic spa treatments like Jewel of the Orient, Herbal Steam or Lotus Realm, who will surely feel in heaven. You can learn more about the resort and the Holistic Spa at the official website http://www.kamalaya.com/.

Pearl Facial & Body Wrap: Beauty, Elegance and Glow!

The ultimate jewels of femininity and elegance, pearls bring to life the magic of the ocean. For many ages, pearls have been a sign of classic beauty and purity. But their appeal lies not only in their jewellery purpose, but also in their spa properties. Since ancient times, pearl dust has been highly desired for the great value of its minerals, proteins, and amino-acids, which strengthen the skin and improve its moisture retention ability. Pearl dust hydrates our skin and leaves us with a healthy radiant glow. Research has also revealed that pearls influence the transfer of melanin to the skin surface, filtering the sun’s rays and counteracting the sun damage. Because of its magical glowing properties, the wives of the Chinese emperors were well-known to apply pearl powder on their skin daily.

There are facial and body wraps available with pearl dust in many spas. This luxurious treatment aims at moisturizing and improving the oxygenation to the skin, as well as leaving our skin as smooth and pure as the fairy pearls. Pearl facials are also well-known for their anti-aging treatments. There are also many face creams and cleansers that you may buy with pearl dust and use it at home! Go on and feel like an Empress!

Valentino Appoints New Designers; Facchinetti is Out!

Rumors have been flying for some time now, but it is now confirmed. After the Valentino Spring 2009 collection in Paris, the company’s CEO Stefano Sassi confirmed that this was the last collection of designer Alessandra Facchinetti for Valentino. The new creative directors for the Italian fashion house are Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli, who have been designing accessories for Valentino for many years. Apparently Facchinetti wasn’t told of her dismissal and in fact she says the media heard of it first.

“It was with deep regret that I learnt from the press that I would no longer be working with Valentino… This news came as a great surprise since the company’s top management has not yet seen fit to inform me. I would like to thank Valentino s.p.a. for showing their appreciation of my ‘creative contribution and my sophisticated talent’ although I deeply regret the fact that this talent and contribution do not seem to have been adequately acknowledged,” Facchinetti writes in a public e-mail.

Ouch! But what went wrong? It seems that neither Valentino nor his his partner and president Giancarlo Giammetti liked her.

According to Valentino, “[Chiuri and Piccioli] always demonstrated an enormous respect and love for my work. There is an existing archive with thousands of dresses where they can draw and take inspiration from to create a Valentino product that is relevant today. It is a shame that their predecessor didn’t feel this need.”

Giammetti continues as he says, “To pretend to transform and revolutionise the Valentino style is a utopia which is a loss from the start … Pier Paolo and Maria Grazia are company oriented people and it is right to give them a chance to bring forward a style, which alongside Valentino, they have developed.”

Christian Dior Luxury Spa in Paris

Christian Dior opened its first spa, Dior Institut, at the Hotel Plaza Athénée in Paris (you can see the spa in the photo on the left.) The spa’s grand opening was by none other than Monica Belucci and the spa offers five luxurious treatment rooms in its large 2,900 square foot space. It offers many massage and beauty treatments and techniques for the face and body using the brand’s skincare products. “We want to help more of our clients to associate Dior with skincare, as well as with clothes and fragrances,” said Dior’s skincare director, Louis de Saint Michel to WWD. For all of us not in Paris right now, not to worry as Dior has plans to open similar institutes in New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Milan and Seoul.

The Hotel Plaza Athénée is situated in Paris’ fashion “golden triangle” and it is 300 m from the Pont de l’Alma. The entry of the Hotel is on a wide street shaded by chestnut trees, exactly like stepping into the world of your most romantic dreams of a Parisien love novel. The Plaza is the haute couture of luxurious hotels worlwide and its impressive decor with large crystal chandeliers designed in Regency and Louis XV and XVI style and elegant suites overlooking the Eiffel Tower are just some of its many beauties. You may also recognize this Hotel as the setting for the last two episodes of Sex and the City, when Carrie went to Paris, and also for films such as The Devil Wears Prada and Something’s Gotta Give.

Natural Beauty: Secrets of the Dead Sea

The Dead Sea is the saltiest body of water in the world. The minerals and salts are so dense that you can actually float on the surface of the sea without sinking – great news for non-swimmer like moi! The Dead Sea is also located at the lowest point on this planet at 400 meters below sea level, making it the closest body to the soul of Earth. For centuries, Queens and Kings have known about the magical secrets of the sea and have fought over the privilege of using beauty products made from its minerals and salts.

