What is a Spa?
A spa is a water treatment or medication that is offered by a resort or a place for the treatment, known as balneotheraphy. There are different kinds of stories that derive the term of the treatment, spa.
During medieval times in Belgium, the name was derive from the name of the town Spa in Belgium where illnesses of the people of having an iron deficiency were treated by drinking from a spring water with iron bearing, chalybeate.
They also say that the word SPA is the acronym of the Latin words ‘Salus per Aquam’ ‘Sanitas per Aquam’ which means healing with water. The concept of spa originated during the Roman Empire where thermal buildings have been built such as saunas and massage rooms.
During this time the Roman Empire tried to find ways to relieve military wounds and body ailments. They built saunas and hot wells to heal their bodies; they called this at first as aquae and the treatment called Sanus per Aquam and its acronym SPA.
The concept of these baths turned to be therapeutic which most doctors prescribed to their patients for a longer and healthier life. Though the term has different origins but still they have the same concept. The spa culture has developed various ways in Europe; they use mineral water, sea water and marine and other body therapies.
During the 18th century the development of spas has been guaranteed a scientific approach, facilitating on the analysis of water composition and its benefits. In the 19th and 20th century spas were a privileged to social classes and later on to all. The acronym SPA was later on used at this time.
Spa was only used for treating illnesses of the body, it was for health reasons but at this time spas is not only for the body but also for the soul. A spa treatment can be relaxing physically, emotionally and spiritually. It can improve health, manage stress and enhances one’s wellbeing.
People go to spas to relax and de-stress from every day life. According to the International Spa Association, spa is an overall enhancing of wellbeing that promotes the revitalization of the mind, body and spirit. There are now various kinds of spas nowadays, with programs and services which can choose from.
Day Spa this is a spa which offers services for an hour or a whole day basis. Destination Spa is a spa with programs and services those guests who intentionally come for a life improvement and self rejuvenation in a particular place. Medical Spa provides medical treatments using conventional and modern medicines, with the assistance of the medical professionals. Some spas are not only for health reasons but also for beauty regiments especially for women namely the salon spa and nail spa are some of them.
A destination spa or a salon spa, one thing that it has in common is it is still a spa; it makes one live a stress free, healthier life style and most especially rejuvenates one’s wellbeing, the mind, body and soul.
How to choose a Spa?
Spas are places for enriching one’s well being through different programs and services that promotes revitalization of the mind, body and spirit.
With lots of spas to choose from, how do we know it’s the spa that we want to experience? There are thousands of spas that offer different ways to relax and revitalize. The first thing that you should do is to decide what you want in a spa and second is how much is your budget for a spa. There are programs and services spas offers; you just have to know what kind of programs in a spa you would like to experience.
Here are some programs spas offer and kinds of spas which you can choose from; fitness programs, stress management programs, spiritual programs and pamper and satisfaction and health and wellness.
The fitness programs, in this type of program includes classes that can get you participate in activities which encourages weight loss and a healthy every day life.
The stress management programs, is where you get to learn techniques on how to manage every day life stress and strategies that you can do to reduce and control stress in your life.
The spiritual programs, these are some activities which you can attend. These relax your mind, experience tranquility, understanding one self and acceptance through meditating by joining yoga, tai chi and chi gong classes.
The pamper and satisfaction is the kind of spas where you get to pamper yourself with facials, massages, aromatic baths and treatments, manicures, pedicures and a relaxing get away.
The health and wellness is the kind of spas where your health is concern, like dealing on smoking, drinking and so on and on how to change every day life into a healthy lifestyle.
You just have to know what kind of spa you want be it relaxing, maternity treat, a vacation treat with your friends or a romantic spa with your partner.
Once you have decided what kind of spas you want to experience and then the second question to ask yourself is how much the budget you have for that spa. There are package deals you can choose from different kinds of spas. If you plan to have a destination spa over the weekend or for a week, you can check the hotel that you’re going to stay on how much they offer for that package or if not you can try local day spas that the place have.
But if you don’t have enough money for a destination spa, you can always find a day spa at the vicinity of where you live. Or if you just want an hour of your time, you can always go to a day spa, treat yourself with a massage, facials or foot spa. Whatever it is that you choose, the point it is that you enjoy the services.
You have to make sure that you ask first the spa if it is a member of the International Spa Association, to be a member of the association it must meet the association’s Standards and Practices and Code of Ethics.
