Yup, you’ve read it correctly – there is such a thing as a snail spa in Thailand. No kidding. The spa offers a 45-minute facial treatment that involves placing a number of snails on the customer’s face. Interested in experiencing this snail massage? Unfortunately, this type of facial treatment is not yet available here in the US. We can tell you more about it though so that you guys can try it out yourself, if given the chance.
How it started
The human use of snail slime is not groundbreaking news anymore. It is actually already used in human cosmetics, manufactured by known companies around the world. The ancient Greeks also used snail slime to treat gastrointestinal ulcers and to soothe a cough too. However, I’m sure you’ve never heard of putting snails on your face before.
Thailand is actually one of the world’s top spa destinations, currently offering a variety of massage treatments here and there. It is no surprise then that they would come up with something like this, right? You can find the snail spa in the largest and most culturally significant city of Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand. The idea came from two Frenchmen who brought a hundred French snails to Thailand. They now have more than 30,000 of these snails raised on chemically free carrots, cabbage, and aloe on a certified organic farm.
How the session goes
The snails are applied to the face and are allowed to move around. In doing so, the snail leaves a trail of slimy mucus known as helix aspera muller glycoconjugates. This slime supposedly softens the skin and stimulates rejuvenation. The snails, when under stress, excrete this fluid which are known to contain beneficial nutrients and antioxidants too. However, Bangkok-based Dr. Dissapong Panithaporn and other dermatologists say that there has been no significant scientific research on how it actually works when applied to the skin.
So for now, the benefits are still questionable. But I’m sure people are willing to try it out for the thrill of it. It may sound odd, but this could be the next big thing in spa treatments, don’t you think? What will they think of next? If any of you guys are traveling to Thailand soon, do try this one out and tell us all about it!
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