Have you heard of Vinotherapy? Does the word bring to mind a night spent drinking wine with your best gal pals? Vinotherapy or ‘Vinotherapie’ is actually a spa experience unique to wine country where grape pips and pulp (the stuff that doesn't make it into the wine bottle) are used to exfoliate the skin, followed by a full-body wine massage. How great is that? Are you curious how it would feel to have grape pulp rubbed all over your body? Do you think a wine massage would be beneficial to your skin? Do you have visions of getting drunk from it? What about the smell? Do you think it would be overwhelming? I hear you; these are all things that went through my mind as I was choosing a spa service to recommend to you for maintaining holistic health. In addition to anti-aging, learn about the energetic benefits, how Vinotherapy unblocks chakras, and increases self-awareness. Discover how a Vinotherapy massage feels, what to expect in a treatment, and what to do during a session to ensure you fully open your chakra energy points. Regardless of when you have it done, you will find out how this holistic spa experience can help you maintain personal wellness.

VINOTHERAPY MASSAGE BENEFITS

I know for many, a glass of wine is the perfect ending to a stressful day. The truth is: we don’t necessarily drink the wine for its anti-aging benefits, do we? We drink it to relax. So, what if you could get anti-aging benefits by having wine rubbed all over your skin and relax at the same time by having a massage? Wouldn’t that be a win, win? What if a body scrub of grape pips and pulp could infuse your skin while exfoliating it and stimulating cell growth? Even though scientific research has found grapes are rich in phytophenols which reduce damaging free radicals, and resveratrol, which spurs new cell growth (wine tourism Portugal), the greatest benefit of the Vinotherapy session for me was the EXPERIENCE of having my skin gently exfoliated and rhythmically massaged while I laid in a dark, Moroccan inspired room with relaxing music! From opening my root chakra all the way up to my crown, it was a full-body chakra opening experience.

WHAT TO EXPECT IN A VINOTHERAPY TREATMENT

I have to confess, I had visions of being engulfed by the smell of wine. I thought I’d be drenched from head to toe, my hair soaked, having to isolate myself until the smell wore off. Do you fear that you will get drunk from it? Smell like you just crawled out of a bottle? Do you think the smell would be overwhelming? Here’s how it went for me: the 3 hour Vinotherapy treatment at Beyond Wrapture Mind & Body Care Day Spa started with a full body exfoliation using grape pips and pulp. Then, I showered it all off revealing a layer of fresh skin underneath. An hour long full body massage followed using wine infused massage oil. So, the truth is that you won’t smell like wine or get tipsy from a Vinotherapy massage; but you will get a pleasurable experience, clean skin, balanced chakras and enhanced personal wellness.

TIPS FOR GETTING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR VINOTHERAPY EXPERIENCE

SURRENDER TO THE PROCESS

Do you need to know what’s going to happen before you can fully relax? Not into surprises? Afraid to try new things? What if you won’t like something? What if they do something that you hadn’t paid for and you end up paying more? I hear you; these are things I worry about too. I like to know what I’m getting into before fully committing to a treatment. I want to know every detail before I feel comfortable. My tip to help you get the most out of your Vinotherapy spa experience is to surrender to the process. Become aware of your fears then face them so you can let go of your need for control and let yourself fully relax while taking in the experience without having to know what comes next.

IMMERSE YOURSELF IN HOW IT FEELS

Monkey brain? Endless internal chatter? Your mind won’t slow down? Trying to plan supper while getting your massage? Thinking about what you have to do on your way home? Yup - I catch myself doing this when I’m trying to relax too. It seems that when we finally stop, our minds kick into full gear. According to Deepak Chopra, this is a way our bodies release stress…by having endless thoughts go through our minds as we try to relax. I’ve found one way to counteract the chatter it is to immerse myself in how an experience FEELS. So, another tip to get the most out of your Vinotherapy treatment is to pay attention to every sensation as your body is being exfoliated and massaged. As each finger and toe is gently and rhythmically cleansed, notice how it affects the rest of your body. Do you feel yourself sinking deeper into relaxation, letting go of the stresses of everyday life, or breathing deeper? These are all signs that you are immersing yourself in the experience and getting the most out of your time in the spa. By giving the mind something to focus on, you will decrease the endless chatter that will take you away from fully enjoying the experience.

BREATHE

My stress level was high as I drove to my appointment. I was in a new city, didn’t know where I was going, and didn’t know what I was getting myself into. I arrived just five minutes before my session was to begin which meant I had to rush while checking in, fill out paperwork, get my spa flip flops on, and get changed. Has this ever happened to you? Running late for an appointment where you intend to relax, and then find yourself stressed to the max by the time you get there? If so, my tip for you is to BREATHE! When we are anxious we breathe shallowly. Our lungs don’t fill to capacity and we don’t get the oxygen we need. If you’re unable to do this before you arrive at your session, start taking deep breaths as soon as you lay down on the massage table. My massage therapist helped me out with this by rubbing a blend of essential oils for the sacral chakra energy point on her hands then she got me to deeply inhale the scent until I began to settle down.

There you have it. The benefits of a holistic Vinotherapy spa experience. I talked about the benefits, how a Vinotherapy massage feels, what to expect in a treatment, and what to do during a session to take in the pleasure, relax, and heal your chakras while maintaining personal wellness.