A day in a Day Spa is the latest fashion accessory. Although it sounds like you’ll spend 12 hours in a sudsy whirlpool looking like a prune, the Day Spa concept is more of a one-stop-shop affair, where you are buffed and coiffed, pedi- and mani-cured, facialled, exfoliated, shiatsued and lumi-lumied. Apparently you end up looking like a clean Elle Macpherson.
The Day Spa is a day of complete relaxation. No meetings, no children, no bosses, no work — just you and your Spa slave(s). At the end of a day of pampering, most people feel invigorated and energised. For the severely stressed person, however, relaxation is such a rare commodity, that their bodies do one of two things: reject or collapse. The body that rejects (Body Number 1) is so tense that the masseur feels not muscles under the skin, but steel cables, unwilling to uncoil and relax. At the end of the spa day, Body Number 1 may notice their nails look nice, but is unable to feel the benefits of muscular release because they are still fuelled by years of adrenaline.
Body Number 2, on the other hand, relaxes so completely that by the end of the day, they are unable return to their former go-go-go mode. In fact, the day after a Day Spa, Body Number 2 feels like they have been hit by a truck. Muscles are sore and all they can do is sleep and sleep. Don’t be alarmed, this is exactly what is needed. Given half the chance, your body and mind will grab the opportunity to heal itself. And if that means sleep, then the best thing you can do, is to give in and sleep, long and deep.
A similar thing happens when stressed people go on holidays. The first week can be spent in bed, sick. The immune system says ‘Yeah! We can finally get you in bed to rest!’ Even though you have spent thousands on the island holiday of your dreams. Book your holiday for two weeks, so at least you have the second week to snorkle and smorgasbord.
The secret is to build relaxation into your life on a more regular basis than the occasional Day Spa, such as a weekly yoga class or massage. An even better idea is to have more day spas and more holidays.
