Botox or Body Wrap? The New Spa Phenomenon

Todays spa is a centre for healing and nourishing the mind, body, and spirit. People go to spas for health, peace of mind, pampering and pleasure. As spa-goers today demand more than pampering, spas are taking a whole new approach to feeling good with immediate and visible results.

Welcome to the Medical Spa. Not only for the use of treating chronic health problems, but to enhance ourselves through non-surgical and surgical procedures. Services at these spas include: collagen, botox, microdermabrasion, restylane, chemical peels and even plastic surgery.

At Blue Water Spa in North Carolina, you can indulge in a hot stone "Foot Fantasy" before, after, or even during a Botox injection, or perhaps you fancy a quick zap of a laser for spider veins following a massage or vichy shower treatment. Providing significant results with no 'down time' in a luxurious and relaxing atmosphere is the primary goal of a medical spa.

Does this alter our vision of the desirable spa environment? If we told the Romans back in 25B.C. that our spas would be pumping Restylane in our lips and Botox in our lines, they would never have believed it. As it becomes more acceptable and available to participate in cosmetic alteration, the spa seems like the most tranquil place to do so.

Surgeon and Safari have seen a great increase of clients wanting the nip and tuck combined with a unique holiday. South Africa has become the hot destination for procedures, as quality of the facilities and care are essential, cost is also a big factor - you can have a facelift, tummy tuck, liposuction and eyelid surgery for $11,000 ($5,000 less than in the US).

However, not all plastic surgery vacations are cost effective; while Botox parties are becoming hot in New York, the Half Moon Club in Jamaica offers an interesting twist on the concept. The resort hosts Botox weekends with New York City plastic surgeon Z. Paul Lorenc in its on-site hospital, and his rates are the same as they would be in Manhattan.

Although the appeal of flying to an exotic location, paying half the price for a face-lift and recovering by the pool with a cocktail sounds appealing, the reality is you can't even sit in the sun after surgery, not to mention the increased risk of deep vein thrombosis during your flight back. The thought of being rushed to a Jamaican hospital for an emergency medical complication seems more than just daunting.

As spas will continue to offer a wide variety of techniques and services, both traditional and modern reality is, they must move forward with the trends. The medical spa meets the diverse needs of their clients, proving why it is fast becoming the new spa phenomenon.

Jaime Cooke, Spa Editor