Nostalgia Sunday – Personal care

March 23, 2009 - 5:45 PM by · 1 Comment
Filed under: General, History and Culture, Israeliness, Life, Nostalgia Sunday, Pop Culture 

The exciting news of the day is that Khloe Kardashian, small screen reality TV star and major B-list demi-celeb, has received the VelaShape treatment for cellulite reduction and body contouring through circumferential reduction. In the latest episode of the E! show Keeping up with the Kardashians, which aired yesterday in the US, Khloe prepares her body for an upcoming photo shoot for a charity ad campaign with a visit to Dr. Shalini Kapoor-Grover of REVIVE: Beverly Hills Medical Institute to receive VelaShape treatments on her stomach.

As VelaShape was developed by Israel’s Syneron Medical, this exposure should be a major point of national pride. It’s also a milestone — for better or worse — for the industrial achievements of a country that 60 years ago was famous for having eschewed female frippery in favor of equality of the sexes and the Socialist ideal. War and restrictions on imports also played a part in limiting the quantity and quality of products a woman could lavish on herself.

Imagine if instead of body sculpting and skin rejuvenation devices, all Khloe had to work with was a set of locally made pantyhose and a tube of Yad Chen cream (still found today in the same attractive packaging).

pantyhose_yadchen

Or, instead of one of Lumenis‘ or Syneron‘s dental lasers to whiten her teeth, a dab of Tayadent – dentifrice available in its traditional angular plastic bottle – only now 20% bigger!

taya_toothpaste

VelaShape, the company states, “is clinically proven to take inches off the thighs, a celebrity beauty secret that has been embraced by not only Khloe but also her sister, Kim Kardashian”. How well would they have done with a simple bar of Neca 7 or bottle of Dermapon “soapless” soap?, (yes, still available today at your local SuperPharm or NeoPharm).

dermapons

If things are to be judged by these ads (and please, check out the crazy handclaps in this Neca Sheva jingle) — probably just great!

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Anyone for a snake massage?

October 23, 2008 - 10:54 AM by · 1 Comment
Filed under: General, Israeliness, Life 

Got an ache that just won’t go away? Well try a snake massage.

Yes, for the brave amongst us, a spa in northern Israel is now using snakes to give clients a massage they are no doubt unlikely to forget.

Ada Barak who owns the snake spa in Talmei Elazar uses a variety of California and Florida king snakes, corn snakes and milk snakes to help soothe her clients’ aches and pains, and let their troubles literally slide away.

snake mid-size.jpg

While many – myself included – might balk at the thought of it, Barak, who has been offering snake massages for the last two years, believes that once people overcome their fears, physical contact with the reptiles can be a relaxing and stress-relieving experience.
Many regular clients claim the snakes help ease migraines and soothe sore muscles.

“Some people said that holding the snakes made them feel better, relaxed,” she announced in an article with Time Magazine reporter Tim McGirk, who was brave enough to try it out himself. “One old lady said it was soothing, like a cold compress.”

After his initial panic, McGirk seemed to like it.

The snakes, which aren’t venomous, offer a variety of massage sensations, according to Barak. The large ones offer a kneading effect which helps alleviate deep muscle tension, while the small ones have a fluttering effect.
The cost of this massage – $80.

Barak is clearly not your usual masseur. Aside from her snake spa, she owns a carnivorous plant farm, from which she derives most of her income. These plants eat anything from insects and small mammals to schnitzel.

In April this year, Barak appeared on American chat show, the Tyra Banks Show, for an episode on beauty tips from around the world. Tyra started screaming, and Barak lost a snake down her shirt.

So what’s next – black widow spider massage perhaps? Or why not throw caution to the winds and try a snake massage with the venomous kind. You can find quite a few in the hills around here.

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