Sweets for the feet
Spas offer messy and unusual ways to indulge in chocolate for the "scent-imental."
By ADRIENNE P. SAMUELS
Published February 14, 2005
If it looks like chocolate, smells like chocolate and melts like chocolate, it must be chocolate, right?
Well, kind of.
Chocolate pedicures, massages and sugar scrubs are the rage around the country, and a handful of North Pinellas spas are offering the services in honor of Valentine's Day.
But that doesn't mean the vats of gooey stuff aren't edible.
This could be a good thing for those seeking a fat-free chocolate experience of the sort that Sharmaine Giorgio dishes out at her Clearwater Beach spa as a seasonal treat.
Giorgio will massage, press, lotion, oil and slather the paste on the legs and feet of anyone in need of an hour of brownie-flavored relaxation. Chocolate-covered strawberries and a glass of wine are extra side items.
"This might do magic for me," said Pat Wooten, 51, a self-proclaimed "domestic engineer" and mother of three.Wooten gets pedicures every two weeks, but decided on the chocolate version for an extra pick-me-up before Valentine's Day.
Regular pedicures make her feel good, Wooten said. Chocolate pedicures make her feel better.
Here's how it works: The feet are soaked and rubbed with a scrub that is clear in color but smells like a freshly baked chocolate cake. After that's scrubbed off, a mixture that looks and smells of Hershey's finest is painted on the feet and legs. Hot towels are wrapped around the legs and feet and the chocolate is wiped away after 10 minutes. The feet are covered with an oil that smells of chocolate-covered raspberries.
It's an expensive treat that starts at $51 - far above the average strip mall pedicure, which begins at $25.
The Eclips Day Spa and Salon at the Belleview Biltmore Resort & Spa also offers a chocolate salt scrub.
"We started last Valentine's Day and kept it on for the year," said assistant manager Cassie Ford.
The service, which simply adds a nice scent, is popular around Valentine's Day, Ford said.
Most of these chocolate spa items are actual chocolate mixed with essential oils, moisturizers and preservatives, rendering them unedible but nose-friendly.
Still, it might be better to eat your chocolate than have it scrubbed on the body.
Some studies show that dark chocolate contains flavenoids that could protect against heart disease. Morton Plant Hospital dermatologist Sam Stieglitz said some types of dark chocolate might be antioxidants. Of course, none of that matters if you don't eat it.
Chocolate can't compete with regular lotions when it comes to moisturizing, Stieglitz said, but it won't hurt the skin and there's something to be said for the simple pleasure of it all.
"If you want to go around smelling like chocolate on your feet, go ahead," Stieglitz said. "It'll probably smell better than some of the feet we have in here."At the Infinity Day Spa in Palm Harbor, owner Alicia Gutierrez opts to give the stuff away with services rather than melt it for tootsies.
"We thought about it, but no," said Gutierrez. "We ran it by the employees and some customers, and nobody was really that thrilled about it. It's really messy."
--Adrienne Samuels can be reached at 445-4157 or samuels@sptimes.com