King Tut

Thursday, 23 June 2011

King Tut Unwrapped: King Tut's Paternal Line

 Using DNA, scientists find a mystery mummy as the likely father of Tutankhamun.

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Get High on Vacation

Get High on Vacation: Sirocco, Bangkok

Travel provides perspective on life, and what better way to get that perspective than to physically rise above it all? Sip a cool one at a rooftop bar in Bangkok, Singapore or Switzerland; swing on ziplines in Colorado and Oregon; drive to the top of a volcano in Hawaii or climb peaks in California or Europe. Here are 16 destinations where you’re guaranteed to get high on vacation.
How about a serving of spectacular scenery with your cocktail? Sirocco, an al fresco bar and restaurant, is perched more than 650 feet above Bangkok, Thailand. The entrance is on the 63^rd floor of the luxury, all-suite hotel Lebua. Sirocco offers a Mediterranean menu, libations and nightly jazz. If it looks familiar, perhaps you caught a glimpse of it in the movie “Hangover II.”

Get High on Vacation: Meteora, Greece

Monks have lived atop the 1,800-foot-high rocky outcroppings in Meteora, Greece since the ninth century. More than 20 monasteries were built here, but only six remain. Monks originally ascended to their airy outposts via rope ladders. Visitors are now cordially welcome to climb the steep stairs that were carved into the rock in the 1920s. You won’t need to be athletic, but you will need determination. The Holy Monastery of Great Meteoron is the oldest and largest monastery and provides a dazzling view of the surrounding plain. Women are encouraged to dress modestly at all six monasteries. Ladies: If you didn’t pack a skirt, one will be supplied at the entrance. You can even wrap it around your blue jeans.

Get High on Vacation: Gondola, Telluride, Colo.

The gondola provides a free, 2.5-mile ride between Telluride, Colo. (8,750 feet), the St. Sophia station (10,535 feet) and Mountain Village (9,545 feet). In winter, it’s a lift for skiers and snowboarders; all year, it’s transportation for local and visiting pedestrians. Ride all the way from Telluride to Mountain Village in 15 minutes, or stop off at St. Sophia station for a hike, a meal at Allred's restaurant or simply a chance to breathe rarefied air.

Get High on Vacation: Tree to Tree Aerial Adventure Park, Portland, Ore.

Ever wanted to be a monkey for a day? Tree to Tree Aerial Adventure Park recently opened on Hagg Lake near Portland, Oregon and offers the opportunity to dangle as high as 50 feet off the ground. This playground amid Douglas fir trees features aerial ropes courses, ziplines and treetop obstacles. Put on a helmet and harness and move from treetop platform to treetop platform via wobbly bridges, tightropes and ziplines.

Get High on Vacation: 1-Altitude, Singapore

Care for an aerial view of Singapore with your Singapore Sling? Ascend to the top of 1 Raffles Place to 1-Altitude, an al fresco bar that towers 925 feet above sea level. It occupies 16,000 square feet across three levels and features a sunken bar and two mixologist capsules where guests can try their hand at concocting their own drinks. And yes, you most definitely can imbibe a Singapore Sling.

Get High on Vacation: Spa on the Rocks, Bali

AYANA Resort and Spa Bali boasts “Spa on the Rocks,” two spa villas perched on a cliff overlooking the Indian Ocean in Bali. The spa villas are not accommodations, but they do contain everything you need for a blissful day of spa going: changing room, restroom, bathtub, shower and sofa. Order the “Diamond Miracle” treatment and you’ll get two and a half hours of pampering, including a foot soak, massage, Thermes Marins Crystal Peeling, a bath using petals from 500 red roses, and a facial that uses a formula of sea quartz and diamond dust. When you’re finished, you can crawl off to rest at the 290-room hotel or one of 78 private villas spread out along the coastline.

