Chocolate spa treatment
Most of us, at some time or another, have craved chocolate. It's a treat, and a treat that's brought out to celebrate all kinds of special occasions - including Christmas, Easter and Birthdays. It says "Thank you!" and "I love you!", and "I deserve it!" But does it say "spa"?
Eating chocolate is a luxurious, indulgent pleasure. However much chocolate comforts us and pleases us, we know we should eat it in moderation. But, nowadays, we're not restricted to simply eating chocolate. We can smooth, slather and slap it all over our bodies, too!
Isn't chocolate bad for you?
No. Chocolate is a great source of energy and vitamins. As a food, the purer the chocolate product, the better it is for you. Go for chocolate that has a high percentage of cocoa solids - 70 per cent plus - and you'll be ingesting a powerful anti-oxidant.
What's an anti-oxidant?
Yes, we wondered about that, too. An anti-oxidant is something that "mops up harmful free radicals". We were none the wiser. Should we worry about that? Maybe. The reason free radicals are so heinous is that if you don't have enough anti-oxidants, these free radicals can damage your blood vessels and your heart, and are even associated with cancer.
What's more, harmful free radicals can end up breaking down the elastin fibres in your skin. And what does that mean? Wrinkles, bags and sags.
Quick! Bring me some anti-oxidants!
Bring me chocolate!
What's so good about chocolate?
Chocolate has many benefits. For instance, did you know...?
- Chocolate has twice as many anti-oxidants as green tea! In fact, dark chocolate has more "flavonoids" than any other anti-oxidant rich food, including red wine and blue berries!
- Chocolate contains essential nutrients including iron, calcium, potassium and magnesium
- Chocolate contains Vitamins A, B1, C, D & E
- Dark chocolate is effective in the treatment of mild hypertension
- Chocolate is a fast-acting energy-providing food that helps your body to release serotonin and endorphins - your "feel happy" chemicals!
What will chocolate do for my skin?
Eating chocolate is one way of benefiting from its many virtues. But there are other ways to make the most of it. Chocolate has many properties that make it very good for your skin. Such as...?
- Cocoa butter is rich in fatty acids. This means that any cocoa-butter facial or body treatment can have great softening effects on your skin. It's been a feature ingredient in body lotion for years.
- Cocoa contains glycerides which deliver moisturising lipids and fats which plump and firm your skin.
- Smell is apparently our most powerful evocative sense, stimulating memory and emotions. The good news is that just the smell of chocolate stimulates your body's "feel happy" chemicals. It's also thought to increase your sense of well-being, as we tend to associate chocolate with indulgence and pleasure.
We're used to thinking of chocolate as a treat you have a little of, so imagine the luxury and sense of indulgence and pleasure when you got to a spa and get smothered in it from head to foot.
Chocolate treatments are fun! And that's always a good thing.
Do they use real chocolate in a chocolate spa treatment?
Yes! It might not be the highest grade chocolate - although we're confident you can pay for that somewhere in the world. But most treatments use edible ingredients.
But how will I stand the temptation?
You don't have to resist. Many chocolate spa treatments feature a few chocolates or hot chocolate for you to consume as you like during or after your treatment, so you don't have to suffer anything at all!
Courtesy of the Good Spa Guide
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