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P is for... Panthermal, paraffin wax, phytotherapy, Pilates and more.
PanthermalParafango
Paraffin wax
Pedicure
Phytotherapy
Pilates
Pinda Swedna
Pizzichili
Polarity massage
Polish
Pools
Power Plate®
Pressure point
Panthermal
Panthermal is a very unusual treatment and as yet, we haven't found it available in the UK. You have to lie in a metal tube while hot air is piped around you. After this, warm water is jetted onto you from different taps along the tube.
Good for: Treating cellulite, apparently.
See also: Heat treatments; cellulite; Hydrotherapy
Parafango
Parafango is a combination of paraffin and mud – usually applied as a body mask or wrap.
Good for: Relaxing and soothing muscles
See also: Relaxation massage; Body Treatment; Wrap
Paraffin wax
Skincare treatments using paraffin wax are particularly popular during the winter months. Your hands, feet or face are coated in warm wax, which is said to be good for healing the dry and cracked skin caused by exposure to cold air.
This treatment most commonly forms part of a manicure or pedicure, softening the skin. Practitioners claim that it can also reduce inflammatory joint pain and boost circulation. Unlike traditional wax-based depilatory treatments, paraffin wax doesn't stick to the skin. It is applied in layers, allowed to solidify and then covered in plastic. When it's removed (after half-an-hour or so), it comes away easily and painlessly in one big chunk.
Paraffin wax can also be applied to the face as a skin-softener and moisturiser. It is often combined with an aromatherapy oil such as lavender for a fully sensuous experience.
Good for: Relieving muscle and joint pain, as well as leaving skin feeling softer and smoother.
See also: Manicure; Pedicure; Wrap
Pedicure
A pedicure is a beauty treatment for your feet. Using different instruments, potions, waxes and polish, a pedicurist removes dead skin, softens hard skin and shapes and treats toe-nails. It can be combined with massage, hot stones, a herbal or aromatic rub or a soak in scented oils. A pedicure can also soothe and relax you.
A pedicurist is not a chiropodist; a pedicure is not a medical procedure, although a regular pedicure can support the work you're having done by a chiropodist, and in fact prevent you from needing further treatment.
Good for: Leaving your toes looking filmstar-tastic. (And preventing ingrowing horrors!)
See also: The different types of pedicure are in line with the different kinds of manicure.
Read more about Pedicures here
Phytotherapy
Phytotherapy ia a blanket term for healing treatments using natural products such as plants, herbs, muds, seaweeds and essential oils, taken in baths, massage, wraps, inhalation and even in tea.
Good for: General health, soothing and detoxifying the skin.
See also: Ayurveda; Massage; Heat treatment
Pilates
Pilates is a deep body-conditioning technique that strengthens muscles and improves balance and posture. A series of poses and stretches help tone and strengthen your muscles; in this way it's similar to yoga. However, Pilates does not usually involve meditation and is not an aerobic exercise. Devised by Joseph Pilates in the 1920s, Pilates aims to teach you how to use your muscles properly to protect and support you, preventing injury and strain. For this reason, Pilates is increasingly popular with people whose work is very physically demanding, from ballerinas to prop forwards to builders.
Note: Pilates is particularly good for pregnant women as it can help improve posture and weight-bearing, reducing the risk of injury and pain.
Good for: Flexibility; muscle strengthening; famously good for backs; preventing injury or muscle strain; improving posture; reducing stress; improving co-ordination.
See also: Deep tissue massage; Thai massage; Yoga
Read more about Pilates here
Pinda Swedna
Pinda Swedna is a massage in which the therapist applies rice, boiled in milk, and herbs.
Good for: Cleansing and relaxing.
See also: Traegar massage; Ayurveda; Massage
Pizzichili
Pizzichili is an unusual treatment, involving two therapists who massage you in unison, as they pour warm oil all over your body.
Good for: Deep relaxation and feeling like the Queen of the Nile.
