What Are the Types of Spa Treatments?

Spa is a wonderful way of relieving stress and anxiety which many people are affected by today. Learning more about the types of spa treatments can definitely increase the benefit you can get from spa centers, and in turn boost your well-being both mentally and physically. If so, what exactly spa is, and what are the types of spa treatments?

As Çam Otel one of the best thermal hotels located in Turkey, we are going to focus on the types of spa in detail through this article. However, before defining the types of spa treatments, let’s take a look at the word’s meaning where it comes from.

What Is Spa?

Spa is, in short, a therapeutic water treatment. The word is derived from the name of the health resort in Belgium where spring water is used to give medicinal baths. Though, throughout history, the use of water for medicinal purposes has been prevalent all around the world.

Ancient Greeks were one of the first societies to use thermal water for health. Following them, Romans also carried out this tradition and built their own thermal baths. In the 15th century thermal baths could also be found in abundance in England. And after the conquest of Istanbul by the Ottomans, famous Turkish hamams started to develop.

Types of Spa Treatments 

Even though spa started out as a water treatment technique, types of spa treatments have definitely evolved and extended. For this reason, there are many different spa treatments that come up with health benefits. Let’s take a closer look and discover these spa types. 

1.Baths

Since water lies at the heart of the spa's origin, it is important to know bathing types. Actually, bathing treatment can be a private treatment taking place in a room for only you and your partner or it can also be enjoyed as a more social activity at a pool. Shall we see these different types of baths that you can choose from?

• Thermal Bath

Thermal water comes from hot springs. The therapeutic quality of thermal water comes from the rich minerals that it contains and its heat, both of which are full of goodness for health. 

Amongst the minerals thermal water has are selenium and magnesium. These minerals especially work wonders for rheumatic disorder and skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis.

For more information on the health benefits of thermal water you can check out our article on What is Thermal Water? What are the Benefits?

• Turkish Bath

Turkish Bath, a traditional bath dating back to the Ottoman Empire, is another type of refreshing bath. The Turkish bathing routine involves scrubbing with a washcloth, a foam wash and a massage in a warm and cozy marble furnished hamam.

Not only is this process of bathing super relaxing but it also clears your skin off dirt and toxins and helps boost your immunity.

• Sauna 

Sauna bathing is a type of heat therapy where the client exposes herself/himself to high environmental temperature for a brief period of time. Interestingly, a sauna session can be dry or wet depending on your choice.

Moreover, sauna comes with great health benefits, too. It helps reduce sudden cardiac death, cardiovascular disease, and high-blood pressure. 

Çam Hotel has an amazing thermal pool, jacuzzi, private baths as well as a Turkish bath which allows you to refresh and rejuvenate yourself with Kızılcahamam’s fresh thermal water. 

2. Body Wraps

Body wraps are basically therapeutic masks that tone, cleanse and hydrate the skin while also relaxing and soothing muscles and joints. These masks usually feature herbal pastes and mineral rich muds.

Body wraps containing algae, seaweed, mud or clay are used for detoxifying the skin and getting rid of toxins while body masks that contain melted paraffin wax are utilized for hydrating and nourishing the skin.

Frigi thalgo body wraps are cold masks that are employed to control the excess fluid around the hip, they are also great for providing relief for exhausted legs. 

There are also body wraps that slough away dead skin cells leaving you with a cleaner and smoother skin, these wraps are called thalasso or seaweed wraps. 

3. Massages

Massages are one of the most common types of spa treatments. There are many different types of massages with which you can relax and alleviate your pain. 

• Aromatherapy

Also known as essential oil therapy, aromatherapy uses essential oils, mostly lemon, lavender, tea tree among many others, and other aroma compounds to calm and treat the body. 

An aromatherapist usually mixes the essential oils with another substance and applies the concoction to the skin by massaging. An aromatherapy session may also involve pouring the essential oil mix to the bathing water. 

Thanks to the anti-inflammatory characteristic of essential oils, aromatherapy sessions are great for fighting bacteria and fungus. 

• Swedish Massage 

Used especially to alleviate tiredness by increasing blood circulation, Swedish massage is one of the most popular massage types amongst types of spa treatments. 

The massage therapist performs sliding, kneading, tapping, vibrations, and cross strokes and makes use of essential oils depending on how you want your massage to be performed.

• Hot Stone Massage

A form of hot stone massage is believed to be firstly practiced in India. Today it is still performed and  serves the same purposes as it did then, which are reducing stress, promoting sleep and helping the immune system to be stronger. 

During a hot stone massage session, stones, which are heated to between 130 and 145 degrees, are placed on certain parts of the body. These stones are usually made of basalt, which is able to retain heat for some time.

A hot stone massage therapist may massage the skin with hot stones, allowing them to reach the muscles more easily.

• Thai Massage 

Thai massage is another ancient healing practice that is used for spa treatment today. It goes as far back as 7.500 years ago. 

What is interesting about Thai massage is that the client is a bit more active compared to, for instance, Swedish massage where the client lies passively on the massage bed. 

For this type of massage to be performed the client should lie on the floor and move their body during the session. Also, for Thai massage the recipient does not need to remove their clothes. 

Thai massage is great for relieving headaches, stress, joint paints as well as increasing flexibility.

During your stay at Çam Hotel, you can sign up for a massage session at the Wellness and SPA centre that guarantees you to make your stay even more relaxing! Also, you can make a reservation at Çam Hotel to have the best holiday experience!

Apart from bathing services, Çam Hotel provides you with a range of different massages, the ones we listed here being only a few of them. To know more about thermal and SPA sections, you can contact us in an easy way!