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Whatever happened to the standard 90-minute Swedish massage? If you were feeling particularly adventurous, you went for a shiatsu massage or perhaps a deep-tissue rubdown. No more. Hotels and spas are increasingly augmenting treatments with everything from the palette-whetting (Veuve Clicquot) to the stomach-turning (bird droppings). Just how extreme are these newest treatments? Well, no one said being beautiful was easy.
Champagne Scrub
It seems particularly excessive to cover yourself with Champagne when there are thirsty investment bankers doing without their bubbly in the recession. But leave it to [Las Vegas](http://www.halogenguides.com/travel/guide/visiting-vegas-luxury-style) to call for excess, regardless of the economy. This month, the [Palms Place Hotel and Spa](http://www.palmsplace.com/) added Veuve Clicquot to its spa menu. Among the choices: a Veuve Clicquot Pedicure ($120), a couple’s treatment topped off with a Champagne soak ($525) and a 50-minute Champagne sugar scrub ($150) that promises to leave your skin “sweetly scented and glistening brilliantly,” which oddly enough is often a side effect from drinking a few glasses of Champagne.
Bird Dung Facial
Yes, dung. Once used as a bleaching agent in traditional Japanese garment dying, and to lighten the skin of geishas, nightingale dung is enjoying a resurgence at the Diamond Spa at Maui’s [Diamond Resort](http://www.diamondresort.com/). The spa begins each of its facials, which start at $144 for 15 minutes, with a mask that includes droppings from the songbird. The enzyme found in the birds’ stomach and intestines—usually used to break down protein and fat—dissolves dirt while repairing and whitening damaged skin.
Fish Pedicure
Another not-for-the-squeamish treatment is the pedicure at the [Ooedo-Onsen-Monogatari](http://www.ooedoonsen.jp/english/) hot springs spa in Tokyo. Your feet are placed in a bowl or tub filled with tiny fish called Garra rufa. As your feet soak, the fish go to work, dining on dry, flakey skin. The result? Feet that feel baby’s-bottom soft.
Caviar Bath
The spa at the [Hilton Rome Cavalieri](http://www.romecavalieri.com/index.php) has an equally fishy treatment, but there’s no baiting going on here. Instead, guests indulging in the Caviar Body Treatment (€155, about $196) are covered from head to toe in the delicacy most typically found sitting on top of a blini. You can opt for the Caviar Firming Facial €150 ($190) or the aforementioned full body treatment—both use the firming agents found in the fish eggs to leave skin looking younger and healthier.
Diamond Facials
In the beauty community, diamonds are said to reactivate cellular metabolism and stimulate collagen production, both of which can reduce wrinkles. The [Lake Austin Spa](http://www.lakeaustin.com/) in Austin, Texas, offers a $250, 80-minute Diamond Facial, while the [Ritz-Carlton](http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/Doha/Default.htm) in Doha, Qatar, boasts a 120-minute, full-body treatment for 1,500 riyals (about $412).
