Who doesn’t love a good massage or spa after having a hectic day at work? We all surely do love massages and pampering ourselves and just relaxing for a little while. And there are so many ways of getting a spa but none matches the eccentricity of this Egyptian spa that uses snakes to relax its customers.
The spa in Egypt’s capital Cairo is unlike any other spa you have ever heard of or experienced. There is a wide variety of massages on offer, one of them which includes non-venomous snakes that really make heads turn. The owner of the spa salon claims that these non-venomous snake massages are proven to reduce joint and muscle pain while also releasing endorphins and improving blood circulation.
In the massage, live non-venomous snakes slither on the customer’s body to give them relief from muscle pain. The spa is hoping to change the perception of snakes by introducing this spa, according to the video posted by Reuters, the news agency.
In the video, we can see that the masseur first rubs oil on the customer, before letting loose a combination of pythons and 28 different types of snakes on their body.
This massage at a Cairo spa is not for the faint-hearted pic.twitter.com/YWAsHrHn1e
— Reuters (@Reuters) December 29, 2020
Spa salon owner, Safwat Sedki, says the massage is meant to help people relax in two ways. “The physical aim is to improve blood circulation and mental stimulation, and the emotional aim is that it releases endorphins that help with the ‘happy hormone’ that helps people regain confidence and strengthen the immune system,” he says.
Sedki further added “When we first introduced the sessions, a lot of people were afraid. But they’ve come around.”
Larger snakes like pythons are used for more of a deep muscle tension massage while they tape the snake’s mouth. Whereas the smaller snakes are going to be used on lighter massages because they tend to create a ‘fluttering’ effect. To get started, the spa therapist will wash the snakes first, then dry them off. Once the snakes have been dried off, the therapist will place the snakes on the client’s back, then the slithering begins.
The snakes don’t mind being handled gently. The species of snakes they tend to use include the California and Florida king snake, milk snakes and corn snakes.
In the video, a client also gave his review for the spa. He said, “After the snakes were placed on my back, I felt a sense of relief and rejuvenation. I was nervous at first. Scared of snakes being on my body. But the fear, anxiety and tension were reduced, and the session gave a sense of relaxation when the snakes went over my back and having them there boosted my self-confidence (sic).”
