ISRAEL: Snake massage on menu at a spa in Israel
- 00:00:52
- ITN Source
ISRAEL: Snake massage on menu at a spa in Israel
Clients at a beauty spa in Israel enjoy a body massage by snakes who slither across their bodies. An Israeli health and beauty spa has introduced a new treatment to its menu - snake massage. During the wild treatment at Ada Barak's Spa in northern Israel, clients lie down on a massage table while six non-venomous but very lively snakes take the role as masseuses. The snakes slither and hiss a path across the client's aching muscles and stiff joints, while a human masseur applies more traditional massage therapy. "I feel relaxation, softness and fun," said 28-year-old Liz Cohen, a customer at Ada Barak's Spa moments after she had her first physical encounter with the smooth reptiles. The touch of snakes crawling over a human body helps soothe the joints and can have therapeutic effects, Barak says. "Their skin is very smooth and pleasant and chilly and they simply adapt to the body. They are very soft, they crawl all over, they are dynamic. They go everywhere they want," Barak said as she let the snakes loose on Cohen's body. Barak uses California and Florida King Snakes, Corn snakes and Milk snakes in her treatment. She believes that physical contact with the reptiles can be a soothing experience once people get over any initial misgivings. "Many people come here and enjoy the touch of the snakes, that crawl under their shirt and pleas them, and I saw that it is very appealing to them and they even rather feel the touch of animals than of humans. So then I decided to open a spa in the jungle," Barak said at her spa in the community of Talmey El'azar. The bible describes Eve being tempted by a serpent to eat an apple form the Tree of Knowledge. The mystical connection between the woman and the snake naturally exists, Barak says, but the encounter on the massage table is missing only one component that could turn the interaction into a real Garden of Eden. "What is actually missing is the apple in this scenario, and we are already in heaven on earth, don't you think?" Barak said with a smile. For those who dare or those who wish to get a taste of heaven - 300 Shekels (about 70 dollars, 35 pounds) is the cost for this wild twist to a regular massage.
ITN Source | February 17, 2007
