Living

There’s Beauty in the Wine

Experts tell us that sipping a few glasses of wine per day can be healthful. Wines (especially red wines) contain anti-oxidants and anti-ageing properties that not only give us that warm and fuzzy feeling, but now, when applied externally, seem to firm up and actually rejuvenate the skin.

According to Mathilde Cathiard-Thomas and her husband, Bertrand Thomas, Ponce de Leon may have sailed a little too far West in search of the elusive fountain of youth. The Thomas’ believe that the secrets to looking youthful were always in Europe’s back yard.

The Thomas’s are credited with creating both the World’s first “wine spa” -Les Sources de Caudalie, which opened in 1999 in southern France, as well as the official term Vinotherapie®.

VINOTherapy

The history of this scientific discovery is rooted in a centuries-old tradition: young girls once used the sap from freshly cut grapevine stalks to lighten dark spots and improve their complexions. No mystery there, people everywhere have always found natural remedies for a multitude of symptoms and troubles in unexpected places. Our planet’s inhabitants (both humans and animals) always have, and continue to search for potential cures, in jungles, oceans, and within the earth’s crust.

In 1993, the Thomas’s met with a professor at the Faculty of Pharmaceutics at Bordeaux University. They discussed the properties of the grape seeds that were discarded at the end of the grape harvest. They found that the used seeds and skins contained polyphenols which, once stabilized, contained anti-oxidants that had the capacity to neutralize free radicals, and help fight skin aging. They called their molecule from the vine stalks…Viniferine.

Viniferine has proven to work wonders on a multitude of skin problems.

1. Viniferine regulates existing darks spots and prevents the appearance of new dark spots. It also offers exceptional anti-oxidants.
2. Viniferine also boosts microcirculation and improves melanin distribution.

The Thomas’s found that most free radicals are generated by light, pollution, and smoke. All of these factors (plus many more) destroy cells and thus lead to premature ageing. They are the culprits that cause our cars to rust, paint to fade and skin to age.

In addition to their exceptional anti-oxidant power, polyphenols reinforce microcirculation, protect elastin and collagen fibers and prevent the destruction of the fundamental elements of the skin’s support tissues. Resveratrol, one of the molecules found in the grapevine, is a true natural defense system of the plant, which has allowed it to regenerate itself for over 10,000 years. The plant’s extract was selected because it offers a super-firming and powerful anti-oxidant while improving the skin’s elasticity, radiance and tone without the adverse side effects of retinol or fruit acids.

The Pampering Rituals

After 10 years of research with Dr. Vercauteren, the Thomas’s have patented the ‘molecules of the vine’ and shared their discoveries with the world.

The Biltmore Hotel Spa in Coral Gables provides treatments that include the use of rich formulation anti-oxidant body butter, containing Chardonnay grape seed extract which helps revitalize the driest of skins. Chardonnay wine therapy products claim to be seven times more powerful than Vitamin E, increase circulation and lymphatic flow.

The Polo Club in Boca Raton treats clients to a number of grape-based therapies. On the massage menu, count on relaxing the body and mind with essential oil-grape polyphenols that are mixed into Merlot wraps. Red Wine treatments include one-on-one analysis and there are follow up sessions in the fitness centers that cleanse both the skin and the soul.

The Kenwood Inn and Spa is centrally located in Sonoma Wine Country. They offer a selection of treatments incorporating vinotherapy. During The Kenwood Vineyard Soak you overlook the vineyards while relaxing in a private oversized bath treatment. This aromatic infusion of grape seeds, stalks and stems is the ideal way to relax and prepare the body for The Therapeutic Grape Seed Oil Massage.

Escape to the Bordeaux Region of France and you will be able to escape to the Vinotherapie® Spa at “Les Sources de Caudalie.” Erected in 1999, the first Vinotherapie® Spa offers guests a combination of naturally hot spring water rich in minerals with the powerful scientific discoveries of the vine. Treatments include the Slimming Crushed Cabernet Scrub, the Firming Merlot Friction Scrub and the Honey and Wine Wrap.

Whether you decide to enjoy an excellent bottle of wine along with a succulent meal or drench yourself in the “fountain of youth” wine juices, you’ll find that soaking up the grapes is a sensual experience and a gratifying gift from Bacchus himself. Cheers.

Tagged with: spas, vinotherapy