Animals—they’re not just for petting. They can help you relax and make you pretty, too!
SNAKES. For about $80, a California king snake will massage your shoulders at Ada Barak’s health spa in Talmey El’ Azar, Israel. At the same time, a corn snake will crawl all over your lower back, providing a deep-tissue massage. Then turn over, and small garter snakes will massage your face muscles. According to Madame Barak, “People either like having snakes slither around all over them, or they hate it.”
CARP. $45 will buy you 15 minutes of “doctor-fish therapy” in a Tokyo spa. Here’s how it works: You dangle your feet in a tank full of tiny carp called chinchin yu, or “doctor fish.” They eat the dead skin flakes and calluses, leaving your feet soft and beautiful. But don’t worry; these fish have no teeth and only dine on dead cells. The most common complaint about the therapy is that it tickles.
“VENOM.” The poison of the Malaysian temple viper paralyzes its victims by blocking the nerve signals that cause muscles to contract. A new anti-wrinkle cream called BioVen is a “gently synthesized” version of the venom. Marketed as an alternative to Botox injections, BioVen does basically the same thing: It prevents your face muscles from contracting when you laugh, smile, or frown. “No wonder Hollywood celebrities are waiting in line for it!” says the commercial.
LEECHES. Hirudo medicinalis, the “medicinal leech,” is black and slimy, measures four inches long, and has three jaws, each of them containing more than 100 tiny teeth. When attached to your skin, the leeches are said to suck out toxins, leaving you feeling fresh and revitalized. Leech therapy, which costs up to $600 and dates back to Ancient Egypt, was given a big boost in the U.S. after actress Demi Moore appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman in 2008 and bragged about having leech treatment in Austria. “It really detoxifies your blood,” said Moore. “I’m feeling very detoxified right now.”
In competitive eating contests, anyone who vomits on the plate or table is disqualified.