Aloe-Spa Salute per Aloe - Green Spa Services

But even I hesitated at having raw fish eggs slathered on my face. It seemed blasphemous to put this delicacy on my face rather than in my mouth preferably spread on a blini with a touch of crème fraiche. But caviar facials are all the rage in Ireland and as a journalist I felt it was my duty to do the research. Besides I was still hoping I could stick my tongue out and sneak a taste of those rare fish eggs.

Spas are springing up as quickly as golf courses on the Emerald Isle and often the two are combined. There’s no better way to relax after a golf game than a massage, followed by a pint of Guinness.

visited three spas in Ireland, each with atmospheres befitting their region. At the Doonbeg Golf Club in County Clare Ireland, located along the Doughmore Bay, the White Horse Spa is named for the foaming waves that resemble white horses' manes and tails. I started my spa visit relaxing with a cup of herbal tea surrounded by contrasting stone and wood, reflecting the area’s natural beauty. Clodagh, an Irish native who just goes by one name, is responsible for the soothing atmosphere. She’s known for creating a home for Robert Redford and a slew of Elizabeth Arden salons.

Doonbeg’s specialty treatment is a 90 minute Sea Caviar Facial. Caviar is used because it’surprisingly similar to human skin. Cocooned in a warm blanket on the massage bed, my face was moisturized, exfoliated and finally covered in a sheath of caviar, preventing any random tastings. The caviar facial is the most expensive item on the menu, natch, but since it doesn’t include any rough extractions that makes your face red, you look radiant enough to go out for dinner that evening.

Thank goodness Doonbeg has an award-winning restaurant masterminded by famous chef Tom Colicchio. If the name sounds familiar, he created New York’s Craft restaurant and he’s a judge on the reality TV show Top Chef. I am not a fan of lamb, but the waiter convinced me to try this local specialty and it melted in my mouth, changing my mind forever about this dish.

While the Doonbeg Club is private, the Farnham Estate in Cavan Town, is part of the Radisson SAS hotel chain. Formerly a summer home for a royal family, it boasts the largest spa in Ireland with 40,000 square feet of pure pampering.

The spa features an indoor-outdoor infinity pool and a variety of saunas and steam rooms, including an amethyst-salt inhalation room and a mint thermal suite. Farnham also offers caviar facials but since my face was now soft as a baby’s bottom, I opted for the dry flotation treatment. Wrapped in a thin membrane, I was submerged in a water tank for only 20 minutes but seemed like days.

Technicians claim this 20 minutes hydrotherapy is the same as a three-hour nap, the perfect antidote to jet lag. Afterwards I felt energized enough for a hike along the adjoining lake.

At my final spa visit to Castle Leslie, in County. Monaghan, I had no problem deciding which treatment to try. Show me a woman who turns down a chocolate truffle (without the calories) and I’ll show you a woman who says she doesn’t need any more shoes! For days afterwards people looked at my strangely as I kept smelling my forearm but I didn’t care, it was an instant high. Castle Leslie itself is under renovation, but there is a new hotel and (time share)to stay in the meantime. When Castle Leslie is done remodeling fortunately it will maintain its Ireland’s quirkiness. 90-year-old Uncle Jack, a relative of Winston Churchill’s, still leads tours of the Castle where he was raised. A local celebrity who’s often photographed by paparazzi dancing with young people in discos, he greeted us at the Castle in his flannel pajamas, plaid robe, red velvet slippers worn to a nub and a jaunty black beret. My favorite areas of the include the haunted room where guests say the bed bounces off the floor and the hallway Jack’s great-great grandmother has been spotted walking in her floor-length skirt.

Exotic spa treatments are luring new visitors to Ireland but the number one reason tourists return is the friendly locals. Instead of acting stuffy like some U.S. spss, the Irish do their best to make you feel comfortable and isn’t that what spas are for?

Source: Examiner.com