Luxurious spa treatments use gold

Attending the spa for anything from a facial to a pedicure is luxurious, and the environment allows you to relax while being pampered and polished. However, a woman looking for the ultimate experience in luxury may want to go to a spa that offers treatments using gold.

The precious yellow metal is a part of spa treatments around the world, and has reportedly been used in this way for centuries. According to Spavelous, Cleopatra enjoyed using a facial mask made with gold, and queens in ancient China rubbed gold on their skin to look youthful. The source explains that gold skin treatments are also part of ancient Indian healing.

Today, gold skin treatments are available all over the world, including many parts of the United States. UMO America is one company that has offers a gold facial treatment. A branch of UMO, a high-end Japanese skin care company, is located in Beverly Hills, California.

The UMO treatment features 24 karat gold combined with polyglutamic acid and nano-mist technology to create a hydrating, golden face mask. The company explains the gold is beneficial because it lifts and firms the skin and reduces the appearance of sun damage, fine lines and wrinkles. Of course, it also is said to provide clients with a radiant, golden glow.

TIME reports that Nidah Spa at the Eldorado Hotel in Santa Fe, New Mexico, also offers a 24 karat gold facial using the UMO skincare technology. The director of Nidah, Susan Keene, explains the treatment to TIME.

"It dissolves the gold so it can be used to soften the layers of the skin. It's like gold leaf," Keene said.

The Wellness Spa in Oklahoma, on the other hand, provides another luxurious gold treatment. Here, customers can purchase a facial finished with a 24 karat gold winkle-filling treatment complete with a diamond complex.