See also: Ayurveda; Lomi Lomi; Massage
Polarity massage
Polarity massage is a deep-tissue massage that works along your meridians using rocking, holding and assisted stretches to balance your electromagnetic energy. Usually carried out with you and your therapist wearing loose-fitting clothing.
Good for: Unlocking knots in the muscles; soothing and comforting, this treatment leaves you feeling balanced and calm, and full of a serene energy.
See also: Deep tissue massage; Pressure point; Reflexology
Polish
Also known as a "scrub", a body polish is a whole-body exfoliation treatment. Abrasive products – usually salts, sugars or ground rice or seeds – are massaged or brushed over and into your body, often mixed in warm oils which smooth and soften your skin at the same time. The scrub is usually showered off at various stages throughout the treatment. If you're lucky, you'll have this treatment on a "wet plinth" which is heated so that you don't get cold at all, and means that you don't even have to get up to be washed. A good body scrub or polish forms the basis of other body treatments, preparing your skin for an even tan; opening your pores ready for a wrap or mud treatment, or relaxing or stimulating your senses before a massage.
While there may be variations in how the polish is carried out, the main difference between polishes is usually just the product used.
Different types of body polish
Fruit (edible!): Some body scrubs mix crushed seeds with fruit oils, oatmeal and other edible products to nourish and soothe the skin.
Herbal: A therapist mixes a herbal oil with the exfoliating scrub. They might use, for example, rosemary, lavender or aloe vera, depending on your skin type and whether the scrub is designed to wake you up or relax you.
Loofah: Some body scrubs use cream and a loofah to slough off dead skin cells.
Salt and oil: Finely granulated salt is mixed with an essential, moisturising oil. The salt might be sea or mineral.
Sugar is also used, mixed with oils or creams.
Good for: Dramatically smoothing your skin and moisturising it at the same time; boosting the circulation of lymph and blood to the skin; improving the tone of the skin; relaxing, refreshing and cleansing.
See also: Brossage; Exfoliation; Wrap
Pools
Spas often have a range of different pools and baths for you to try out.
Hot/thermal pools and springs: Outdoor, naturally occurring pools usually rich in minerals. There are many well-known hot springs or "geysers" across the world, from New Zealand to Iceland. These can be extraordinary, but they often also smell of sulphur. Bathing in something that smells like bad eggs isn't always the spiritual experience you'd imagined.
Oxygenated/ozone-treated pools: Swimming in an oxygenated or ozone-treated pool is a treat compared with the average pool. The water is less chlorinated, which means your eyes don't get as sore, nor your skin as dry; your hair won't suffer as much either. It also seems to make it easier to swim for longer. The water really does feel fresher and cleaner than you may have been used to and it's so much easier and more pleasant to swim in that you find you swim a lot longer. There is also the advantage that you don't smell strongly of chlorine when you come out.
Plunge pool: After a sauna, Swedes are encouraged to run outside and roll around in the snow. A plunge pool is designed to work on the same principle of really boosting your circulation by going from a heat treatment to a quick cold splash.
Good for: Cleansing, relaxing, exercise and fun.
See also: Hot Tub; Baths, Hydrotherapy
Read more about Pools here
Power Plate®
An exercise machine that manipulates the muscles’ automatic reflexes using vibrations. The Power Plate machine claims to intensify the effects of a workout with less exertion. Workouts are usually around 20 minutes long, designed to incorporate resistance, flexibility and massage by encouraging you to stand in nine different positions for 30 seconds each. Whilst this is a low-impact workout (no trainers required!) it lacks the cardiovascular element associated with other forms of exercise.
Good for: Fitness; increasing muscle strength, flexibility and agility; improving your metabolism and lymphatic flow; relaxation
See also: Pilates; Sports massage; Yoga
Pressure point
If you think of your body as being mapped by "ley lines" of Qi, pressure points are key stations along those lines where the therapist stops, applies pressure and moves on. A bit like the join-the-dots of your body's energy paths.
Good for: These are "massage-keys" to unlock pain and knots in the muscles, and tension in the spirit!
See also: Acupressure; Reflexology; Shiatsu
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