Spalocal

In the middle of California’s charming Sonoma Valley spa enthusiasts are setting out to prove that wine is not only good for the heart. Visitors to the Kenwood Inn and Spa shouldn’t settle for just a glass of Cabernet, but rather an entire barrel. Their Wine Barrel Bath is just one of many unique spa body treatments that incorporates the use vinotherapy. Does a Sauvignon Massage tantalize your senses? What about a Vinolift to perk up your facial contours? With their vino inspired treatments, The Kenwood Inn and Spa is helping to pave the way to entirely new approach to skincare, one that takes the bottle of wine from the dinner table and onto the massage table.

Debra Burquez, Spa Manager of the Kenwood Inn and Spa explains the benefits of vinotherapy, “The extracts in the grape based products are rich in polyphenols, helping to combat free radicals and aging. Grapeseed oil helps improve the skin’s elasticity because grape water, a by product of the extracting process that both nourishes and increases the skin’s moisture. The combination of grapeseeds and grapeseed oil has the effect of exfoliating and moisturizing at the same time.”

Vinotherapy, the therapeutic treatment of the skin using wine and grapes made its mainstream debut in 1999 when Mathilde Cathiard-Thomas and her husband Bertrand Thomas opened Les Sources de Caudalie, the world’s first official wine spa. The location in the Bordeaux region of France was the perfect spot for wine aficionados to give their weary palates a rest and instead let the vino just soak through the skin. Four years later the luxurious trend caught on in the United States when the Thomas’ expanded their successful enterprise to the Sonoma Valley.

The list of treatments offered at the Kenwood Inn and Spa is almost entirely dominated by the Sonoma Valley’s specialty beverage. Prospective clients can choose from many different therapies including; the purifying Vinopure Treatment, the immune boosting Honey and Wine Wrap, or for those who have dreamed of diving into a tub of wine there are the Wine Barrel Bath and the Red Wine Bath. Many of their treatments incorporate the extracts from the Cabernet Sauvignon varietal, although Burquez adds, “We do offer a number of different varietals as the complimentary ‘wine of the day’ to our guests during their visit.”

Since its arrival in the golden hills of California vinotherapy has become a popular phenomenon among spa patrons in the United States. In recent years dozens of wine inspired spas have begun popping up around the country, finding homes in Arizona, Georgia, Florida and New York, among others. Each spa offers a different twist on vinotherapy, incorporating the use of their own stylized treatments paired with their specialty products. Clients look to bring the benefits of vinotherapy into the comfort of their homes where they can prop their feet on the edge of their own bathtubs while soaking in and sipping on a well-aged bottle of Syrah.

One of the product lines that has gained a well respected reputation among spa goers is The Appellation Spa Line; which is sold in spas, in dermatologist offices as well as online. The grapes used in Appellation Spa’s product come from California, mainly from the central coast. Maria Olsson-Tysor, the Public Relations Manager from Appellation Spa reiterates the importance of preserving the natural ingredients in their line, “Great care is taken in making sure that seeds used in our products are crushed and then cold filtered with water and not chemicals, which can destroy the nutrient and antioxidant value.” Other popular vinotherapy products available to consumers are Caudalie and Theravine.

There seems to be no doubt that Vinotherapy has become one of the more requested spa treatments in recent years. It allows clients to dabble in the luxuries of fine wine without waking the next morning with an unquenchable thirst and pounding headache. The allure of decent glass of hearty red wine accompanied by a rejuvenating trip to a pampering day spa has perhaps long been in the dreams of those who bask in the finer points of life. Growing spa trends and people’s determination to hold onto their youthful looks has helped propel anti-aging products to the forefront and vinotherapy seems to have found a top spot on every spa-goer’s list.

For those looking to tone up their skin with the benefits of vinotherapy but are also worried about changing their outer hue to a deep lush color of purple, Debra Burquez offers some reassurance. “Your skin will not turn purple after a wine infused treatment. In fact, the bath is not actually purple in color, but rather a brownish-red like a fine aged wine. The result is that you will emerge glowing and radiant.” Now there’s something to toast to.

For more information on the Kenwood Inn and Spa please visit http://www.kenwoodinn.com/

For ordering your Appellation Spa products go to www.appellation.cc.