16 SWEET Spa Week Ingredients + Their Benefits

Article originally published as Happy Sweet Sixteen, Spa Week! on SpaWeek Daily.

 

1. CHOCOLATE  

Our skin craves chocolate as much as we do. Chocolate is rich in antioxidants and is high in magnesium, which promotes cell growth, repairs tissues, and absorbs nutrients. The fats in this sweet treat also moisturize and work as anti-inflammatory agents. Have your chocolate cake and cover yourself in it too! $50 Treatment to try: 50 Min Chocolate Scented Massage from The Chocolate Day Spa in Costa Mesa, CA.

2. DIAMONDS  

Diamonds really are a girl’s best friend.  Diamond microdermabrasion is a simple and painless way to eliminate wrinkles, acne, age spots, and stretch marks. No chemicals or anesthesia are used in the procedure, which makes it a non-invasive option. Diamonds are forever and can help you feel forever young. $50 Treatment to try: DiamondTome™ Microdermabrasion at Bella Pelle Medspa & Laser in Lake Geneva, WI.

3. HOT STEAM  

For best results get hot & steamy. Hot steam warms up the muscles for a deeper massage and opens pores to make scrubs more effective. Afterwards, steam helps speed up your body’s ability to release toxins following a massage and gets rid of the lactic acid build-up so your muscles aren’t sore. Now those are some steamy spa secrets! $50 Treatment to try: 50 Min Body Polishing with Vichy Shower, Steam, & Sauna Treatment at Elizabeth Adam Salon and Day Spa in Chicago, IL.

4. FLASHING LIGHTS  

Flashing lights are all the rave. Spa Rave, that is. This is a very broad category; various light treatments are used for everything from anti-aging remedies and laser hair removal, to the relief of muscle and joint pain. Flashes can minimize fine lines and wrinkles, improve skin tone, and restore skin’s natural cellular collagen activity. $50 Treatment to try: 60 Min Natural Face Lift with LED Technology & Plant Stem Cell Serum at Namaste Organic Spa in Ridgewood, NJ.

5. CHAMPAGNE 

Champagne is perfect for celebrations, but it’s also perfect for pre-toast preparations. Pour a little on your hair for smooth and silky results. It even packs more vitamin C and E than your average toning and anti-aging products. Take a different kind of bubble bath and your favorite champagne can help exfoliate dry, dull skin. We’ll cheers to that! $50 Treatment to try: 50 Min Luxurious Champagne Facial at V Spa at Hilton Antaloe in Dallas, TX.

6. VITAMIN C  

We know Vitamin C is good for us, but did you know that Vitamin C is the key to the production of collagen? Vitamin C also helps create scar tissue and ligaments, and it helps your skin repair itself. Vitamin C is an antioxidant that reduces skin dryness, fine lines and wrinkles. Orange you glad we told you? $50 Treatment to try: 75 Min “Power-C Peel Infusion with Head & Neck Massage at Boston Skin Solutions in Brookline, MA.

7. NEEDLES  

Needless to say, most of us don’t enjoy being stuck with a needle. But the body interprets acupuncture as a positive injury, which in turn stimulates collagen and elastin production, eliminating fine lines and tightens facial pores. Acupuncture also restores overall health and well being. With benefits like that, needles schmeedles. $50 Treatment to try: 50 Min Acupuncture session at Mar Vista Health Center in Los Angeles, CA.

8. ACID  

Forget the jeans, get an acid washed face. Glycolic, salicylic and lactic acids are all used as chemical peels to enhance the skin. Glycolic acid exfoliates the skin, improves texture and tone, and is a great anti-aging treatment. Salicylic acid improves the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, blemishes and scarring. And the friendly lactic peel is especially good for first time users or people with sensitive skin. $50 Treatment to try: Lactic or Jessner Facila Peel at CosMedica in Wakefield, MA.

9. GINGER  

No need being gingerly with this secret ingredient in your beauty routine. Ginger can increase skin’s radiance and decrease inflammation that may contribute to conditions such as psoriasis and acne. Ginger is an antioxidant and improves skin tone, lightens age spots and fights blemishes. $50 Treatment to try: 60 Min Mango Therapeutic Body Massage with Mango-Ginger Foot Scrub at Calm Studio in Philadelphia, PA.

10. SEAWEED  

Seaweed is the super food of the sea. It restores moisture levels, revitalizes and firms the skin, nourishes, oxygenates and detoxifies the skin, reduces the appearance of cellulite, improves skin texture and tone, and even makes hair shiny. No wonder the Ariel looks so great. $50 Treatment to try: 60 Min Seaweed Deep Pore Cleansing Facial at O Spa in Brooklyn & Garden City, NY.

11. 24K GOLD  

Skin like an Egyptian? Cleopatra was said to sleep in a gold face mask every night to preserve luminosity. Gold can retain the collagen within the skin, leading to youthful appearing skin. Gold can even ward off UV damage, tighten lax skin and reduce the appearance of discoloration. $50 Treatment to try: 60 Min 24 Karat Nano Platinum & Gold Facial by Cosme Proud at Spa Martier in NYC (Don’t miss this famous 24K gold Spa Week deal!)

12. LAVA STONES  

These hot rocks soothe the body to the core. Used as a specialty massage for treating muscle pain, stone massage is a soothing, relaxing form of massage where the heated stones provide intense relief to tight muscles. They simply rock! $50 Treatment to try: 60 Min Lava Shell Massage at Carrollton Square Spa just outside of Dallas, TX.

13. IONS  

If the eyes are the gateway to the soul, maybe your feet are the gateways to your health? A relaxing foot bath with a high level of negative ions utilizes principles of reflexology, ionization and osmosis, creating a positive cellular environment that helps the body eliminate toxins. Negative ions create a positive effect. Isn’t it ionic? $50 Treatment to try: 50 Min Oxygen Inhalation in Serente’s Zero Gravity Chair & Ion Detox Foot Treatment at Serente Spa in Houston, TX.

14. LAVENDER  

Good for the mind, body & soul. Lavender works well for acne, eczema, dermatitis, burns and wounds. It makes a refreshing astringent and an effective moisturizer. It can alleviate aches, pains, and support a calm composure and reduce stress. It helps us sleep. We think we could all use a little more lavender in our lives. $50 Treatment to try: 50 Min AVEDA Lavender & Sage Stress-Fix Massage at Essentials Salon & Spa in Doylestown, PA.

15. INFRARED  

You are in-far a real boost. The penetrating heat of infrared heat can be used to promote the breakdown of fat under the skin and improve circulation around fat. This allows for detoxification leaving you feeling energetic and refreshed, and best of all – a few pounds lighter! $50 Treatment to try: 90 Min Sudatonic Infrared Weightloss Wrap at 3 Wrapped in Wellness locations: Dallas, Ft. Worth and Houston, TX.

16. GREEN TEA  

Green tea goes more than skin deep. Green tea is a great antioxidant with anti-aging benefits for a beautiful, healthy skin. It can be used as a hydrating facial that will eliminate toxins from the surface of your skin. Its consumption has also been widely recognized to accelerate metabolism. It’s easy being green-tea-beautiful. $50 Treatment to try: 50 Min Green Tea Purifying Back Facial at Naturally Bare by Deidre in Los Angeles, CA.

Visit spaweek.com to see a list of ALL participating spas and the sweet ingredients they are using to pamper, polish and impart health during Spa Week Spring 2012!