Israeli spa offers snake massages. Update: slug facials!


Creepiest spa therapy ever. There's a spa in Israel where people pay to receive therapeutic massage from a bunch of live, nonvenomous snakes. What's next, slug facials? Link, and another.

Reader comments: James Richards says,

I was in Amsterdam recently and snapped these TV commercials for a snail slime facial cream! Very strange indeed, and the commentary suggested that the restorative powers of snail slime were discovered by workers at a snail farm. The ad went on and on, I did wonder if it was a hoax, but tentative googling indicates that it is horribly real.

Links to my camera phone pictures: 1, 2

Geary says,

Back in season one of Penn and Teller's Bull Shit the duo set up a booth in a mall giving "Mucus Masks" (snail facial). The snail handler told his customers that the snail mucus had healing affects and would reduce wrinkles. A number of seemingly sentient people let the snails crawl all over their faces and then oo'ed and ah'ed about how much better they looked. Link.

Amy says,

The snake massage reminds me of an odd spa (onsen) treatment available at Ooedo Onsen Monogatari in the Odaiba section of Tokyo that I read about back in November. It involves little "doctor" fish that survive in very hot water eating dead skin off your body. I don't know if this link will work directly because you need to log in to read the site..although membership is free. http://www.japantimes.co.jp/ If you search their archives for 'onsen' and 'fish', it's the first article.

Patrick says,

Just read your article about the snake massage and the line about the snail facials struck me- in Holland we've been having these commercials on TellSell about celltone: "The Celltone- Cream contains natural extracts of the Chilean snail sectretions. These secretions are used by the snail to regenerate the Shell and Skin." And then you see people in their yard, rubbing huge snails on their hands. Link.

Jeroen, also in the Netherlands, says:

About the idea of slug facials: while shopping at a biological store in my street I noticed jars of 'snail slime' on the counter. Apparently it's the new deal in cosmetics. The goo is called Celltone and widely available from your favorite mail order companies.

Here's one: Link

rob @ podcast411 says,

Here is a facial slug to go along with your snake message.