Cruise Ship Spas And Pampering

The history of the spa on a cruise ship began way back in the 1950s when the Queen Mary boasted the luxury of three steam baths and a caldarium, but even on this great ship spa treatments that you would expect to be availabletodaywere unheard of.If you wanted a massage for your aching limbs it would probably be a brisk brush down with liniment from the ships doctor.Now cruise lines are keenly competive keeping up to date with all the latest spa treatments, and offer some of the best facilities in the world

Celebrity Solstice AquaSpa spans two stories with panoramic sea views, boasting the most popular spa amenities and a state of the art fitness centre.The magnificent waterfalls and fountains that surround the Solarium pool make the AquaSpa one of the most beautiful at sea. Costa Cruises Pompeii Spa has roman steam baths, Jacuzzis and pools offering everything passengers could ever need to feel and look their very best.Costa Cruises Samsara Spa has a Thalassotherapy pool and a thermal mud room to nourish the skin using steam and three different types of clay.Holland Americas Greenhouse Spa has a heated glass-enclosed seawater hydrotherapy pool a marvellous and relaxing way to relieve tired and aching muscles.Their thermal suite is modelled on the Roman baths, providing different heated rooms for the ultimate in relaxation and pampering.P&O Arcadia also offers the facilities of a Thermal suite with aromatic steam lounges, and a dry floatation room and hydro pool.

Pampering has become an essential part of a cruise holiday and there can be no better way to start your vacation than at the NCL Mandara Spa, one of their popular spa treatments is the indulgent Sun Ritual.First the body is exfoliated with a lime and ginger body scrub, then massaged with oil and finally a self tanning cream is added to give you that healthy sun tanned glow.

The decor and ambience of cruise line spas has also undergone a total transformation, now strong Asian, Ayurvedic Indian, Balinese and Thai influence not just the surroundings but also the treatments you can expect.Crystal Cruises have used the principles of Feng-shui to design their spas with sunken footbaths and weightlessness beds.

Spa treatments are not only for the ladies, now cruise line spas include an array of treatments for men as well.Carnival has responded to the need to incorporate men into their spa treatments and now offer a full-service barber shop with a Deep Cleanse Mens grooming session.Also honeymooners and couples can book spa treatments together.P&O Cruises have a private spa room for couples and Costa Concordia Oriental Villa suite offers packaged treatments just for couples.

Staying slim whilst on a cruise is now a lot easier with the introduction of slimming spa treatments and on-board healthy eating options.Carnivals Spa fare has menu symbols showing calories, sodium content, and low fat options, whilst the majority of the cruise lines also offer healthy eating options as part of your dining experience.

Cruise Spas are also now offering more medical and advanced rejuvenation treatments.Acupuncture for example is now available on several ships, notably Holland America who first introduced acupuncture to its fleet back in 2006.NCL offer the very popular slimming treatment Ionithermie Cellulite Reduction which helps fluid drain from trapped fat cells and smoothes out the skin.Another popular treatment offered by NCL Spas is Micro-Dermabrasion which helps with dull and discoloured/ sun damaged skin.
Costa Concordia has 55 Samsara Spa cabins and 12 suites which have direct access to their spa facilities.

Some of the best spas are now floating at sea, from personal one to one consultations, up to date facials and therapeutic treatments, body toning and fitness centres, or just for sheer indulgent pampering.Now not only can you bring back some great memories of the wonderful places you have visited on your cruise holiday, combining your time away with a spa package and you could also bring home a new you.

About the Author of this post – Amanda Barnes is a regular guest author for Ideal Cruising, the UKs premier independent cruise specialist.

The Metaphysical Qualities Of Tigers Eye Crystal

For those who believe there are healing powers, and a source of energy that lie in quartz and other stones the Tiger Eye stone is a must have. You can purchase the Tigers Eye stone in many different forms of jewelry including bracelets, pendants, and necklaces. Whether you choose to purchase them for yourself or to give as a gift its money well spent.

By wearing the Tigers Eye stone helps clear your mind of any annoying thoughts or stress. Its recommended that you carry it with you everywhere including when you drive to help keep yourself safe from any harm that may come your way. Also its power has the ability to attract wealth, good luck, keep away evil, and protect ones family and friends.

