You are bidding on a wonderful spa treatment at Gallery Salon and Spa.  Suisun Valley Vinotherapy.  A body mud wrap using the lees of wine-making (the pips and pulp) which are dried and ground to a fine powder. They are very high in polyphenols and resveratrol, both of which have high antioxidant qualities. Vinotherapy combines these elements to soothe the skin and slow the aging process.

Body Mud Wrap 90 minutes value $80.00

For thousands of years, grapes and grape wine have been valued for their salubrious qualities. The Roman natural philosopher, Pliny the Elder, wrote in 77 C.E. that by "the use of wine, the human vigor, blood, and complexion are improved." He wasn't just talking about drinking it, either. Several of his remedies included crushing grape skins and mixing them with other ingredients to create topical pastes for curing snake bites or improving circulation.

The topical application of grapes seems to have faded from practice over the years, but people around the world maintained that drinking wine was good for one's health. In some cases, it was used as a safer alternative to water, as its acids and alcohol kill off many disease-causing pathogens found in untreated water. In other cases, it was used as a digestive aid or sedative. In the United States, wine suffered a long setback during and after Prohibition, but is now the most commonly imbibed alcoholic beverage.

Despite what we might like to think, most of the health benefits of wine are actually present in greater quantities in its much healthier ingredient, the grape. A grape consists of four main parts: the pulp (where all the juice is stored), stem, skin, and seed. In wine making, the latter three are all discarded as waste. But those are the very parts that contain the highest concentration of nutrients and are most beneficial in a variety of spa treatments.

Most quality treatments and products contain either grape seed or one of its derivatives. A highly concentrated source of antioxidants, the grape seed contains a polyphenol called resveratrol, which has been shown to inhibit growth of cancer cells, including skin cancer. Some studies have demonstrated that grape seed extract, when applied to broken skin, promotes faster healing while reducing the formation of scar tissue. Grape seed oil maintains the healing properties of the seed, while providing an excellent emollient for a wide variety of spa treatments.

Grape skins are also an excellent source of resveratrol, the healing powers of which are so extraordinary some experts have called it the fountain of youth. In addition, skins contain flavonoids, which protect against free radicals, reduce inflammation, and help prevent skin damage. Grape skins can be crushed and blended with emollients to create wraps or masks, their extract can be infused into soaks or baths.

Vinotherapy products, including grape seed oils and extracts, masks, wraps, and scrubs are available from a number of online wholesalers, but the trend is not yet widespread. Treatments may be more popular in areas where there are many wineries because spa-goers in those areas tend to be in a wine-friendly frame of mind.

Lucky for us Suisun Valley is our very own source.