4 Popular Day Spa Treatments and Their Benefits to Your Health

Finding a day spa is easier than ever. They exist in big cities and small towns and across a wide variety of price points, making it easy to work in a little healthy me-time, even during your lunch hour.

Ready for a mini-retreat? Here are four of the top spa treatments you’ll find at a typical day spa and their potential health benefits.

1. Massages

One of the more popular treatments to get at a day spa is a massage, which is linked to the therapeutic and healing effects on basic aches and pains, as well as chronic and acute pains.¹ It has the added benefit of helping people feel better mentally as well.²

According to one study, 11.1% of U.S. adults saw a massage therapist in 2022, with 8.5% of those going for overall health and 6% for help with pain.¹

Types

Massages come in a wide range of styles, but the most common found at spas are:

• Swedish massage. This form of massage is a combination of light and firm pressure with passive and active joint movements. The goal is to increase blood flow, reduce muscle tension and improve muscle and joint flexibility. This can be a good massage type for anyone who just wants to relax and feel better.³

• Deep tissue massage. Deep tissue massage utilizes firmer pressure to reach and even realign deeper muscles and connective tissue layers. It may be better for chronic pain or stiff areas and tightness. It works by breaking down adhesions — tight bands of tissue that prevent freedom of muscle movement.⁴

• Hot stone massage. Hot stone massage utilizes heated stones in addition to practitioner pressure to stimulate muscles and ligaments. Studies have shown it is not only helpful for the relief of chronic aches and pains, but it outperformed at least one other intervention in terms of pain relief.⁵

• Shiatsu. Shiatsu is a form of bodywork originating from Japan and focuses more on pressure points rather than traditional massage techniques. The recipient also remains fully clothed and no oils or lotions are used. It is helpful for both temporary aches and pains as well as chronic pain and preventative care, and has even been shown to improve sleep quality.⁶

2. Facials

Facials are treatments that focus on the face, offering techniques that include cleansing, exfoliating, extractions and a wide variety of treatments — from serums to enzymes to masks. They may also include a facial massage.⁷

In addition to cleansing and improving the overall appearance of your skin, the benefits of facials include:⁷

• Promoting renewal of skin cells
• Reducing puffiness
• Reducing the effects of sun damage and aging
• Relaxing facial muscles

Types

There are many different types of facials. The ones you’re most likely to find in a day spa are probably going to focus on pampering and radiance, such as:

• European facial. A European facial aims at improving the overall look and appearance of the skin. It offers a thorough cleansing of the face and neck, followed by exfoliating away dead skin cells and extractions to remove impurities. Some finish with a mask, a conditioner and a moisturizer. Sometimes it includes facial massage.⁸

• Hydrafacial®. A Hydrafacial is a type of treatment that uses a patented device to deliver the traditional steps of a facial: exfoliation, cleansing, extraction and hydration. The Hydrafacial device swirls and sucks the skin to remove surface debris. This is often followed by a chemical peel, extractions and a hydrating serum. It is a good facial for any skin type and will leave your skin noticeably more radiant in one treatment.⁹

• Microdermabrasion facial. This type of facial is less about pampering and more about resurfacing the epidermal layer of your skin to treat anything from uneven skin tone to sun damage and minor scars. Though it is minimally invasive, it can leave your skin feeling a little raw and irritated, so it’s unlikely you’ll have further facial treatments on the same day.¹⁰

• Oxygen facial. This type of facial uses therapeutic-grade oxygen and hyperbaric pressure to infuse serums into the skin that hydrate it and stimulate collagen and elastin. It may also reduce the appearance of fine lines. The serum may contain a mix of ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, vitamins, antioxidants and amino peptides. It’s gentle enough that it can be done in combination with a more aggressive treatment, such as a laser treatment or a chemical peel.¹¹

There are more facial types, but some of these — such as microneedling facials or laser treatments — must be obtained through a dermatologist or other medical professional and won’t typically be available at a day spa.¹²

3. Body Treatments

In addition to massaging your body, many day spas offer treatments designed to soothe, exfoliate and pamper the skin beyond your face.

