The Inside Story from Italian Wine Merchants

Getting the Skinny on Skin and Grape Skins

The Surface Appeal of Vinotherapy

My roommates and I all work in the hospitality industry, and it’s not unusual for us to talk shop. I’m eager to hear what is new and exciting in the spa world, just as my roommate is thrilled to hear from me all about wine. Even more exciting to both of us is when our worlds collide, as I learned they have in the current trend of vinotherapy that’s emerging in spas around the world.

When I say vinotherapy, I’m not referring to the medicinal glass of wine so many of us look forward to after a stressful day at the office. Rather, I’m talking about a genre of spa treatments and products that range from massages with grape marc (the seeds and skins of grapes), to hot tubs constructed out of oak barrels, to manicures employing grapes as nail buffers. Vinotherapy began in 1993 in France, where a young couple (one of whom is the daughter of owners of Chateau Smith Haute Lafitte) decided to explore the possibilities of the grape parts usually disposed of early in the winemaking stages. Caudalie, this couple’s brand, now has spas in or near three major winemaking regions: Bordeaux, Piedmont, and Rioja, as well as one in New York City. A major piece of their business is in the product line, many targeted at firming, anti-ageing and toning. These products flaunt the power of resveratrol and polyphenols, grape skin components thought to make wine not only good, but also good for you.

When I first started hearing about vinotherapy, I had my doubts. I can imagine it feels nice to have a bunch of grapes run along your back, but why would I opt for that over a normal massage? Do the grapes break and leave you with drips of sticky juice all over? Is forty minutes really long enough to even retain any of the benefits of the grape components? I am a proud skeptic—I like to think of myself as a realist—but I certainly needed more evidence to justify my dismissal of the trend.

Last weekend my roommate attended a spa conference in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York at a spa that has its own vinotherapy treatments featuring grape seed oil in massages and facials. She said the massage was relaxing, though she isn’t yet ready to make any conclusion about the effects of the grape seed oil on the tone of her skin. But the most notable judgment she made about the experience is that vinotherapy worked at the August Moon Spa because it sits in an actual winemaking region. I have to say I agree—soaking in wine barrels in the middle of Manhattan cannot possibly feel as invigorating as soaking in wine barrels in Piemonte overlooking vineyards. And what would make that experience even more therapeutic would be sipping a glass of Barolo at the same time.

But then, as we can all agree, a glass of Barolo makes everything better. Or maybe I just like my wine better in me than on me.