Get High on Vacation: Hut to Hut Hiking, Via Alpina Trail, Europe

Fasten your boot laces and hike from hut to hut nearly 1,200 miles across Europe. The Via Alpina is a network of five trails that cross the alpine regions of Slovenia, Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Italy, France and Monaco. You’ll see some of the highest peaks of Europe, including Mont Blanc, 15,782 feet, and the Eiger, 13,025 feet. Want to read about it first? Author Brandon Wilson and his wife, Cheryl, trekked for 111 days along the Via Alpina from Trieste, Italy, to Monte Carlo, Monaco. He wrote a book called “Over the Top & Back Again.” The couple climbed and descended nearly 700,000 feet, or the equivalent of 12 Mount Everests. Wilson says the trail “allows you to experience wild nature, cuisine, legends and unique Alpine cultures for a look at Europe off the typical tour-bus circuit.”

Get High on Vacation: Mauna Kea, Hawaii

Leave the climbing gear at home and simply drive to the top of Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano that towers 13,796 feet over the Big Island of Hawaii. Park the car and you’ll see 13 gleaming telescopes of the Mauna Kea Observatories. If you arrive at sunset, you might even catch a glimpse of the mountain casting a massive shadow on the ocean. It’s surreal, to be sure. Just be careful: The air is thin and you will likely feel faint when you step out of the car.

Get High on Vacation: Bungee Jumping, Glenwood Springs, Colo.

Care to hurl yourself 70 feet off a platform? Colorado’s only bungee jump recently opened at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park in Glenwood Springs, Colo. The park, midway between Aspen and Vail, features a gondola ride, tours of Glenwood Caverns and Historic Fairy Caves, an alpine coaster, a four-dimensional theater, laser tag, a giant swing, a climbing wall, a simulated Conestoga wagon experience, bungee trampolines and a zip ride.

Get High on Vacation: Piz Gloria, Switzerland

Piz Gloria, the revolving restaurant at 9,744 feet on Schilthorn Mountain near Mürren, Switzerland, starred in the James Bond movie “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.” In the film, Piz Gloria is an allergy clinic where Bond’s enemy Blofeld is hiding out. When Bond’s cover at the clinic is blown, he escapes by skiing down the mountain. You can ski down the mountain, too, but you had better be quite an accomplished skier. Travelers may wish instead to simply ride the cable car to the top and enjoy a quiet meal.

Get High on Vacation: Climbing at Yosemite National Park

The Yosemite Mountaineering School offers the opportunity to learn climbing skills on the big granite walls of Yosemite National Park. Go Climb a Rock is an introductory course that teaches beginners the basics of climbing and rappelling; other classes include Crack Climbing, Anchoring, Self-Rescue/Aid Climbing and Girls on Granite, a women’s only instructional course for beginner and intermediate climbers.

Get High on Vacation: Lake Titicaca

Lake Titicaca, the highest commercially navigable lake in the world, is on the border of Peru and Bolivia. It’s 12,500 feet above sea level. Leave from Puno, Peru, and take a tour boat to the Uro Islands, floating islands made of reeds. You can even stay overnight with the people of the Uro Islands, who predate the Incas and speak the Aymara language.

Get High on Vacation: Colorado Ziplines

Crested Butte Mountain Resort and Durango Mountain Resort are both opening new ziplines this summer. Jump on the Purgatory Plunge zipline, 80 feet off the ground at Purgatory, Durango Mountain Resort, and soar for more than the length of a football field at speeds of up to 35 mph. Two parallel cables allow thrill seekers to race each other.

Get High on Vacation: Gondola, Whistler, British Columbia

The Peak to Peak Gondola in Whistler, British Columbia breaks three world records. It’s the longest unsupported span (9,921 feet), the highest lift of its kind at 1,430 feet above the valley floor, and the longest continuous lift system in the world. The gondola links Whistler Mountain's Roundhouse Lodge with Blackcomb Mountain's Rendezvous Restaurant. The gondola not only provides access to 19 hiking trails, but you can use it to tour a black bear habitat, have high tea in an alpine hut or enjoy a wine tasting on a mountaintop patio.

