The bizarre snake-spa of Israel

Just a glance at a writhing, hissing snake in the nearby bushes can give you the creeps. Now visualize a situation where dozens of such slimy creatures are let loose on your body. Scary, isn’t it? Almost like a scene from some ‘horror movie.’ While you may not wish such a nightmarish experience even for your worst enemy, the masseurs of a serene spa located at a quaint village Talmey El'Azar in Northern Israel think differently. They not only witness such weird scenes on a regular basis but they themselves let half a dozen non-venomous snakes to crawl and creep all over the bodies of their guests.

This kind of a treatment at a spa might appear ghoulish and bizarre to any sane, normal person. But, you will be surprised to know that given a chance many will be quite willing to get shed their misgivings and apprehensions and allow those creepy reptiles have their way – all for an exhilarating snake massage which is believed to soothe joints and have therapeutic effects.

According to Reuters, this is the one spa with a wild twist and which is definitely not for the faint-hearted. Ada Barak, who uses California and Florida king snakes, corn snakes and milk snakes in her rituals at the spa, says she was inspired by her belief that once people get over their initial fears, they find the physical contact with the creatures to be extremely soothing. During the massage, which costs around 300 shekels ($70), Barak releases six non-venomous lively snakes onto the backs of her customers and allows them to slither around to knead and pummel the body. Liz Cohen, after having gone through this weird treatment, told Reuters television that though she was afraid of snakes, she found the whole experience therapeutic and relaxing.

What do you think of this spa? Let me know in your comments.

 Image courtesy