Did the whirlwind of events over the past year make you ready to forget 2012 by basking in a heated marble chamber of a Turkish steam bath? Or soaking it out in a natural hot springs overlooking the Japanese countryside? How about week in an Indian holistic health retreat? Well, The Daily Beast rounds up some of the best locations around the world for traditional spa treatments that will leave you rejuvenated and refreshed for the new year. Some spas offer the ultimate relaxation while others are a bit more, let's say, energizing. Either way, after a day of such pampering, you’ll feel like an entirely new person.
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Depending on where you go, the Turkish hamam ranges from a luxurious tourist-centric respite to an integral part of daily life for locals. During the Ottoman Empire, which included Turkey for five centuries, hamams were central to social life and general cleanliness. The tradition continues today, with the public bathhouses offering an array of treatments to pick and choose from. Housed in ornate marble-laden bathhouses, these establishments allow you to spend a day drinking tea, taking a dip in various pools, lounging on heated marble slabs, and getting scrubbed down by the notoriously vigorous attendants. In Istanbul, Cağaloğlu Hamami is the most architecturally stunning.
Chinese traditional medicine comes in numerous forms and functions. Be warned: cupping is not the relaxing experience you may be seeking, but its benefits are said to be worthwhile. The process involves a small cup that is heated by flame. It is pressed against your back, creating a sort of vacuum that is said to pull liquid to the surface of your skin, and suck the toxins out. It’s alleged to treat anything from colds to musculoskeletal issues and leaves an array of darkened circles on your back.
If it was good enough for Cleopatra, it’s good enough for you. The Dead Sea, 1,388 feet below sea level, is the saltiest body of water on earth. It’s also incredibly mineral-rich, in both water and mud. Its hot springs provide a combination of sea floating, mud slathering, and dipping that will leave you feeling recharged. The nearby private beaches, restaurants, and health resorts lend themselves to a few days of relaxation. Research has even found that some skin ailments can be effectively treated with Dead Sea minerals.
It’s impossible to visit Thailand and not cave in to indulging oneself at one of the legion of massage parlors or street-side masseurs offering the country’s traditional massage. Don’t expect to fall asleep on the massage table. Unlike Western styles, Thai massage is a combination of stretching yogalike poses that you’re put into. This kind of massage is now widely considered a form of medicinal treatment, and you can get it for a few bucks at the parlors or, for more ambience, in beautiful spas (which will hardly break the bank).
Japan is littered with thousands of hot springs, called onsen, that you could spend days exploring and lounging in. You have your pick of scenery, with pools found at bathhouses, in rivers, perched on cliffs, near jungle-covered waterfalls, or high in the Japanese mountains. If views of the great outdoors don’t appeal, one traditional bathhouse offers a double whammy—hot sand baths before the obligatory pool soak. Lonely Planet has a best-of list here.
For those who like to mix in some adventure with their rejuvenating treatments, this is the place for you. Porvoo, Finland, operates an unusual spa that specializes in “cryotherapy,” a full immersion in freezing-cold water that brings a new meaning to “chilling out.” Spend three minutes in negative 110 Celsius temperatures and receive, according to the research, unlimited health benefits. The result of the extreme cold is a drop in surface skin temperature that triggers a nervous-system reaction, releasing endorphins and alleviating pain. With multiple treatments, the unusual process is said to help cure asthma, sleep disorders, depression, and other ailments.
If you like it hot, the old-school Russian banyas are for you. Often rising to about 200 degrees Fahrenheit, the wet heat will make you sweat out all the toxins in your body, open your skin’s pores, and help rid you of harmful bacteria. But beware of the soaring temperatures—locals often don small felt hats to make sure their heads are protected from the intense heat. Items like eucalyptus leaves and branches can be used to get blood circulation flowing, or, in the wintertime, a quick roll in the snow outside does the trick.
For all its benefits, yoga can’t do everything. That’s where ayuveda comes in. The medicinal side of yoga aims to balance your energy through diet, massage, and herbal-based treatments. In Kerala, an increasingly popular destination known as India’s most beautiful state, many ayuvedic retreats have been popping up to cater to tourists seeking the treatment’s healing properties. You can even rent houseboats to receive the treatment on, or spend a week relaxing at a retreat, which can range from economical to luxurious—or merely medically focused.
