Where water is the spa attraction
But the best options have a sound basis in time-honoured healing practices or medical origins such as dermatology and traditional chinese methods.
If you want an indulgent Asian-inspired spa treatment at a gorgeous resort and at an attractive price, then southern Thailand and Bali are the ideal destinations.
Bali, in particular, could well qualify as Asia's pamper capital, given the proliferation of day spas on the streets of Seminyak and Legian.
For about $8 a pop, you can even get the dry skin on your heels nibbled away by Turkish garra rufa (or doctor fish) at a hole-in-the-wall massage joint.
In Kuta last March, I saw a sign for Beer Massages, which doesn't even bear thinking about.
The new W Retreat & Spa Bali at Seminyak has a big 24-hour spa, AWAY, which could start a trend towards round-the-clock facilities; it isn't as zany as it sounds when you consider Garuda and Jetstar flights from Denpasar to Australian ports depart around midnight and there are many hours to fill between typical hotel check-out time (11am-noon) and airline check-in. Conversely, if you arrive at your accommodation before check-in time (2pm-3pm), then a lie-down in a spa could be a good way to spend the wait.
If you are a fan of hydrotherapy, Ayana Resort and Spa, perched clifftop at Jimbaran Bay, has a multi-award-winning Thermes Marins spa based on water therapies.
Its other unusual treatments include hot seashell massages and lava-stone reflexology.
An Ayana fusion therapy involves the application of steamed bleached cotton pouches, containing a blend of three types of ginger, to knead painful joints and knotted muscles. Chakra-opening Ayurvedic treatments are on the agenda, as is a totally over-the-top Creme de la Mer facial that uses sea quartz and pure diamond dust.
Aside from the main facility, it's 100 steps down the cliffside to Ayana's Spa on the Rocks (be aware it'll be a jelly-legged climb back up), which consists of two oceanside pavilions suitable for couples' treatments, and where, on windy days, the spray hits the windows and the timber walls stir and shake.
But for those who want the water-baby works, the resort's Aquatonic thalasso spa pool should be your destination. Billed as the world's largest seawater therapy pool, it contains 700 million litres directly supplied from the Indian Ocean below.
"Fresh seawater, sea-based minerals and modern technologies of affusion, water wave and pump therapies deliver the full benefit of sea-based vitamins, mineral salts, trace elements, amino acids and living micro-organisms to restore and rebalance the human body," according to the blurb.
Prickly Pear Jelly - News
The prickly pear cactus produces a sweet pink fruit that can be made into jelly and even syrup that flavors the prickly pear margarita. A national park called Pinnacle Peak showcases the rich variety of cacti and allows joggers and trekkers to climb up
Some of these sound downright flaky - a snake massage in Israel, spankings with prickly pear in Mexico, and red-wine baths in Japan - while others, such as increasingly popular bamboo rod massages, seem like exquisite forms of torture.
"The prickly pear is a marvelous plant in the desert both for people and animals," she said. Javelina snack on the prickly pear's pads, rodents eat its roots and people use it to make candy, jelly and other edible treats. Clumps of spines on a saguaro
A word of advice -- don't mess with the prickly pear -- a fiendish cactus that I examined outside Laredo. You can see the inch-long thorns that form its first defence but this plant has another trick -- tiny razor sharp barbs that I spent two days
Declan's favorite and visible from a quarter mile away, Prickly Pear can be found in the wild areas throughout Orange County. While most of this cactus is edible, we only ate the fruit, which is semi-sweet and refreshing. Getting at the pulpy fruit
Prickly Pear Jelly & Marmalade Recipes using Prickly Pear juice ...