The Queen of Ancient Egypt, the legendary beauty Cleopatra was famous for her youthful skin and looks which stayed radiant and healthy even as her age progressed. Cleopatra loved the beauty products from the Dead Sea so much that she went to great expense to have cosmetic factories built on the shores of the sea. Their remains can still be seen today at Ein Bokek and Ein Gedi. Now, this is where I want to go!

The Dead Sea is considered a “natural spa.” It is not only famous for its age-defying, rejuvenating and purifying beauty wonders but it is also known to heal skin ailments like Psoriasis, Eczema, and Acne. There are spas located around the sea and people from all over the world come to this legendary place to experience its beautifying and healing powers.

Luckily for us, if we do not have the time to visit the sea, we can always count on the number of outstanding Dead Sea Cosmetics brands that offer a variety of beauty and spa products worldwide; from brands like SeaOra and Etre to the premium brands of AHAVA and Premier.

The ones that I use are Premier Dead Sea Cosmetics and my favorite product is the soap less gel Facial Cleanser with Micro Grains. It is enriched with essential therapeutic oils and Dead Sea minerals as it reduces irritation, and balances and purifies the skin. It is all natural and can be used every day on all skin types.

Premier also offer amazing face masks. The award winning Miracle Noir Mask is patented innovation! It is a firming mud mask, oxygen mask, purification mask and an exfoliating mask all in one. It contains powerful anti-oxidants, Dead Sea mud and minerals, liposome complex, oxygen and vitamins. And trust me when I say that this is truly miracle and from the first application your complexion becomes smoother and brighter! Note that this mask is not to be applied on irritated skin with pimples or acne.

But don’t worry, Premier offers the Problematic Skin Mask which feels just as soft and luxurious on the skin. It speeds up renewal and balances the skin from within. The mask is enriched with Dead Sea minerals mud, Musk Rose oil and Ginko biloba extract, natural beta carotene, and vitamins A and E.

Love Picks: Etre Nail Care Kit

Many people are shocked when they find out that I have never been to a manicurist in my life and yet I have long, healthy nails! My answer to that is we can completely take care of our nails by ourselves and get outstanding results as long as we use natural products. This is by far my favorite little secret to spoil my nails and give them literally a “shine.” Trust me, you nails really do shine when you are finished with the four easy steps and the shine lasts for a couple of weeks! Etre is a natural Dead Sea Cosmetics brand and you can be sure of its quality and effect. The Dead Sea was a favorite of Cleopatra’s and she even built a spa there to take advantage of its beauty effects all the time. More about the Dead Sea Cosmetics tomorrow, but now let’s look at the magical nail care kit.

The Etre Nail Care Kit is a complete manicure and pedicure kit to give your nails a healthy and natural looking shine. Whether you have short, bitten, or cracked nails, this is your best natural medicine to transform them and cure them completely. The kit comes with 4 sided Nail Buffer, Cuticle Oil, Shaping Nail File, Hand and Body Lotion and instructions.

Step 1 Buff your nails with the light black side (the solid black is for your toe nails) on the Nail Buffer. It is coated with Diamond Dust and cleanses your nail reducing discoloration and smoothing out the nail surface. Do this for about a couple of minutes.

Step 2 Polish the nail with the white side on the Buffer using a back and forth notion on each nail. Repeat this for about a minute. This helps to stimulate circulation and faster nail growth.

Step 3 Now this is where the magic happens! Use the grey side of the Buffer to give your nail a natural glossy shine. Rub it back and forth for about a minute or two, or until you see the shine. This grey side works with the natural oils in your nails which are similar to those found in your hair and skin.

Step 4 Now take the Cuticle Oil and nourish your nails and skin with two drops on each nail. This will strengthen and revive the cuticles as it is rich with lots of vitamins.

You can then rub the Hand and Body Lotion which is available in 4 scents. My favorite one is the Milk and Honey and I use it all the time for my body – it smells deliciously and leaves skin very soft. The lotions are enriched with Aloe Vera and Dead Sea minerals which are particularly high in Vitamin A and E.

Other helpful tips for nail care is to not use nail polish all the time and moisturize your hands and cuticles regularly. Keep away from harmful chemicals, tools and nail hardeners! Always strive to use natural products on your nails such as this one.

You can find Etre Nail Care Kit on amazon.com, Ebay and selected display stores. For more information, go to http://www.etrenails.com.

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