Get High on Vacation: Heli-Hiking on a Via Ferrata, British Columbia

Via ferrata is Italian for “iron way.” More specifically, it’s a mountain route that already has fixed equipment such as cables, ladders and bridges and allows ordinary people to channel their inner mountaineer. Originally built in Italy’s Dolomites, via ferratas have spread across Europe, the United States and Canada. Canadian Mountain Holidays offers two via ferrata expeditions in British Columbia. The first includes a stay at the Bobbie Burns Lodge with a trek to the summit of Mount Nimbus in the Purcell Mountains. The second route is new this year and ventures through the Bugaboo Range.

Get High on Vacation: Mountaintop Yoga, Aspen, Colo.

The Aspen/Snowmass area offers mountaintop yoga. Enjoy an hour of open-air Hatha yoga at the top of Aspen Mountain near Aspen, Colo., followed by an intermediate backcountry hike.

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Most Expensive Hotel Rooms in The World

Most Expensive Hotel Rooms

Just how high do hotel rates soar, and exactly what kind of luxuries can be had for four figures, or even quintuple-digit nightly rates? Get ready to find out by perusing this selection of steeply priced hotel rooms and suites, most of them suggested by the experts at Hotels.
In the sections that follow, you’ll gaze upon opulent overnight accommodations fit for a king—in fact, let’s start with accommodations reportedly used for the honeymoon of a future king. Compared with the increasingly higher rates that will follow, it practically goes for practically chump change.

North Island Villas, Villa 11

Location: North Island, the Seychelles, Africa
Price per night: approx. $4,800 per person
Size: 4,890 square feet

Burj Al Arab Hotel, Royal Suite

 Location: Dubai, United Emirates
Price per night: $3500 - $6800
Size: approx. 2,500 square feet

Emirates Palace Abu Dhabi, Palace Suite

 Location: Abu Dhabi, United Emirates
Price per night: approx. $3,500 – $12,000
Size: approx. 2230 square feet

Palmilla Resort, Villa Cortez

 Location: Los Cabos, Mexico
Price per night: $8,000 - $14,000
Size: 10,000+ square feet of living space (8,500 interior).

The Atlantis, Bridge Suite

 Location: Paradise Island, The Bahamas
Price per night: in the $20,000 range
Size: 4,740 square feet.

The Plaza Hotel, Royal Plaza Suite

 Location: New York, New York
Price per night: $30,000
Size: 4,490 square feet

Hotel Martinez, Penthouse Prestige Apartments

 Location: Cannes, France
Price per night: $35,000
Size: approx. 3,390 square feet

Palms Hotel, Hugh Hefner Suite

 Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Price per night: $40,000+
Size: 9,000+ square feet

President Wilson Hotel, Royal Penthouse Suite

 Location: Geneva, Switzerland
Price per night: $65,000 +
Size: 5,511 square feet

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Ranking Pixar Movies From Good to Great

Wednesday, 22 June 2011

Ranking Pixar

Ranking Pixar movies is like deciding which oyster is the tastiest. Or if you're not into shellfish, which tropical vacation spot has the best sand. All 11 of the animation house's feature films the 12th, "Cars 2," arrives in theaters June 24 are very good. Most of them are fantastic. The "Toy Story" trilogy is the "Godfather" of animation -- without any weaknesses. Still, as the Emeryville, Calif.-based creative giant celebrates its 25th anniversary in business in 2011, we decided to attempt a ranking. Would the old adage about getting better with age apply? Was there an adolescent slump? Does "A Bug's Life" have a shot at the gold? Read on, and remember, being at the bottom of this list is not an insult. Just as something has to be seventh on the list of Seven Wonders of the World, something has to be the least wonderful Pixar movie.