The benefits and healing power that the Tigers Eye stone offers is appreciated and respected by all those who wear it. The Tigers Eye stone encourages a passion for life and enhances your willpower and drives your will for success. It promotes not only clarity of intention, boosts self esteem, and gives courage, determination, and strength. These are all qualities that are needed in life to give individuals the happy, healthy life.

Places such as Africa use the Tigers Eye stone to ward off whats known as black magic. This is the mixture of evil spirits, evil doing, negative influences, and bad travel vibes. Those who believe that curses exist often keep the Tigers Eye stone close by.

The Tiger Eye stone can be cleansed before ever sending it to someone as a gift or shipping it to a new location. This will help to prevent it from carrying negative energies along with it. To cleanse it, the Tiger Eye stone should be kept in salt water overnight as a way to recharge its energy. Once it has been taken out of the salt water it should then be washed in fresh water and placed in the sun for 2-3 hours. This process should be done every 3 months at least. This allows the user to find their inner strength and light. The Tigers Eye stone should be protected from sharp blows or scratches so make sure to keep it in a safe place when its not being worn or used.

The Tiger Eyes stone often comes in a variety of shapes and is worn more often in beads or pendants than other pieces of jewelry. The Tigers Eye stone often consists of golden brown and yellow stripes which gives it its unique appeal. Its also referred to as the African cats eye or crocidolite cats-eye. It resembles that of a real tigers eye and received its name due to this.

Many individuals of the Zodiac sign regardless of age or sex benefit from the Tiger Eye stone. It often helps to lessen or use in the healing process of several diseases including rheumatic, heart disease, psoriasis, and asthma.

For those looking for the perfect gift this is one that can be given out of love, and devotion to another. For those who understand the meaning behind the Tigers Eye stone, the present will be received with dignity and respect.

Get Your Nightly Rest With Feng Shui Insomnia Remedies

Sleep is essential for our body and mind to rejuvenate, recharge and refresh itself in order to be able to function normally everyday. A nightly eight hours sleep is recommended but some people make do with six and others may need a couple more in order to feel fully recharged. When you have trouble sleeping for more then a week, you may be experiencing a disorder known as insomnia, which can occur due to a variety of reasons.

Recognizing insomnia in its early stages and treating it as soon as possible is crucial in order for you to get back to you normal life and/or not develop other disorders from lack of sleep.

The Causes Of Insomnia

Stress is by far the number one reason of insomnia but definitely not the only one. You can experience stress from work, relationship problems, financial difficulties or an existing medical condition. You can experience insomnia as a side effect from administering different types of drugs for an existing medical condition as well.

Whatever the reason of your insomnia, if not treated it can further develop other disorders such as, anxiety and depression along with change in appetite, mood swings and fatigue. Lack of quality sleep can leave you feeling drowsy the whole day and unable to focus on any activity, which can lead to accidents if you are handling hazardous materials at work, driving and/or cooking.

Treating Insomnia With Feng Shui

Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese practice that concentrates on combining lifestyles with the placement of items and/or furniture in the house in order to induce harmony of the body and mind. Some easy to follow feng shui insomnia remedies are to change your house and especially bedroom ambiance in order to relax your mind through the power of sight.

It is a well known fact is that visual effects impacts our mind faster and feng shui insomnia remedies helps create those effect to relax your mind into a blissful nights sleep. Some of the changes required in the feng shui insomnia remedies are changing the wall colors or your bedroom to pastel, soothing types, using comfortable bed sheets, pillows and mattresses as well as ensuring that you dont have any other disturbances in the bedroom like television or music of any kind.

Other feng shui insomnia remedies may include adequate lighting in the bedroom and/or playing soothing sounds that will help induce sleep. The best part about feng shui insomnia remedies is that it works with your mind and body to gradually retrain it to relax, relieve stress and get back the natural sleeping time you need. Feng shui insomnia remedies do not have any side effects unlike the existing sleeping drugs that are habit forming and often leave you drowsy the next day.