Prickly Pear Cactus have been a staple food of Native Americans for many centuries. Their large, colorful blossoms appear in yellow, pink, red or purple and grow from the tip of cactus nodules, which later ripen into delicious red fruit. Many varieties of prickly pear cactus grow wild throughout the deserts of the Southwest, but many are not native. The prickly pear fruit normally ripens and is ready for harvest during the late summer and early fall months. When gathering the fruit, wear leather or rubber gloves to avoid contact with the cactus needles. They are a nuisance, especially the tiny soft-appearing barbs of glochids on the fruit itself. The glochids are very difficult to remove if you get them in your skin. A long-handled tong can also be used to pick the fruit from the cactus. Once you have harvested the fruit, you will need to remove the glochids by passing the fruit through an open flame or shaking the fruit in a bag of hot coals. The glochids can also be removed by cutting them away with a knife or peeling off the skin. Once the fruit is removed from the cactus, it will rapidly lose nutritional value and may ferment, so try to consume or process soon after harvesting. Chop orange peel and pulp. Add 4 cups water to lemon and orange. Let stand 12 to 18 hours in a cool place. Boil until peel is tender. Cool. Measure lemon, orange and water in which cooked. Add chopped prickly pears and 1 cup of sugar for each cup of combined pear, lemon, orange and water. Boil to the jellying point. Pour, boiling hot, into hot jars. Seal at once. Prickly Pear and “bad” cholesterol: There has been medical interest in the Prickly Pear plant. Some studies have shown that the pectin contained in the Prickly Pear pulp lowers levels of “bad” cholesterol while leaving “good” cholesterol levels unchanged. Another study found that the fibrous pectin in the fruit may lowers diabetics’ need for insulin. There are on going studies and at this point there are no proven results on humans. You can make your own study and see if works for you, which is the only test that really counts. More…
Lynn Bremner is the Editor of DesertUSA.com and several other web publications. She lives in the Coachella Valley, located in the Southern California desert region. Lynn's desert adventures started out as family excursions to the desert when she was 12 years. Over the years the desert trips turned into a family business and she now works full time for DesertUSA.com. Her father started the business back in 1995 and it has become one of the most visited desert-related web sites on the Internet. When not working, Lynn enjoys photography, hiking, golf, writing and horseback riding.
Prickly pears at grocery store. So pretty. I remember my grandmother making prickly pear jelly. 
Prickly Pear Fruit Makes Candy, Jelly Prickly Pear Jelly - Bookshelf
Queensland agricultural journal
Tomato jam; tomato sauce; green tomato chutney. March to June. — Preserved pears ; ehoko jam; prickly -pear jelly, pickled chokoes. March to August. ...Joy of cooking, All about canning & preserving
Prickly Pear Jelly About five A-pint jars Refer to Making Jelly, 66. Slice in half and, with the tip of a spoon, scrape the pulp into a large, ...na
CLASSIC RECIPES: Prickly pear jam; prickly pear jelly. Resembling fluorescent hand grenades, prickly pears must be handled almost as carefully. ...Edible and Useful Plants of Texas and the Southwest, A Practical Guide
PRICKLY PEAR JELLY About 15 large prickly pear Powdered pectin or Sure-Jell fruits Sugar Lemon or lime juice Use only fully ripe fruits. ...The Illustrated Cook's Book of Ingredients
CLASSIC RECIPES: Prickly pear jam; prickly pear jelly. Resembling fluorescent hand grenades, prickly pears must be handled almost as carefully. ...Find Article Directory
Jelly prickly pear | Shop jelly prickly pear sales & prices ...
Jelly prickly pear - Find the largest selection of jelly prickly pear on sale. Shop by price, color, locally and more. Get the best sales, coupons, and deals at TheFind.
Cooks.com - Recipes - Prickly Pear Jelly
Pick prickly pears with leather gloves ... tender, squeeze through jelly bag or jelly ... PRICKLY PEAR JELLY. Combine juice and sugar. Place over high heat and ...
Cooks.com - Recipes - Prickly Pear
PRICKLY PEAR CACTUS FRUIT JELLY. Pick cactus fruit when fully ripe, I use bacon tongs for ... and boil hard for 5 minutes. Pour in jelly glass and seal with paraffin. ...
Prickly Pear Cactus Jelly
Prickly Pear Cactus Jelly, 2 1/2 cups prickly pear juice 1 package powdered pectin 3 tablespoons lemon or lime juice 3 1/2 cups sugar Gather about 1 quart of fruit to ...
Pear jam jelly | Shop pear jam jelly sales & prices at TheFind
Pear jam jelly - Find the largest selection of pear jam jelly on sale. Shop by price, color, locally and more. Get the best sales, coupons, and deals at TheFind.