"Cars" (2006)

This homage to life on Route 66 is as good as any movie featuring inanimate, man-made objects talking, tipping over tractors and falling in love could possibly be. It's also a movie featuring inanimate, man-made objects talking, tripping over tractors and falling in love, and there we have its limitation. But it works -- it absolutely works -- I can't deny it. The fact that giving voice to gruff vintage racecar Doc Hudson was Paul Newman's last film role gives "Cars" a special je ne sais quoi, but something had to be last on this list. There's an element of crassness about "Cars" that sets it apart from the other Pixar films. It's funny and smart, but it's also cutsie and a wee bit boastful (see the way we make these cars seem like people, raising their "eyebrows") and, dare I say, commercial? Am I biased because I spent most of 2007 searching for lost or misplaced Lightning McQueen die-cast metal cars, which come in dark red, bright red and bright red with -- wait for it -- bugs in teeth? Yes. That's what happens when merchandising takes over.

"The Incredibles" (2004)

 The premise -- superheroes are thwarted by our ultra-litigious society, defrocked and forced into hiding in the suburbs -- is such genius that I kind of lost my taste for all other flicks featuring superheroes with angst. Nothing seemed quite as smart or fresh. Yet I was hard on "The Incredibles" when I first saw it back in the fall of 2004, which is to say, I gave it, you know, a B or something. I thought its explosive beginning (and end) was too violent, too standard-fare action flick, especially in comparison to the fluid beauty of "Nemo" and the cuddle factor of "Monsters, Inc." Figuring that having a 6-month-old baby at home when this came out might have made me hypersensitive. I just rewatched "The Incredibles," thinking my sensitivities might now be dulled by lack of sleep and years of viewing children's entertainment. And it is still too violent, better for grown-up nerds than little kids. But the pleasure of the company of Edna "E" Mode (voiced by director multitasking writer-director Brad Bird) and the whole Parr family is undeniable.

"A Bug's Life" (1998)

Pixar's second feature has a tendency to get forgotten, maybe because it's such an offbeat underdog story. A colony of ants, long held in virtual slavery by a crew of bullying grasshoppers, inadvertently get roped into staging a cautious rebellion. The ants are a little too traditionally cute, but all that preciousness is neatly offset by a troupe of jaded performing circus bugs, hired to help defeat the grasshoppers. There's something very old-fashioned, very Andy Rooney and Judy Garland, about "A Bug's Life"; it's basically a war waged by putting on a show. Brilliantly concise, it is filled with hints of all the greatness to come (keep an eye on that single-minded bug-hungry bird, clearly the forefather to "Nemo"'s seagulls ("mine") and "Up"'s Dug ("squirrel"), but it's a small gem.

"Toy Story 2" (1999)

Woody lands in the clutches of a sweaty, salivating man-boy toy collector who plans to sell him and his matched-set Wild West colleagues to a Japanese museum. After being rescued by Woody in the first movie, Buzz now needs to rescue the sheriff. So maybe it's not wildly original to have them essentially swap roles, but the material still feels fresh. The toy collector is a perfectly rendered obsessive. And then there is Jessie the Cowgirl. Her pain and suffering over being left in a box for donation by the girl who once loved her is so compelling it is no wonder the screenwriters returned to explore toy abandonment issues more thoroughly in "Toy Story 3" a full decade later. So, am I being arbitrary? Why score this sequel lower than the other two in the trilogy? It's almost as awesome as the original "Toy Story." But it came second, and it can't measure up to the emotional depth of the third movie, so here it sits at No. 8. See, this ranking business isn't easy.

