I believe the discovery of chocolate is the most important thing to have happened to civilization, next to the invention of the wheel. Mayans were the smarties who discovered the cacao tree somewhere between 250 and 900 A.D. Since then, chocolate has lifted the spirits of people worldwide with its confections, from truffles, cakes and pastries to pints of Ben & Jerry ice cream and edible undies.
I looooove chocolate. Although I am not one of those women who equate its velvety texture, creamy flavor and dark musky scent to the pleasures of sex, I do admit on occasion to enjoying multiple chocorgasms.
It’s happened with Roy’s Chocolate Souffle, but that’s so obvious. It’s also happened at Ruth’s Chris Steak House with their Chocolate Sin Cake—a companion and I even deemed it as a possible antidote for morphine addiction. And I might’ve given a shudder and a sigh to the Chocolate Pot de Creme at Penne Pasta, the Nutella and banana crepe at Cafe des Amis, and the chocolate martini at Sansei, or anywhere that has Godiva liqueur, really.
Sometimes it’s best to have those chocorgasms at home. So I am constantly refilling my supply of the Endangered Species’ Extreme Dark Chocolate bar that I get at Mana Foods but which I’d imagine are available at any health food store.
I am willing to try anything chocolate, with few exceptions. So when I heard about the Spa Moana’s Chocolate Macadamia Nut Body Wrap, I was all over it—or under it, I guess you could say.
Decadent as it sounds, this particular treatment makes sense. Chocolate’s beneficial properties range from reducing anxiety, lifting your energy, reducing pain and increasing blood circulation. It’s also a powerful antioxidant.
But chocolate is probably best known for its “feel-good” qualities. Most people are acquainted with its mood-lifting chemicals—caffeine and theobromine. And chocolate also appears to boost endorphins and serotonin. In fact, researchers at the Neurosciences Institute in San Diego recently discovered something else: chocolate contains anandamide, a chemical akin to marijuana in its calming effects on the brain.
Needless to say, after my chocolate body wrap, my skin was soft and supple and smelled delicious, although I had to resist the urge to lick my arm in public. Oh, and you might have to wait until next February for this special spa treatment, which I’m sure will be ample time for my skin to develop the munchies.
Roy’s, 303 Pi’ikea Ave., Kihei, 891-1120; 4405 Honoapi’ilani Hwy., Kahana, 669-6999; Ruth’s Chris Steak House, 900 Front St., Lahaina, 661-8815; The Shops at Wailea, 874-8880; Penne Pasta, 180 Dickenson St., Lahaina, 661-6633; Cafe des Amis, 42 Baldwin Ave., Paia, 579-6323; Sansei, 1881 S. Kihei Rd., Kihei, 879-0004; 115 Bay Dr., Kapalua, 669-6286; Mana Foods, 49 Baldwin Ave., Paia, 579-8078; Spa Moana, Hyatt Regency Ka’anapali, 667-4725. (SC)
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