Skin care

No Animals Harmed: 7 Most Bizarre Beauty Treatments

Spa treatments featuring live animals may be all-natural, but they're also squirm-inducing

by Erica Smith | COMMENT

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Scaly snake massage, $43 If the thought of having a stranger's hands all over your bare back make you squeamish, perhaps you'd prefer the more impersonal option of snakes. According to Ada Barak, who runs a spa out of her carnivorous plant farm in northern Israel (nothing odd about that), their cold, scaly skin replicates the soothing sensation of a cold compress. If you say so. Also, the slithering movements coupled with hissing sounds relay a soothing, relaxing experience without an artificial noise machine, making this option energy-efficient as well.

Not sure whether you want a deep tissue or Swedish massage? No problem. Barak simply customizes your massage by snake size -- she uses bigger snakes for a deeper, kneading rubdown on the back, and lighter, small snakes for a more delicate massage on the face. Lucky recipients of this treatment can be covered in up to six snakes at a time, ranging from Florida king snakes, California king snakes, corn snakes and milk snakes -- which are all non-venomous, don't worry. If pythons tickle your fancy, there are willing masseuses at the Bali Heritage Reflexology and Spa in Jakarta, Indonesia.

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