Friday, December 15, 2006
Clean up your act
By Suzanne Harrison
LATE-NIGHT REVELLERS know about the steam room concept. Sweating out the alcohol makes you feel better, doesn’t it? Maybe so, but tailored spa treatments and/or at-home techniques could be ideal for those suffering New Year burnout – particularly if you combine it with healthy eating and exercise.
Lawrence Brown, from Body Conscious in Central, says now is the time to make the most of promotions for “all those New Year resolutions”. He says it’s a good kick-start in conjunction with a new exercise regimen and diet.
“It will help to get the elimination system moving, improving results of exercise and diet. It’s best to start with a few treatments for maximum benefit. The number will depend on the client and usually there’s following up with maintenance every three weeks to a month.”
Body Conscious offers lymphatic drainage which helps the release of toxins and diminishes the appearance of cellulite, he says. It can be followed by a detoxifying seaweed body wrap.
“This increases the effect, releasing toxins through the kidney and bladder, promoting tissue regeneration and balancing the circulation.”
Samantha Arnold, spa director of the Four Seasons Spa, says there is an increased demand for detoxifying or purifying treatments at the beginning of each calendar year and at the start of summer.
But while pampering yourself at a spa is one New Year’s resolution that’s not difficult to keep, can it really complement a plan to help rid your body of an overload of seasonal toxins?
Some say yes. Gabriela Just, the founder of Just Pure products (used in the Four Seasons Spa), says that according to her company’s concept, detox treatments should be performed during the new moon phase. “At new moon, the body is in its highest readiness for detoxification and change. Anyone who has been thinking of starting a fitness programme or has been working hard for a while at losing a few pounds should really try to start during the new moon. The results are astonishing.”
The more popular spa treatment ingredients for detox include spirulina algae, Dead Sea salts, black mud and essential oils of juniper, stinging nettle, oregano and fennel.
The Peninsula Spa’s director Sharon Codner – who is also an aromatherapist and reiki master – says that at-home body care practices alongside diet and exercise are an ideal way to enhance a detox plan. “Dry skin brushing helps remove the outer dead skin layers and keeps the pores open. Another good method is vigorous towelling after bathing,” Codner says. “Towel roughly until the skin is slightly red. Change towels often because they will contain toxins.”
Spa treatments can help purge the body of toxins created by overindulgence
She advises pouring half a cup of baking soda, half a cup of Epsom salt or the same quantity of sea salt in a bath. Soak for 15 to 20 minutes then scrub the skin gently with soap inside a natural fibre such as a muslin cloth. Within a few minutes, the water should turn murky and “dirty”.
“The darkness is heavy metals [aluminium and mercury] coming out of the skin. Do this once a week during detox and once a month for maintenance.”
Codner also suggests massage during this time, based on the workings of the lymphatic system.
“It’s one of the five main elimination channels in your body along with skin, lungs, kidneys and bowels,” she says. “It’s also your body’s metabolic waste-disposal system. The lymphatic system clears toxins, unwanted proteins and waste which can’t be removed by any other means from your tissues and cells.”
Lymphatic drainage massage in one of the spa’s anti-cellulite hip and thigh treatments uses a technique designed to stimulate the circulation of the lymph to speed up the removal of wastes from all over the body, Codner says.
“The massage goes from light to vigorous to aid the flow of toxins to the lymphatic glands,” she says. “This works wonderfully on the nervous system and stimulates the defences of the immune system to increase the flow and volume of lymph fluid. People will often feel the results for as long as a week.
“Dry body brushing and weekly exfoliations will help to stimulate the circulation as well as improving skin condition.”
Massage does make a detox more enjoyable. Those used to staying up late or eating out a lot can find it hard to wind down when they take a break from it. Massage relaxes and gives a sense of well-being at a time when starting a new period of healthy activity. It gets the circulation going, which increases the flow of blood and therefore nutrients to organs.
If you want to embark on a serious detox regime, consult a specialist beforehand as some extreme detoxes can be dangerous to your health.
Reflexology can also help, says Shelagh Ho, a practitioner at the Vitality Centre. She says the practice works on the elimination systems of the body, the liver, kidneys and the lymphatic system.
“If you’ve got a better diet, the reflexology will support that and vice versa,” Ho says. “I’d advise six sessions once a week and then review after that.”
However, she says people whose bodies are unbalanced may find they feel worse for 24 hours after a session. This is the body’s reaction to releasing toxins.
Ho’s busiest month is December – and she has a waiting list. “I’ve noticed a pattern … I think people are exhausted. Christmas must be a stressful time.”
According to Kate O’Brien and Troy Sing in their book, Qi! Chinese Secrets of Health, Beauty and Vitality, dry saunas are another option.
“Dry saunas promote sweating and the release of fat-soluble toxins through the skin,” they write. “It is recommended to stay in the sauna for a minimum of 30 minutes [inclusive of short breaks] so the temperature must not be excessive.”
They say to shower afterwards to ensure toxins are completely removed and to take flax seed oil daily to replace the loss of essential fats.
Traditional Chinese medicine also recommends body brushing, O’Brien and Sing say, but according to its practitioners you should brush towards the heart.
“For thorough cleansing … body brushing must be performed daily for up to three months; thereafter twice a week,” the authors say.
Detox guru Nish Joshi says in his book Holistic Detox that massage can be very useful for those following his plan.
Joshi says a “particularly good penetrative treatment” is with hot stones.
“Passing the hot stones over the body makes the muscles loose and more responsive and easier to work on to release any stress,” he says.
However, Joshi says that a course of massage treatment, with reflexology included, is necessary to achieve results. “It is not reasonable to expect your symptoms to disappear in one treatment,” Joshi says. “I recommend committing to four reflexology sessions for best results.”
Using pampering and alternative therapies with a detox is fine. However, a general detox involving diet and exercise is not for everyone.
These places will get under your skin
Here’s where you can “pre-tox” or book early for treatment in 2007.
The Peninsula Spa
7/F The Peninsula hotel, Salisbury Rd, Kowloon. Tel: 2920 2888
Body Conscious
16/F the Centrium, 60 Wyndham St, Central. Tel: 2524 6171
The Four Seasons
8 Finance St, Central. Tel: 3196 8888
Plateau Spa
11/F Grand Hyatt Hotel, 1 Harbour Rd, Wan Chai. Tel: 2588 1234
Shelagh Ho, reflexologist at The Vitality Centre, 801, 35 Queen’s Rd, Central. Tel: 2537 1118
Charlie’s Acupressure and Foot Reflexology Care Centre of the Blind
205 Tung Ming Building, 40-42 Des Voeux Rd, Central. Tel: 2810 6666