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S is for...

Salicylic acid

Salt glow

Salt vapour

Sauna

Scrub

Serail

Serum

Shiatsu

Shirodhara

Snehana

Spa ritual

Sports massage

Steam room

Sugaring

Swan pipe

Sweat lodge

Swedish massage

Swiss shower

Salicylic acid

The principal component of aspirin, derived from willow bark, salicylic acid is sometimes used as a priming treatment for a facial. Applied as a warm foam, it helps to open the pores of your skin for extraction and cleansing.

Good for: Radiant skin tone.

See also: Cleansing; Extraction; Facial

Salt glow

A posh term for a scrub (see below).

Salt vapour

Some spas have a salt vapour room, which recreates the sensations of walking along a beach in the bracing sea air. A warm saltwater mist wafts around you, subjecting your body to gentle heat and rehydration. It's a highly refreshing experience.

Salt vapour can also refer to a Japanese salt-steam bath, which will swathe you in an aromatic mist infused with various herbs and plant extracts.

Good for: Alleviating respiratory problems. Hydrating and smoothing the skin. Relieving stress.

See also: Baths

Sauna

Essentially, a sauna is a small heated room, generally associated with mountainous regions. We tend to think of a small wooden cabin in the middle of the snow. Saunas give a fairly extreme, dry heat, and the heat usually comes from very hot rocks. You can usually regulate the temperature by pouring water over the hot rocks using a big ladle that will be provided. Traditionally, you would complete your sauna experience by running out and rolling in snow. But there's really no need for that when there are perfectly good showers and pools available in a spa.

Different types of sauna

Bio sauna: A cross between a regular sauna, a tepidarium and a multi-sensory room. Wet and dry heat distribute herbal aromas to the sauna, and the whole experience is made even more relaxing by gently changing coloured fibre-optic lights.

Finnish/Swedish sauna: A Finnish sauna has an automatic water spray onto the heated coals. Similar to a Swedish sauna, Scandinavians advise that you follow this hot sauna with a quick plunge into a pool of cold water, or a roll in the snow if necessary - this stimulates your circulation, energises your spirit and brings down your body temperature all in one go... you can imagine it would. In Scandinavia, it is quite common for a household to have their own sauna and to use it with family and friends.

Rock sauna: A type of Finnish sauna whose walls are rock rather than wood; this varies the type of heat you experience.

Tyrolean sauna: A wood-lined cabin, this sauna was established in the Tyrol region of Austria; you are advised to follow the heat treatment with an ice shower.

Good for: Warming and soothing aching muscles; making you sweat so drawing out toxins.

See also: Aroma room; Heat treatment; Steam room; Wrap

Scrub

Also known as a "body polish', a scrub 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 scrub is given, the main difference between scrubs is usually just the product used.

Different types of body scrub

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: Exfoliation; Wrap

Serail

A serail is a small tiled Arabian-style steam room, often used for mud treatments. Three different kinds of cleansing mud are applied, one each to your body, face and scalp. Covered in mud, you then go and take a seat in a serail/steam room and the combination of heat and mud deep-cleanses your skin and soothes your deepest muscles. After about 15 minutes, just as the mud starts to slip and melt over your body, you have a cool shower to rinse away the mud. This is a surprisingly sensual experience, and deeply relaxing. The cool shower wakes you up and brings down your body temperature.

Good for: Sensual relaxation and soothing and warming aching muscles. Also, it's unusual, and good fun!

See also: Hammam; Heat treatment; Rasul; Steam room; Wrap

Serum

The term serum is used rather loosely in the spa world to describe any treatment lotion or cream that has a beneficial effect. Eye serums and skin serums abound, none of them having any connection to the original Latin sense of the word, which means 'whey' (as in the watery residue that separates out from milk curds during cheesemaking).

Good for: Whatever you're using it for.

Shiatsu

The word shiatsu means "finger pressure', and sometimes, people describe the practice of shiatsu as "acupuncture without needles'. It's a whole-body, holistic treatment that combines massage, acupressure and stretching. As shiatsu is a healing massage, regular treatments should work with your body's immune system and strengthen its ability to heal itself. Sometimes also known as Zen Shiatsu, it is often a feature of Japanese spas, and leaves you feeling soothed and calm.

Good for: Improving circulation, taking oxygen to your organs and skin, helping them to release toxins and stimulating your immune system; relaxing and relieving pain and stiffness in your muscles and joints.

