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 Body wraps are designed to improve the texture and appearance of the skin by helping to rid the body of excess fluids and toxins. The benefits of body wraps may include body contouring, detoxification, boosting of the lymphatic system and metabolism, temporary inch loss, skin tightening, and skin softening. Plus there are added benefits, such as the relief of joints and muscle pains. Body wraps are all-natural, most often containing a mixture of herbs and minerals designed to beautify the skin. Essential oils and sea salts may also be used in body wrap treatments, helping to tone and soften the skin.
A body wrap begins with exfoliation through dry brushing or a body scrub, to exfoliate dead surface skin, and finally an herbal mixture is massaged onto the entire body. The mixture contains minerals such as clay, mud and sea salt. Other common additives include herbs and essential oils, both of which pass on their individual benefits, including their aromatherapeutic value. The various Chiang Mai spas have their own versions of herbal body wraps that offer different therapeutic benefits.
All the products are applied on the body and you're wrapped in a plastic sheet and left cocooned under a blanket. Some spas may wrap you in a heated blanket to relax the muscles and induce sweat, while others use regular blankets whose natural warmth helps activate the heating effects of particular ingredients in the herbal mixture. As the body lies in the herbal wrap, the combination of heat and herbs takes effect. The heat helps open the pores, allowing for better absorption of the ingredients into the skin, and the herbal wrap works to detoxify, moisturize and soften the skin, depending on the particular mix of ingredients used. After about 20 minutes it's washed off and the result is smoother, softened skin, with a healthy, radiant glow. |