Types

Here are some common body treatments you may get at a day spa and their benefits:¹³

• Body scrubs. Body scrubs use different natural ingredients that exfoliate your skin through gentle physical abrasion. In a day spa, a practitioner may apply a scrub to your body and gently rub it all over the areas you seek to have exfoliated to remove dead skin cells and add hydration. Different types of scrubs may include salt, sugar and jojoba oil beads, as well as an additional oil for moisturizing and essential oils for scent.¹⁴
• Clay or mud. Clay (which may look and feel like mud going on) is often touted as having benefits such as reducing water retention, relaxing muscles and drawing out impurities in the skin. Some kinds of clay also contain minerals that may help reduce inflammation.
• Hydrotherapy. Hydrotherapy is a term that primarily refers to the use of water as a healing modality. This can take the form of sitting in a hot tub or pool with jets or engaging in gentle movements and stretches in water. Hydrotherapy has been shown to relieve muscle and joint pain.¹⁵ It’s even been shown to improve mental health.¹⁶
• Seaweed. Seaweed wraps contain natural ingredients found in seaweed that benefit the skin, such as vitamins, minerals and amino acids. These may help skin appear more supple, as well as reduce water retention. Some spas claim these wraps can eliminate toxins in the skin and boost metabolism, though these claims have not been studied.
• Wraps. Body wraps are spa treatments designed to enhance your skin’s health and appearance. They come in a wide variety of types and purposes.

4. Cosmetic Treatments

In addition to offering treatments that allow you to pamper your body into relaxation, many spas also offer beauty or cosmetic treatments that allow you to feel great about your appearance, too.

Types

• Eyelash extensions. If your natural eyelashes are not as long as you’d like, you may want to look into getting eyelash extensions, available at some spas. Typically, these extensions are made from synthetic, silk or mink materials and applied using semipermanent glue. The result should look like longer, thicker eyelashes. These may need to be touched up every three to four weeks. While there are no studied health benefits, feeling good about your appearance can support a positive outlook.¹⁷
• Permanent makeup. Another cosmetic treatment you might find in a spa is permanent makeup. This involves a kind of tattooing that adds color or depth, or sharpens the shapes or outlines of parts of the face like brows, eyeline and lips. Permanent makeup can take some of the time and hassle out of makeup application, as well as save money on purchasing products and boost your confidence in your appearance. Most of these procedures will need some touch-ups at some point.¹⁸
• Waxing. Waxing is a form of hair removal, typically done by a licensed esthetician, in which warm or hot wax is applied to the unwanted hair and removed through either a muslin strip or by hardening wax that removes hair as it is pulled away. Hard waxes don’t require a strip to remove hair, while soft waxes do. It’s a simple procedure that is typically done on parts of the face, legs, arms and underarms, back and bikini line.¹⁹

Financing Spa Treatments With the CareCredit Credit Card

When getting spa treatments or another cosmetic procedure, the CareCredit credit card can help you pay for costs not covered by insurance.* Use our Acceptance Locator to find a doctor or cosmetic specialist near you that accepts CareCredit. Continue your wellness journey by downloading the CareCredit Mobile App to manage your CareCredit account, find a provider on the go and easily access the Well U blog for more great articles, podcasts and videos.

In addition to cosmetic procedures, you can also use your CareCredit credit card for dentistry, pet care, vision, hearing, health systems, dermatology, pharmacy purchases, spa treatments and so much more within the CareCredit network. How will you invest in your health and wellness next?

Author Bio

Jordan Rosenfeld has been freelance writing for 21 years about finances, health, education and more. Her work has appeared in The Atlantic, The Billfold, Good Magazine, GOBankingRates, Daily Worth, Quartz, Medical Economics, The New York Times, PayPal, The Washington Post and more.