See also: Acupressure; Reflexology; Thai massage; Traegar massage

Shirodhara

A ritual-massage that is part of the Ayurveda holistic medical practice. A deep and soothing massage, it includes warmed oil being poured slowly onto your forehead – onto your "third eye" – to help you focus and relax.

Good for: Relaxing; centre-ing

See also: Aromatherapy massage; Ayurveda; Holistic; Indian head massage; Massage

Snehana

Also known as oleation, Snehana is part of the ancient Hindu medical practice of Ayurveda, oleation is a kind of lymphatic drainage massage using essential oils. It is designed to increase the flow of lymph around the body and therefore help you excrete toxins.

Good for: Detoxing

See also: Ayurveda; Shirodhara

Spa ritual

A spa ritual or spa experience describes a package of different body treatments that you get on the same day: use of the gym, a sauna and a light lunch, followed by a massage, a facial and a pedicure, say.

Good for: A range of benefits depending on the treatments you choose, but whatever you have should take you out of the humdrum and allow you to experience something special.

See also: Body treatment; Facial; Hydrotherapy; Massage; Scrub; Wrap

Sports massage

Many athletes believe that a complete training programme should include not just the exercise itself, but also regular massage. Because each sport uses the muscle groups in different ways, a qualified sports massage therapist will have a sound knowledge of the muscular and skeletal systems, and tailor the treatment for each individual athlete. Sports massage is often supplemented by other massage therapies.

Good for: Relaxing your muscles; fighting fatigue; relieving any swelling you have around your joints; boosting circulation and the immune system so that the body heals more quickly; improving your flexibility and body strength; reducing your heart rate and blood pressure; increasing your circulation and lymph flow; preventing injury.

See also: Deep tissue massage; Lymphatic drainage massage; Pilates; Swedish massage; Trigger point therapy

Steam room

A steam room is a small room – probably tiled – into which hot steam is piped.. The effect of this warm, wet heat is to soothe and cleanse, warm and relax. A really great element to any spa day and integral to many spa treatments.

Good for: Relaxing, refreshing; drawing out toxins; soothing weary or aching muscles and joints.

See also: Flotation; Hammam; Heat treatment; Rasul; Sauna; Serail; Wrap

Sugaring

This sweet-sounding option is similar to waxing for hair removal, but the sugar applied is cooler and sticks to your hair more than your skin so is more comfortable. Some say it is ultimately less effective than waxing, but a good "sugarer" will do as good a job for less pain, and that can't be a bad thing.

See also: Waxing

Swan pipe

Many hydrotherapy pools are fitted with pipes that pump high-pressure jets of water at you. Swan pipes are so called because they have the gracefully curved shape of swans' necks. They may be positioned at different heights within the pool, so that you can use them to massage different parts of your body. Water jets can be a little alarming at first to the uninitiated, but once you get used to them, are tremendous fun, as well as doing you good.

Good for: Toning the skin and boosting circulation.

See also: Hydrotherapy

Sweat lodge

Similar to a steam room, a sweat lodge forms part of an ancient Native American ceremony of purification. The intense heat draws out toxins and also brings a clear head.

Good for: Detoxing, relaxing and sharpening up your mind.

See also: Hammam; Heat treatment; Rasul; Sauna; Serail; Steam room; Wrap

Swedish massage

In Sweden, this is simply known as traditional massage. And that is exactly what it is: a classic treatment which represents the western standard for massage. The five main techniques used in Swedish massage – stroking and gliding; kneading; rubbing; tapping/'pounding"; vibration – are probably what spring to mind when you think about a "typical" massage. They're not designed to punish you, just to improve your circulation, soothe your muscles and make you more relaxed.

Good for: Relaxation; easing muscular strain by flushing out toxins; improving circulation by increasing oxygen flow in the blood; helping to keep ligaments and tendons supple; stimulating the nervous system; reducing emotional and physical stress.

See also: Just about every other massage treatment you can have features elements from Swedish massage

Swiss shower

A Swiss shower combines overhead water flow with powerful jets from showerheads positioned in the sides of the shower at various heights. The pressure of the water has a massage-like effect on your muscles, further boosted by the fact that the water temperature constantly changes, helping to contract and dilate your pores and capillaries.

The Swiss shower is one of the forms of hydrotherapy, which are said to stimulate circulation, increase metabolic rate and enhance the efficiency of the lymphatic system.

Good for: Back pain, rheumatic pain and arthritis, anxiety and stress, poor circulation, muscle and joint pain, headaches, and boosting the functioning of the immune system.

See also: Hydrotherapy