Grape Expectations Vinotherapy Hits The Spas

Grape Expectations

By Amy Reiley

No longer the spa world’s ‘new kid on the block’ Vinotherapy ‘the use of wine industry by-products in spa treatments and products’ is quickly becoming one of the most popular therapeutic applications in the United States. While wine was once considered a vice, today soaking in a barrel-shaped Jacuzzi laced with red wine is an exercise in both decadence and regeneration.

The concept of vinotherapy was developed in France at Caudalie, a small spa at the famed Bordeaux winery Chateau Smith Haute Lafite. In 1993, long before the antioxidant-rich polyphenols in grape juice and wine were embraced for their abilities to fight free radicals, Caudalie joined with the Faculty of Pharmaceuticals of Bordeaux University to experiment with applying the wine grape’s antioxidant-rich properties to spa treatments. The results revealed that grape polyphenols have similar benefits when applied topically as they do when they are consumed. Dr. Fredric Brandt, dermatologist and anti-aging specialist (also known as ‘Dr. Botox’), later substantiated the claim with his own trials, determining that the polyphenols in grape seeds not only effectively heal damaged skin when they are topically applied but also aid in balancing moisture and improving circulation, (i.e. reducing lines and wrinkles).

Today Caudalie distributes its extensive line of beauty products and nutritional supplements, made with antioxidant extractions from grape seeds and stems, through Sephora, Fredrikk Fekkai, and Barneys New York. Caudalie can also be experienced at the Kenwood Inn and Spa in Kenwood, California, one of three Caudalie spas in the world.

Auberge du Soleil, a luxurious hideaway in the Napa Valley adopted vinotherapy as its spa philosophy in 2001. Auberge wanted a holistic theme that reflected its setting. Their spa menu, however, was inspired by a local skincare line, Napa Valley Spa Products. Jeanette O’Gallagher’s line of grape seed-based oils, lotions, teas, and scrubs are made from the seeds of forty-two premium Napa Valley wineries. O’Gallagher’s products are also endorsed by Dr. Steven C. Herber of the St. Helena Institute for Plastic Surgery. Herber’s clinical trials have demonstrated that finely milled grape seeds, the beauty line’s main ingredient, are beneficial to all skin types.

Tracy Herk, Director of Spa Development for Auberge Resorts, suspects that we’ve only just begun to tap the grape’s power as a beauty aid, and Dr. Fredric Brandt believes that grape seeds contain the most powerful natural antioxidants available to fight visible signs of aging.

The creators of lines like Napa Valley Spa Products and Caudalie, however, believe that a vinotherapy beauty regime is most successful when used internally as well as topically, so enjoy an occasional glass of wine.

Vinotherapy

Defy Age: Caudalie Eye Lifting Serum and Anti-aging Nutritional Supplements, www.caudalie.com

Repair: Dr. Brandt’s Lineless Cream, www.drbrandtskincare.com

Scrub and Wash: Aqua Dessa Spa Therapy Wine Scrub, www.aquadessa.com

Lydia Mondavi Grape Seed Anti-Oxidant Scrub Bars, www.lydiamondavi.com

Moisturize: Le Vin Wine Therapy by Olavie Chardonnay Antioxidant Body Butter, www.olavie.com

Wine Therapy at a Spa Near You: Auberge du Soleil, www.aubergedusoleil.com

The Carneros Inn, www.thecarnerosinn.com

Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa, www.fairmont.com

Kenwood Inn & Spa, www.kenwoodinn.com

The Lodge at Sonoma, www.thelodgeatsonoma.com

MacArthur Place, www.macarthurplace.com

Meadowood, www.meadowood.com

Milliken Creek Inn, www.millikencreekinn.com

Villagio Inn & Spa, www.villagio.com

The Sip and Soak

By Jeanette O’Gallagher of Napa Valley Spa Products

1 bath tea sachet

1 cup steeped grape seed chamomile rose tea

1 tbs. grape seed oil

Sip NVSP’s powerful antioxidant tea while soaking in a warm tub with a tea sachet. (O’Galligher recommends her White Wine Grape Seed Tub Tea because the grape seed oil released from the sachet moisturizes the skin while the tea’s herbal blend relaxes the body).

For added benefit, break open the sachet and gently exfoliate skin with the soaked granules inside the tub tea sachet. After the bath, massage tired feet with warm grape seed oil and slip on a soft pair of cotton or cashmere socks.