From lowering cholesterol to preventing heart disease and even possibly Alzheimer’s, there’s no shortage of studies touting the benefits of wine. But now even teetotalers can capitalize on the perceived relationship between wine and good health, thanks to an emerging trend in spa treatments. It’s called “vinotherapy,” and while the name might evoke the idea of drowning your sorrows away in a carafe of shiraz, the treatments allow spa-goers to reap some of the benefits of wine without so much as a sip of anything alcoholic.
“Vinotherapy has become the rage in the spa industry over the last couple of years,” said Daphne Swenerton, the director of spa services at Niagara-on-the-Lake’s Vintage Hotels. The chain’s 100 Fountain Spa, located at the Pillar and Post Inn, is the only centre in Canada that specializes in the unique treatments. “There are certainly lots in California in the Sonoma Valley and Napa Valley regions,” said Swenerton, “but I don’t know of any in the Okanagan and I’m not familiar with anything else like it here in Ontario.
” Swenerton’s spa collects grape skins from local wineries, pulverizes them into a powder and ships them off to a lab in Vancouver, where they are made into products. Treatments take the form of facials, body wraps, even a so-called “purple feet” pedicure, where grape skins are blended with bamboo and essential oils to create a thick exfoliating scrub. And no, you won’t look like you soaked your feet in a barrel of merlot after you’re done – the scrub doesn’t leave a trace of colour on the skin.
The benefits of these treatments come from the same compounds that have made wine a headline-maker – namely, wine’s polyphenols and resveratrol. While polyphenols are also found in other plant-based products, they are naturally more concentrated in wine grapes, Pinot Noir in particular. At 100 Fountain Spa, the products come from all sorts of different types of wine grapes, from ice wine to merlot.
“When we do these treatments externally, the benefits go internally,” said Swenerton. “They are soaking into the layers of the skin and so the anti-aging benefits, the antioxidants, are going from the outside in.” According to Swenerton, the antioxidant properties of grapeseed extract are up to 20 times more powerful than those of vitamin C.
And then there’s the fact that the compounds in wine have been shown to improve circulation and reduce the signs of aging. “All these studies add up,” she said. While the research on wine – whether used internally or externally – continues to grow, Swenerton hopes enjoyment is still the first thing people think of.
“I’d say (health) is still the second thought people have about wine. And let’s be honest – it might be a justification, but the benefits are certainly there.” Ads by Google Telus drops out of BCE race Telus announced Tuesday morning that it has elected not to submit an offer to acquire.
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.. From lowering cholesterol to preventing heart disease and even possibly Alzheimer’s, there’s no shortage of studies touting the benefits of wine.
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