5 Amazing Destinations With Natural Healing Benefits
You might travel for a variety of reasons, like to celebrate a major milestone, visit a secret island with your favorite travel buddy, or simply to cross a colorful place off your bucket list. In any case, there’s always a new destination to visit — and while just thinking about travel has proven to make people happier, some special vacay spots can actually leave you in a healthier state than when you first left home. A perfect example? Naturally healing hot spots that can help clear your mind *and* your complexion. Read on for five destinations that make cleansing feel fun. Relaxation and wellness await!
1. Hell’s Gate, New Zealand: New Zealand is a picturesque country that outdoor enthusiasts adore, and its North Island is known for geothermal Rotorua mud, which boasts rich minerals such as sulfur, calcium, sodium, and silicon. The magic mixture is said to help the body by producing connective tissues, and Hell’s Gate offers mud spa therapies specifically designed to help skin release antioxidants that prevent aging. How heavenly. (Photo via Getty)
2. Marienbad, Czech Republic: Wellness lovers make the most of this mountain town’s spring water by dipping into pools and drinking from them. Marienbad’s healing waters are thought to help improve conditions such as heart disease, arthritis, and diabetes. The cure comes from eight individual pools, each with a different mineral composition. This is an ideal trip if you’re looking to jumpstart a detox, and as an added bonus, Marienbad is only a few hours’ drive away from Prague, and just a half-day train ride to Vienna, Austria. (Photo via The Official Tourist Website for Marianske Lazne)
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3. The Blue Lagoon, Iceland: Iceland’s tourism industry has blown up over the last few years, with folks flocking to its famous Blue Lagoon for epic photo ops and a warm soak near the country’s colorful capital, Reykjavik. We can understand why: The beautiful hot springs maintain a perfect temperature year round (between 100 and 106 degrees) and have healing properties that many credit for helping them heal skin scales and signs of aging. Though the official treatment center welcomes guests by a dermatologist referral only (they treat people with chronic conditions like psoriasis), a trip to one of the popular public springs should help you reap the benefits of the geothermal seawater. You can expect to see firmer-looking skin after your dip, which comes from an increase in collagen production.
4. La Roche-Posay, France: Many who suffer from skin ailments have one major thing in common: a selenium deficiency. This small French town is home to natural “velvet” water that’s super rich in selenium. The rare water has put La Roche-Posay on the map with L’Oreal (some of their products contain water from the locale) while helping establish it as a wellness hub with the world-renowned La-Roche-Posay Thermal Center. While you can take a trip to the treatment center where dermatologists treat patients with programs that include bathing and drinking local water, you can also get a fix from a thermal spa treatment.
5. Budapest, Hungary: Tons of trips offer the opportunity to enjoy a spa day, but no major metro does it like Budapest — it’s been known as the “City of the Spas” for more than 80 years! As part of the city’s rich culture and history, some of the thermal baths have been around since the reign of the Ottoman Empire. While eating rose-shaped ice cream cones and exploring the banks of the Danube in Buda and Pest, refresh your skin with a trip to the Széchenyi Thermal Bath or Gellert Spa; the two centers rank at the top of the list, offering a wide range of thermal baths, pools, and saunas. If you’re game to try a treatment, an aromatherapy massage is always a solid pick, while a lengthy foot rub might be just the ticket after trekking around during your stay. (Photo via Getty)
Would you take a trip to help heal your skin? Tell us where you’d love to go on Twitter @BritandCo!