At the AbanoRitz we are getting ready for the scariest night of the year: Halloween. But the 31st of October has not always been about “trick-or-treating” and dressing up.
Halloween originated as a Celtic festival at the end of summer to celebrate the coming back of the dead souls to Earth. To accompany the spirits of the deaths, there were supernatural beings such as ghosts, witches and demons. The tradition was brought to the United States by Irish emigrants and then it conquered other countries, including our-one.
Not only the meaning, but also the monsters are not the same as they used to be and they vary from horrific to funny, from “real” to sci-fi masks, increasingly inspired by films, TV series and cartoons. At the AbanoRitz we have therefore thought about the possibility of hosting some “monsters”, recommending the most suitable treatment at the AbanoRitz SPAce. What kind of monster would you like to be?
- VAMPIRE – Red coral
Vampire originates from the idea that the soul wanders for 40 years after physical death. Sometimes, however, the spirit may return to the body: this is the vampire. From the “Draculian” image that we had, nowadays, between Twilight and similar ones, the idea of this figure is much more human, even if a bit … pale (and terribly old given the age). Vampires need blood to “live” and for this reason at the AbanoRitz SPAce, staying with the idea of the red color, we would recommend RED CORAL, a face treatment for mature skins with red coral spheres.
- WITCH – Thermal colours
Also known as a sorceress, she is portrayed in the popular imagination as an ugly, neglected woman riding her broomstick and often accompanied by black cats or ravens. Witches have been initially sought, then hunted and finally burnt at the stake since the dawn of time. They were feared for their special knowledge and skills, the origin of which was not understood, such as the medicinal use of herbs. This is why at the AbanoRitz SPAce we have come up with the THERMAL COLOURS treatment, a sensorial thermal ritual using 5 colored clays from our Euganean Hills.
- GHOST – Floating room
Between the world of the living and the world of the dead there is a kind of limbo in which we find ghosts, the visible form of the soul. In horror stories they have always haunted old buildings, but even here the cinema has helped to soften their image, giving them great success. Actually, in the past, the appearance of a ghost, and therefore of a soul, was not associated with fear. In its floating, at the AbanoRitz SPAce we recommend the FLOATING ROOM, a sensory deprivation pool that allows you to achieve deep relaxation through floating, obtained by a particular concentration of salts in the water.
- WOLF MAN – Massaggio Thai
Also known as the werewolf, it is a creature that originated from popular beliefs about men who, as a result of a curse, turn into huge and ferocious wolves on full moon nights. Over time, details about werewolves have become richer: it seems they can be transmitted by biting other humans and can only be killed by a silver weapon. In their running and darting through the woods at night, there is certainly no shortage of contractures, so the AbanoRitz SPAce recommends to these lupines a nice original THAI MASSAGE. This Thai technique combines acupressure points with assisted stretching.
- ZOMBIE – Beauty 4 you
The undead, more or less decomposing corpses that come back to life and try to kill other humans who, once bitten, turn into zombies. Their favorite dish is fresh brains, but not necessarily human ones. The origin is in the Caribbean Voodoo religion, specifically on the island of Haiti, where people did not fear these creatures, but rather aspired to become like them. Through literature and film, they went from being walking corpses to “people” able of retaining their freshness. If your facial features are a bit… neglected, the ideal treatment at the AbanoRitz SPAce is the BEAUTY 4 YOU, a skin analysis with cleansing and moisturizing treatment tailored to the needs.
- MUMMIES – Bendaggio drenante
We thank the Egyptians for their mummification techniques: in Pharaonic times, they kept bodies intact even after death, allowing the journey to the afterlife. Over time, mummies have been surrounded by an aura of magic and curses, not least because of many films that have portrayed them as beings capable of coming back to life to hunt humans. Cartoons and children’s stories have later given a sympathetic touch to this character. Staying on the subject of bandages, at the AbanoRitz SPAce we have a nice DRAINING BANDAGE for them: cold bandages to reduce swelling and heaviness in the legs. Among other things, they improve the circulatory and lymphatic systems and the metabolism of fat cells… heaven forbid it could bring mummies back to life.
- JACK-O’-LANTERN – Candle massage
This cute pumpkin is in the Anglo-Saxon tradition of Halloween as well as being the symbol of the day. The pumpkin is emptied of its inner flesh and carved into the shape of a face. The Irish legend from which this figure originates is that of Jack, a cunning and drunken blacksmith, who twice managed to trick the devil until obtaining the promise to spare him from eternal damnation. When he died, after many sins, he clearly presented himself in hell, but the devil reminded him of their pact by leaving him to wander like a tormented soul and, to fight the cold and the darkness, the devil gave him an ember inside a turnip, to illuminate his long search for peace. The AbanoRitz SPAce, to give him some peace and relaxation, remaining in the sweetness and warmth of candles, has thought of a CANDLE MASSAGE to relax and moisturize with butter candles melted on the body.
- PERSONIFIED DEATH – Cranio-sacral massage
Between mythology and popular culture, death is represented in the guise of a scythe-wielding skeleton woman, often dressed in a black hooded habit. No one would like to meet her, the scythe-wielder, but at the AbanoRitz SPAce we would take care of her with a nice CRANIO-SACRAL MASSAGE, for the rebalancing of the spinal fluid. The movement involving the skull and spine is often altered by physical or emotional trauma causing postural disorders, but also anxiety, insomnia or depression, so our practitioners can perceive and correct the problems that have arisen.