"Monsters, Inc." (2004)

The premise validates children while emboldening and liberating them. Scared of the dark? Convinced there are monsters in the closet? There absolutely are: big hairy purple ones, even. But they're not there to cause harm; they're just collecting the shrieking energy of boys and girls in order to supply energy for an alt-universe for Monsters. And the truth is, they are terrified of children, too. The construction is beautiful, the voice work by Billy Crystal and John Goodman is superb, so why not higher on the list? Unlike most Pixar movies, this one seems to have less longevity on the playlist. Maybe because of all those pastels and furry creatures, it skews more to toddlers. In my household it was on nonstop for about a month in the age 4 range, and now it's been years since I've had a request for it. Nor have I felt the urge to watch it: It feels like a wonderful lesson learned and now passed. That said, am I excited for "Monsters University" in two years? Completely.

"Finding Nemo" (2003)

Go to an aquarium, any well-stocked aquarium, in the world. Stand next to the tank with clown fish in it. Wait 30 seconds. A child will crow "Nemo!" or "Marlin" in great delight. Guaranteed. And I bet that will continue happening as long as there are DVD players, children and aquariums. My 7-year-old inexplicably has "Nemo" dead last in his Pixar rankings. Haven't I educated him properly? There are three main reasons why "Nemo" can't be anywhere near the bottom of this list. First, the combination of grumpy Albert Brooks and gently idiotic Ellen DeGeneres is so deliciously "Odd Couple." Then there are those lush underwater sequences, generated by artists who did their ocean research; "Nemo" marks the beginning of Pixar's special brand of visual lyricism. Finally, other than the howling fit I threw at Bambi as a child, "Nemo" was the first animated movie that made me cry, and not in a mommy's-dead-because-of-the-mean-hunter kind of way, but in a happy, isn't-familial-love-and-devotion-great kind of way. A beauty, visually and emotionally.

"Toy Story" (1995)

The first Pixar full-length feature is still in the top five. It's really "The Velveteen Rabbit" of movies. There is a beautiful simplicity in its conception: Children believe that all their toys, whether favored or left at the bottom of the toy chest, have feelings, personalities and real interactions, and Pixar makes it so. The central conflict, between a toy that is tried and true (Woody) and one that is new and glitzy (Buzz Lightyear, who also happens to be plastic) is classic and timeless in nature, but also provocative. It makes kids think, about what they love and how they love it. I didn't see it until I had a kid (with a title like that, childless me assumed I was above it) and it made me think. As Hollywood's first entirely computer-generated animated film, "Toy Story" was a technological marvel, but it was also an emotional marvel, setting the tone for Pixar's special brand: childlike wonder writ large.

"Up" (2009)  

Here's the surprise for me. I thought I'd be rearranging the top three on this list for days, and that "Up," with its fantasy of a flying house with a sad (let's face it, suicidal) old man locked inside it would be one of those top three. It's that "Married Life" infertility sequence that gets me every time -- the most soulful and stirring four minutes in Pixar's history. The fact that there are filmmakers both sensitive enough to come up with this material and daring enough to include it in this "kids" movie still shocks me. (And the Pixarians knew what they had; I've been told that was the only sequence that essentially stayed the same throughout the creative process.) But I took points off for the slightly backward energy of the narrative. The dramatic climax of the conflict between Charles Muntz (Christopher Plummer) and Carl Fredricksen (Edward Asner) never resonated at the same level that the flashback story of Carl and Ellie did.

"Ratatouille" (2007)

This is the movie that convinced me the Pixarians can do anything. They put rats and food together and no one wanted to vomit. Amazing, non? And we're not talking about a cute Mickey Mouse rodent; Remy is a full-on rat who sups, albeit reluctantly, on garbage. But he dreams big -- he wants to be a chef -- and against all odds, it happens. The pointed inspirational message is, don't be held back by where you come from, even if it's a sewer. I like that -- it's very Pixar -- but I love the kitchen slapstick, the sweetness of kindly loser Linguini, the tart edge of his love interest Colette the supercilious food critic and the faith in flavors as having the power to transport even the biggest curmudgeon back to a time when his mother was there to care for him.