Comforted Sounds Of Music Wind Chimes

Modern wind chimes have their origins. By the second century, these wind chimes were being hung on the corners of large pagodas with the purpose of scaring away birds and evil spirits. Later, wind chimes were introduced to China and were also hung in temples, palaces and homes. Japanese glass wind chimes known as Frin have been produced since the Edo period. Wind chimes are thought to be good luck in parts of Asia and are used in Feng Shui.

Wind chimes are made from hanging tubes, rods or other objects. These are usually made of metal or wood. Wind chimes are often hung outside a building, on the window or door to be played by the wind. These wind chimes give visual and aural effects.

Wind chimes can be compared to garden ornaments as well as concrete garden ornaments. The garden ornaments and accessories set the looks of the garden. For a country garden, simple statues, garden ornaments and accessories can be used. Some gardeners prefer their concrete garden ornaments to have an aged look, even from new. Garden gifts are best suited for friends when the occasion comes around. Garden gifts can be easily purchased on websites. Garden gifts can be found either online or at nurseries.

Wind chimes can be made of materials other than metal or wood and in shapes other than tubes or rods. Other wind chimes materials include glass, bamboo, shell, stone and porcelain. More exotic items, such as silverware or cookie cutters, can also be recycled to create wind chimes. The selected material can have a large impact on the sound a wind chime produces. The sounds produced are not tunable to specific notes and range from pleasant tinkling to dull thuds.

Wind chimes produce inharmonic spectra, although if they are hung at about 1/5th of their length (22.4%), the higher partials are dampened and the fundamental is brought out. This is common practice in high-quality wind chimes, which are also usually hung so the center ball strikes the center of the wind chimes length. Frequency is determined by the length, width, thickness, and material. There are formulas that help predict the proper length to achieve a particular note, though a bit of fine tuning is often needed.
For more info: http://www.home2garden.co.uk

Wind Chime Understanding Its Relationship With Feng Shui

A lot of people these days buy wind chimes as decors. However, there are also a number who do in order to comply with the rules of feng shui. In fact, the interesting and mutual relationship between wind chimes and feng shui has been around for several years.

The Power of Wind Chimes in Relation to Feng Shui
For you to understand the role of wind chimes in feng shui, you need to know what the latter is. Feng shui is the Chinese tradition that focuses on proper placement of objects.

According to feng shui, energy is everywhere, and it can be either good or bad. Depending on where you place the objects, they have the ability to control the flow of energy or chi. It can make a supposed-to-be dark energy into something light, or vice versa.

Sound also has something to do with attracting good luck or getting rid of the bad one. You can liken it to fireworks. Many do light their fireworks, hoping the thunderous sound would remove the bad energy or spirit from entering into the house. Sound is regarded as one of the most effective cures in feng shui.

Where to Place the Wind Chimes
Since we are talking about feng shui, it is very important you know where to place your wind chimes. Usually, wind chimes are found in entrances, perhaps as a way of preventing bad chi from getting into the home (a very good example is it alerts you if there are people who are trying to break in to your house). But this is broad.

When you want to be specific, you have to take note of several directions. For example, if your entry is at the north, you can hang a metal wind chime to bring vitality into the entrance. North-facing entrances are often regarded as desolate or unattractive.

If you want to have a lot of kids or establish a harmonious relationship in the family, locate the western part of your house and attach a hollow metal wind chime. The purpose of this is to increase the flow of good vibes.

If another building or house is directly in front of your property, this may prevent good fortune from going straight into your house. Thus, you may feel certain aspects of your life stagnating. To counter that, you can add a wind chime to bring in better vibes into your house.

Nevertheless, never forget to use your common sense. Hanging wind chimes right inside an office may be considered bad luck. After all, it will distract not only you but also your co-workers and worst, your possible clients.

Why Use Metal Wind Chimes?
Most wind chimes today are made from a variety of materials. You have ceramics, wood, bamboo, and metal, to name a few. However, if you want to practice or apply feng shui, then you will most likely use the metal wind chime. Metals on earth are getting depleted. The act of depletion creates negative energy. Adding a metal wind chime at your house, garden, and / or office will counter this and bring positive chi at your place.

Some people dont really believe in feng shui. Regardless, theres no harm in trying it, right?