Marine cure therapy is one of Ireland’s most famous indigenous therapies, one cultivated in this country for over a century, and restored to prominence by one internationally successful Irish company.
Voya is a family-run spa and cosmetics line based in Strandhill, Co Sligo, where their spa attracts 40,000 visitors every year. Built by the Walton family in place of the original Strandhill bath houses (the last of which were destroyed by Hurricane Debbie in 1961), the day spa offers options ranging from elaborate detoxifying massage, facials and seaweed body-wraps, to a simple 50-minute steep in a tub full of seaweed in one of their private or shared rooms.
From the calming tea served at reception to the muslin cloth used to wrap skin in seaweed-based treatments, everything is organic, and Voya is dedicated to carbon-neutral and environmentally sound production. Their products and treatments are based around their famed organic seaweed oil, expertly harvested by hand along the unpolluted Atlantic coast and cold-pressed within hours of collection. The mineral, vitamin and protein-rich seaweed absorbs up to 35% of its own mass in nutrients, which remain living in the plant even after it has been gathered.
Voya’s line has been a resounding success, a high-end cosmetic range created in the belief that products should be chemical- and preservative-free. The award-winning result is available at many spas and shops in Ireland and around the world. But nothing compares to a visit to the Voya spa itself in lovely Strandhill where visitors can choose between a simple soak, or the more opulent pleasures of a body wrap or massage with the world’s only certified organic seaweed oil.
The Voya Full Body Massage and Facial Experience are among the most popular options; seaweed’s antioxidant and anti-ageing qualities come into their own when applied directly to skin, feeding it with a boost of raw nutrition for a visible result.
Simply bathing in mineral-rich seaweed can have near-miraculous benefits, helping sufferers of rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and eczema, joint pain and post-traumatic stress injuries. As an anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial substance, it can also be used to ease swollen joints and fungal infections, while the high dose of iodine in seaweed is traditionally used to treat an underactive thyroid.
Steeped in steaming hot sea water, the plant releases a nutrient-rich gel which is absorbed into open pores, smoothing and detoxifying skin for a bathing experience like no other. A cooling shower afterwards seals the benefits into skin. Seaweed is an all-round healer and beautifier, working to fight cellulite and restore skin elasticity, and easing away the everyday stresses of a busy lifestyle.
The Voya spa is also the ideal pit-stop after a weekend of surfing on Strandhill’s famous waves or a round of golf at the scenic local links golf club. In fact, the spa even offers a unique “Green Golfer’s Cure”, targeting achy legs, backs and shoulders. The Voya Spa offers a simple and uniquely Irish fix for anyone seeking a calming, simple and yet powerfully restorative experience.
Life, it is often said, began in the sea, so it makes perfect sense for us to turn back to it when we need the odd regenerative boost.
Visit Voya Seaweed Bath for more information