Course Introduction

Credit is given to the ancient Egyptians for the practice of exfoliation. In the Middle Ages, wine was used as a chemical exfoliant, with tartaric acid as the active agent, and in Asia, the practice of exfoliation was started hundreds of years ago.

The skin is constantly generating new skin cells at the lower layer (the dermis) and sending them to the surface (the epidermis). As the cells rise to the surface they gradually die and become filled with keratin. These keratinized skin cells are essential because they give our skin its protective quality. But they are constantly sloughing off to make way for younger cells.

As we age the process of cell turnover slows down. Cells start to pile up unevenly on the skin’s surface, giving it a dry, rough, dull appearance. Exfoliation is enormously beneficial because it removes those cells that are clinging on, revealing the fresher, younger skin cells below.

Once the skin has been rejuvenated with the exfoliation, it is the perfect time to conduct a Mud Wrap, where the client is slathered with a body mask made of algae, seaweed, mud, clay, lotion or cream, left for 20 minutes and then the product is rinsed or hot-towelled off. The body wrap usually ends with an application of lotion or can be combined with a relaxing massage treatment.

The mud infuses heat into the body causing an increase in temperature, which will relax and soothe the muscles, relieving tired and aching joints, easing inflammation, and assisting in “flushing out toxins” through sweating.

These two modalities are always best combined with a Swedish Massage or Reflexology, to create a Spa treatment.