Massages are a dime a dozen, but literally soaking in a tub of red wine? SIGN. ME. UP. Check out these five unusual spa treatments within 50 miles of Gwinnett County, and treat yo’self.
Chateau Elan Day Spa
100 Rue Charlemagne
Braselton 30517
While many resorts that also feature wineries usually offer a nice glass of vino with their spa services, Chateau Elan ups the ante with massages that actually use grapes. The antioxidants found in wine grapes is said to have anti-aging properties including the reduction of inflammation, increased circulation, and protecting collagen. Chateau Elan’s signature treatments include a wine bath that infuses the body with the antioxidant power of grapeseeds, an exfoliating body scrub made from crushed red wine grape seeds, and massages using grapeseed oil to moisturize and rebuild the skin. Chateau Elan says that they offer a “wide selection of treatments that will meet your most specific needs” – like your need to literally sip wine while laying in a bathtub full of wine.
Bluefern Spa
335 Peachtree Industrial Boulevard Suwanee 30024
If you deal with dry skin and respiratory issues, the salt room at Bluefern Spa might be the treatment you need. Halotherapy (halo is Greek for ‘salt’) mimics the benefits of spending time in the salty beach air, which are more than just relaxation: salt enhances the respiratory system, effects cell activity and blood sugar levels, and even improves skin conditions, among others. Bluefern’s salt room features Himalayan salt bricks and utilizes state-of-the-art technology to reproduce the atmosphere of a salt cave with a therapeutic microclimate. This natural remedy goes back several centuries: monks took the sick down into salt caves to allow them to breathe air saturated with salt particles.
Tranquility Spa at Lake Lanier Islands
7000 Lanier Islands Parkway
Buford 30518
After a relaxing/frustrating (depending on your golf game) 18-holes on the Legacy Golf Course, head over to the Tranquility Spa at Lake Lanier Islands fore a TaylorMade (golf pun!) treatment. The Golfer’s Delight deep tissue or therapeutic massage helps relieve tension and soothe achy muscles. The experience also includes hand exfoliation and a peppermint mud treatment for cracked, dry feet. You can even add on a sinus relief mini massage to help flush out all the pollen you inhaled during your time on the links.
Exhale Spa at the Loews Midtown
1065 Peachtree Street | Atlanta 30309
Common in Middle Eastern countries, the hammam (or Turkish bath) is a steam bath ritual involving dry and wet elements. Therapists at the Exhale Spa begin by washing you from head-to-toe to soften skin, increase perspiration and stimulate detoxification. Then relax on the heated stone and experience an organic aromatherapy scrub customized to your preference of scent. Finally, all traces of scrub are rinsed away with soothing, cooling water and an aromatherapy mist is applied to seal in the therapeutic benefits. The hammam area is co-ed (bathing suit required!) and is a great way to unwind after a workout class like barre or yoga, which are offered both to the public and guests of the hotel.
Jeju Sauna
3555 Gwinnett Place Drive
Duluth 30096
Who knew Duluth was home to Atlanta’s only traditional Korean spa? Jeju Sauna’s 35,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art facility is a gender-segregated traditional Korean public bathhouse, furnished with hot tubs, showers, and Korean traditional kiln saunas decorated with different woods, minerals, crystals, stones and metals; all elements have traditional Korean medicinal purposes. Admission is good for 24 hours, so you can literally stay all day, experiencing the different saunas. Additional services include massages, body scrubs, acupressure, reflexology and Korean Demandi (body shampoo).
Hard Pass:
Bali Snake Massage
If you ever find yourself on the beach in Bali thinking, “This vacation is way too perfect,” make your way over to the Bali Heritage Reflexology and Spa for a snake massage. This not-so-relaxing treatment involves – you guessed it – having several pythons placed on your body. Their movement, and your body’s own fear-based adrenaline production, supposedly enhance metabolism.