Here’s a little food for thought: food for your skin. Those daring enough to luxuriate in a cabernet/merlot rub-down have made nourishing from the outside-in an increasingly popular way to look younger through second-hand boozing. But vinotherapy’s no fly-by-night craze. Polyphenols and reservatol are just a couple of the grape’s tongue-twisting, youth-infusing properties. In layman’s terms, the wine-massage combo’s going to make you look and feel pretty as ever.
how it works
A little red wine at dinnertime is a (feel) good way to land those much-coveted antioxidants. And it’s that kind of thinking that turned renowned skin-care specialists into innovative vinotherapists. While being baptized in wine-shower sounds like heaven, vinotherapy’s got a rougher edge: it’s all about the exfoliation (so you’ll go home feeling so soft.) Dehydrated grape residue (seeds, skin, stems) is ground into a powerful pulp and tamed with skin-protecting products. Once the stuff’s ready to snuff dead skin cells, you get to enjoy a quick stop-off in paradise - a light basting in grape seed-oil - before the full-body scrub begins.
breaking it down
Polyphenols, if you’re curious, are plant-derived chemicals capable of reducing the risk of cancer, and fighting the free radicals in your bod. Reservatol does the same sort of thing, plus it tackles inflammation. Basically, if you’re suffering from inflamed, damaged, or dry skin, vinotherapy’s got your back. And even if you’re not so concerned with the long-term health benefits, so what? You’re being massaged with wine. ‘Nuff said.
how it can work for you
Going for an unconventional spa treatment with your girlfriends is a classic bachelorette-party move. But for something a little different, take mom. Grape antioxidants are known to relieve menopausal women of physical discomfort, (cooling down hot flashes, inflammation and so on) plus it’s a good opportunity to get some one-on-one time where you can ask questions about dad’s proposal, her wedding, her cold feet: all the juicy stuff.
Then again, it’s hard to pass up a nice alcoholic scrub with the hubs. Going to a posh French or Spanish spa on your honeymoon is the epitome of romance, but for those on a budget, purchasing some vinotherapy in a bottle (contains the same wine/grape extract used in spas) is as good an option as any. Have a sultry evening-in: drink some wine, take turns giving each other vino-massages, get clean in the shower (or don’t) and, well, you can take it from there.
