The Japanese are considered the pioneers of many new and innovative spa treatments. Many of the spa treatments that we enjoy today, such as hot stone massage, were developed by the Japanese or taken from Eastern medicine concepts. The Japanese are always trying to develop new ideas, which leads to some new and even wacky-seeming spa treatments.
Japanese spa treatments often center on bathing completely in a liquid to get the best benefits from it. Try the wine bath from Hakone Kowakien Yunessun, for instance. It is a pool completely filled with wine, which promises body rejuvenation. A spa in Hakone offers a chocolate bath for spa-goers, which moisturizes intensely for glowing, healthier skin. Here in the West, many enjoy chocolate treatments in spas, with chocolate brushed over the skin rather than submerging yourself completely in it.
The Doctor Fish treatment, offered at the Hakone Kowakien resort, allows spa-goers to submerge their feet in a small pool filled with garra rufa fish, small fish not unlike minnows that are attracted to the dead skin on a human's body. They swarm the feet, nibbling on on the dead skin on the feet, leaving it smooth and soft. The Japanese also believe the the garra rufa can cure certain skin diseases. It's a little different from the pumice stone you're used to at your usual salon.
Famed Japanese spa UMO, Inc, offers a gold facial in which 24-karat gold leaf is applied ot the face. Accoring to UMO, the facial will give you glowing and radiant skin, along with fewer wrinkles and fine lines.