"Toy Story 3" (2010)  

I felt I knew Buzz and Woody plenty well enough already. I step on one of them at least once a week. Whatever they got up to in the third installment of the franchise would be fun, I assumed. Good clean fun. But there I was, tears pouring down my face as the toys headed for that incinerator. Going, going -- are they really going to do it? Is Pixar going to throw this wildly popular posse of toys into the flames? They're bold, after all. And I was ready to trust them, to believe that Woody burned to a crisp would somehow serve the franchise right. But the plan was to take us to the brink and then back to a kinder place, wrapping this whole saga in bittersweet truths about moving forward while passing the good things on to others. Does that sound saccharine? If it does, just take a look at scary, funny amazing Big Baby, the creepiest character of the year.

"WALL-E" (2008)

No, that honor has to go to Pixar's masterpiece. The Pixar filmmakers often seem to be on a mission to remind us that life is beautiful. But in this futuristic depiction of a trash-littered, storm-scorched toxic earth, life is all but gone, except for a cockroach and a sapling. Life has been unsustainable on earth for 700 years; we're centuries past the misery of Cormac McCarthy's "The Road." The only beauty lies in the eye of the mechanical beholder, the charming robot WALL-E. The universe does contain some humans, hideously bloated and floating around in the Love Boat of the sky. Talk about a clear message: We humans, with our whole Buy and Large culture, are destroying the earth. Now, you want some corn syrup-laden Froot Loops while you watch that DVD, honey? A love story involving inanimate objects and an ode to the environment that's too funny and sweet to be sanctimonious, this radical movie is Pixar's best. But you know, the filmmakers there always have something new in the pipeline.  

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Whats Next For Harry Potter Cast

Whats Next For Harry Potter Cast
“Harry Potter” fans are excited about the release of the final film in the mega-popular series, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2″. With this culmination of nearly 10 years of work on making the “Harry Potter” film series, we take a look at what’s next for the all-star cast.
Daniel Radcliffe
Character: Harry Potter
Next up for Radcliffe: He plays a German soldier in “All Quiet on the Western Front,” based on the well-known book (and 1979 movie), and a young lawyer tracking down a mystery in the remake of the supernatural film “The Woman in Black.” Both are due to be released in 2012.
Emma Watson
Character: Hermione Granger
Next up for Watson: She is filming “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” based on the coming-of-age book of the same name by Stephen Chbosky. She’ll play Sam, one of two friends of the main character, played by Logan Lerman. She began photo shoots for her new gig as the face of Lancome International in March.

Rupert Grint
Character: Ron Weasley
Next up for Grint: The redheaded British star has finished filming a World War II movie, “Comrade,” in which he plays a British pilot forced to collaborate with his enemies to survive in the wilderness.

Helena Bonham Carter
Character: Bellatrix Lestrange
Next up for Bonham Carter: The gothic “Death Eater” in the last Potter film is set to star in designer Marc Jacobs’ fall ad campaign. In 2012 she’ll play Miss Havisham in “Great Expectations” and star with Michelle Pfeiffer in husband Tim Burton’s remake of the ’60s TV show “Dark Shadows”.

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Extreme Spa Treatments

Tuesday, 21 June 2011

Extreme Spa Treatments: Snake Massage

It seems people will go to great lengths to relax and feel younger. Here are some of the most bizarre spa treatments you can sign up for around the world.
Guests at Ada Barak's Carnivorous Plant Farm and Spa in Talmei Elazar, Israel are paying money to have snakes — all nonvenomous, thankfully — crawl on their backs for a special reptilian massage. Slitherers big and small can tackle muscles in need of deep kneading, and people report it’s actually relaxing. People who aren’t terrified of snakes, that is.

Extreme Spa Treatments: Arctic Spa

Kelowna, British Columbia, is famous for its cold winters and award-winning ice wine made from frozen grapes. It seems appropriate that this is also where you can try out a cold sauna, which is exactly as it sounds. At the Sparkling Hill Resort in Vernon, guests can sign up for "cryotherapy," which involves spending up to three minutes in a room cooled to -110 degrees Celsius. The experience is said to reduce inflammation and improve joint and muscle function, among other things.

