Look Better While Nearly Naked: 8 Spa Treatments for Bikini Season

Bikini season is here, and even the most confident of girls (Gisele Bundchen and Sports Illustrated swimsuit models excluded) can get a little leery about venturing out in a barely-there bathing suit. If hitting the gym’s not necessarily your thing, you can still look toned and beach ready with these eight spa treatments.

● Waxing or Laser Hair Removal: Stay smooth during the entire bikini season with waxing services or more permanent laser hair options like the Candela GentleMAX Laser treatment at Chicago’s Tiffani Kim Institute. The Candela GentleMAX is a non-downtime procedure, though may take several sessions for optimum results. Laser hair removal, from $200 per area/per treatment

● Slimming Wraps: Body treatments such as the Shrink Wrap at Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa in Rancho Santa Fe, California, are designed to leave you with a slimmer, firmer, and more toned physique before you step onto the beach; this particular wrap—which uses a proprietary blend of wild-harvested herbal ingredients combined with snug compression wraps that “allow for an up to 10-inch loss throughout the body in just one treatment”—is also said to boost metabolism and improve the appearance of cellulite. 60 mins, $175

● Body Scrub before a Sunless Tan Session: A full exfoliation like New York City’s Soho Sanctuary’s Seasonal Herbal Body Scrub, Ocean—incorporating a Japanese dry brush and combination of organic oil, aloe vera, and sea salt—sloughs off dead cells, stimulates circulation, and leaves skin smooth, meaning it’s the perfect precursor to a sunless tanning session—therefore, allowing you to achieve a bronzed look the healthy way. Scrub, 90 mins, $235

● Other similar services to ready the body for a day outdoors is the Sun Preparation Package at La Samanna Spa in St. Martin, which includes not only a French body polish, but a Swedish massage with avocado oil and purifying facial. 150 mins, US$345

● Cellulite/Non-Invasive Body Contouring Treatments: Lounge by the pool in confidence following a treatment that targets cellulite. (Did you know? Up to 90 percent of women, whether a size 0 or 12, have cellulite.) Learn the pros and cons of non-invasive body contouring therapies, including Endermologie, Triactive, Velashape II, Velasmooth, and Thermage. If these services may be out of your price range, opt for a lymph drainage massage; a common treatment found on most spa menus, it’s intended to increase circulation and drain trapped water and toxins from the body through the lymphatic system. Or, opt for a sunless tan, which does an excellent job of hiding dimpled skin.

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