Overleaf Spa has just what you need to immerse yourself in a truly memorable all-over body treatment, called the Vichy shower. Also known as an affusion shower, this technique was first originated in Vichy, France, the location of healthful mineral springs that inspired the shower technique. You’ll need to book an appointment ahead of time. Let’s dive in and see what you’ll experience during this hour-long hydrotherapy treatment. We call it the Sea Salt Rain Dance!

Getting Started

When you arrive at Overleaf Spa 15 minutes before your scheduled appointment, you’ll check in with the spa hostess, who will direct you to the locker room to change out of your clothing and into your provided spa robe. That’s right, you won’t be needing your bathing suit for this treatment. But rest assured that our esthetician will keep you comfortably covered with a towel at all times. You can stash your clothing in a provided locker to change back into later on. (Please note: If you want to take a dip in the soaking tubs, we recommend you arrive even earlier ahead of your appointment and soak prior to your treatment, before spa products are applied. You will need to wear a bathing suit for the soaking tubs.)

Your esthetician will greet you in the spa waiting area and escort you to the Vichy shower room. You’ll be asked to choose one from among four scented Keyano Aromatics scrubs and butter creams: Mango, Green Tea, Champagne & Rose, or Clarity (which has a subtle key lime scent). There is also a fragrance-free option if you prefer. The scrubs are exfoliating creams that will be applied to your hands, feet and body; the butter creams will be applied to hydrate your hands, feet and body.

Your esthetician will also take you through exactly what’s going to happen. Their job is to reassure you and listen to any of your concerns up front! For example, if you are prone to lower back pain, they can provide a pillow to help relieve any pressure or discomfort.

Getting on the Table

The esthetician will leave the room as you disrobe and settle onto the table face down first. You’ll rest your forehead against a support, much like the ones on a massage table, and your face will sink into a doughnut-shaped opening from where you can breathe safely and easily. You’ll place a towel across your backside for privacy, and when the esthetician returns, they’ll ensure that towels near your neck will prevent water from penetrating the facial support area.

The Dry Brush

Before any hydrotherapy begins, your esthetician will apply a dry brush to your skin, starting at your feet and legs and brushing with upward strokes towards your heart to maximize boosting your blood circulation. Next, they’ll move on to your hands and up your arms, and then finish up with the mid-section, this time brushing down from the chest to the waist. The dry brush instantly gets your skin feeling energized and ready to receive what’s next!

Body Scrub

Remember that body scrub you chose? It’s full of sea salts and sugars, so say good-bye to your dead skin cells! This part of the full-body treatment is when your esthetician will work their magic. Starting at your feet, they’ll work every inch of your exposed body with their hands to exfoliate surface impurities and get your muscles warm and supple, your skin tingling. Even your feet will feel transformed!

The Shower

Get ready for a warm water cascade coming from six high-pressure shower jets all trained on your body. The shower apparatus moves via a long arm, starting at your feet and moving up to your neck, treating the whole length of your body with intensely soothing warmth that penetrates your whole body and triggers a deeply relaxed state. The shower lasts about 10 minutes and your esthetician can increase or decrease the water pressure or patterns for maximum benefit.

Butter Cream Effleurage Massage

Now it’s time to seal in the hydration your skin has just experienced. Your esthetician will apply the butter cream of your choice via an all-over body massage, using the palms of their hands in a circular motion until they’ve touched your legs, your back and neck, your arms, even your fingers!

Now For The Other Side

You’ll flip over onto your back side and cover your middle section with a fresh towel. All you have to do is relax and lavish in luxury as the same order of treatments is applied to the front of your body. When the treatment is fully complete, you’ll wrap up into your robe and emerge fully restored. Feel free to shower in the locker room shower or return to your room to shower.

If you haven’t tried a Vichy shower yet, book your appointment now!