Extreme Spa Treatments: Bizarre Baths

The Hakone Hot Springs Spa Resort & Amusement Park in Hakone, Japan, is like the Disneyland of spas. Not only are there water slides and rides for kids, there are different themed pools — Turkish, Roman and Aegean — designed for adults. For a more unique form of therapy, hop in one of the “beverage” pools filled with either coffee, green tea, wine or Japanese sake. Sadly, the ramen noodle bath no longer is on the menu.

Extreme Spa Treatments: Salt Caves, Chicago

Bath salts have long been tossed into tubs to soothe aching muscles. In Chicago, you can take this concept to the extreme and hang out in the only salt-iodine caves in the United States. Galos Caves uses crystallized Black Sea salt to create rooms covered floor to ceiling in salt: Guests pay $15 for 45 minutes relaxing in a reclining chair and soaking up the benefits — which, if you believe the claims, can help with everything from neuroses and exhaustion to skin and sinus issues. 

Extreme Spa Treatments: Gold Facial

If it’s good enough for Cleopatra, it’s good enough for us, right? Legend says that the Egyptian queen slept with a gold mask on her face every night. Spas are starting to use gold in facial treatments as a way to slow down the breakdown of collagen, reduce age spots, wrinkles and well, you get the idea. Japan-based Umo Universe originated the concept of a 24-karat gold facial, but you can try a similar one a bit closer to home, in New Mexico: The Nidah Spa at the Eldorado Hotel in Santa Fe uses a gold-infused oil during a cleansing facial.

Extreme Spa Treatments: Fishy Pedicures

It seems some people will go to great lengths for smooth heels. This bizarre pedicure involves sticking your feet into a tub of water filled with toothless fish that then nibble away at the dead skin. Fishy pedicures originated in Turkey and a handful of locations in the country offer the service, including Yvonne’s Day Spa in Alexandria, Va. If you live in Washington state, however, you are out of luck: The state outlawed the treatment, saying it is unsanitary. 

Extreme Spa Treatments: Caviar Facial

If you’re tired of eating caviar, try slathering it on your face for what’s billed as the ultimate anti-aging treatment. Offered at the Lodge at Woodloch in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania, among other locations, this special treatment exposes your skin to protein-rich and moisturizing fish eggs. At $250 it’s not cheap — and no, you can’t eat the leftovers, so don’t look for blinis on the spa menu. 

Extreme Spa Treatments: Geisha Facial

Geisha facial is just a nice way of saying "bird-poo facial." The magic ingredient in this Japanese-inspired treatment is the powdered droppings of nightingales, sanitized by ultraviolet treatment and odor-neutralized. Known as uguisu no fun by the geishas and kabuki actors who needed to maintain a porcelain-perfect skin, the treatment is now offered at spas such as the Shizuka New York Day Spa in Manhattan, where the facial runs $180. 

Extreme Spa Treatments: Virtual Dolphin Therapy

The sound of waves is often considered relaxing, so how about the sound of dolphins in the waves? La Quinta Healing Arts in the Southern California town of La Quinta offers this meditation-style therapy. In the special "dolphin room," guests lie down on a liquid crystal sound-wave table that vibrates with music and sound. Listen to ocean waves and dolphin vocalizations and watch dolphins swimming for an all-around sensory experience. 

Extreme Spa Treatments: Russian Platza

Forget salt scrubs. You haven’t been truly exfoliated until you undergo a traditional Russian platza treatment. At the Body by Brooklyn spa in New York, a broom made of oak leaves, reportedly a natural astringent that can remove toxins and open pores, is soaked in fragrant water — then used to scrub and tap your back to remove dead skin. Don’t feel like being whacked with a broom? At Body by Brooklyn, you can opt for a tamer chocolate massage instead.

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Steampunk animals

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