Whether the spa you're visiting is super luxurious or cheerfully modest — here are some tried-and-true tips for getting the best out of your experience.
by Liz Mazurski
1. Go Often
Honestly, there's nothing more enlightening than experience. Learn what you like, what heals and nurtures your body and soul. The actual act of visiting a spa is truly the only way to discover what works for you. The more you try, the more you will learn what you like (and don't like) and each visit can increase your ability to reap its benefits
2. Ask Questions
If you're trying a spa for the first time, you may want to find out what extras they have to offer. If it's a local spa, you may even want to pop in beforehand for a visit and make sure the decor is soothing for you.
Next, inquire about the menu. It will save both you and the spa reception/booking agent a lot of time if you have taken a moment to look at their treatment menu online or as a brochure. Make note of the things that interest you and ask the booking agent if she thinks any of these are right for you based on your experience level, preferences and health concerns (if any). If you're getting no help from this person, this may not be the spa for you. These are nurturing environments. And the best ones have well-trained staff on hand to guide you through the process and answer questions.
3. Understand Your Treatment
Knowledge is indeed a powerful tool when leveraged on spa treatments. Being informed about how a certain therapy may be able to affect you (whether in the sense of pure relaxation or for getting over a particularly harrowing party season) can deepen your session-both emotionally and physiologically.
4. Drink Water
It's crucial to drink plenty of it before, during and after your visit. Water hydrates the body's tissues on a cellular level, prompting the system to cleanse itself and function with fluidity. Just as you would want to hydrate before a workout, well-watered muscles (including those of the face) respond better to the activating pressures of massage, allowing the therapist to work more deeply.
Sufficient hydration also encourages the removal of toxins. Flushing your system will reward you with compliments on how great your skin looks, how well rested you seem, etc. Drink up.
5. Eat Lightly
The days preceding your visit can help prepare you mentally and physically for your treatment. Cutting back on (or eliminating) sugar, caffeine and alcohol and hard to digest foods like red meat will prime your system to detoxify with ease.
6. Take Your Time
Visiting a spa means you're taking time out for yourself. (Even if you're going with a friend or lover, the therapy is yours alone.) Allow for plenty of time before and after your booking in order to transition from your real world to the spa world. Taking the time to unwind and slow down before your appointment will make your visit more pleasant (mind) and more beneficial (body
7. Speak Up
A good spa session requires that you communicate what you like — or at least don't like. It could be pressure, music, conversation, scent, temperature — don't accept what you don't want. You are in charge.
8. Make a Gender Choice
I hear fewer and fewer spas ask clients about their preference for a male or female therapist. But some of us simply are more at ease with one gender or the other. Keep in mind that therapists are not in the business of assessing your thighs, cellulite or unshaved legs. Their job is to unwind your muscles, refresh your skin or give you a moment of peace. Talent comes in all shapes, sizes and genders. In the end, this decision is really just another aspect of the "go often" rule; follow it, and you'll find out what you like.
9. Pay in Advance
By dealing with finances up front, you can just drift out afterward. Allowing a 15 percent tip is fair to include in advance (although some spas include it in the cost of the service), but you may want to have extra bills on hand to say "thank you" for an extraordinary experience. You can simply leave the money in an envelope with the front desk on your way out.
10. Learn to Relax
Relaxing the muscles and settling the mind are a great assist to your therapist. Even if you're dead tired when you hit the table, it's not always easy to relax (although practicing the first tip-spa often-can help free you of any anxiety or unease). Various mind-over-matter techniques like deep breathing and visualization come in handy and help bodywork go deeper. Relaxing helps keep your mind in your body or at least in the room.
11. Stay Calm
Unless you're someone who finds massage or any other spa treatment super-energizing, you may not want to plan a strenuous day or host a dinner party for 10 afterward; savor the moment and let the healing sink in.
12. Book in Advance
It is all too common to look forward to spa-ing on a trip but find the spa fully booked upon arrival. Call ahead. (The telephone is still far more reliable for appointments than online systems.) This is truly one of the only ways to get the time, therapy and results you want, and it's especially crucial if you're traveling and want to enjoy a spa treatment at your hotel.
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