Necessary indulgence: good reasons to head to the spa.

Is there a science to indulging? A reason to pamper yourself-other than because you're worth it? Aestheticians--specialists in the field of skincare and beauty--and massage therapists agree that people who lead athletic lifestyles and/or spend lots of time outdoors need a regular spa regimen to combat their lifestyle's negative side effects. Here are some tips from the experts on skin and body treatments that best complement a particular activity, lifestyle, or fitness level. And, of course, because you deserve it.

Athletic Lifestyle

Playing sports and working out can put major strain on the body. This requires much more from a massage than mere relaxation. After a rigorous game of tennis or golf, massage therapist Donna Theophille, of the Spa at Doral, suggests a deep tissue therapeutic massage to utilizes a variety of deep compressions and strokes on specific muscles to reduce discomfort and tightness. Jacki Blaylock Smith, owner of black-owned Diva's Day Spa in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, advocates deep tissue massages for the physically active as well: "It wards off injury by keeping the muscles relaxed."

The Spa at Doral also offers a special massage for athletic types in search of something a little more--shall we say, intense-than your run-of-the-mill deep tissue massage. It's called A-Shiatsu, and it's a unique kneading process where the massage therapist stands on top of the client, holding on to bars for balance, and massages the client with his or her feet, using the weight of his or her body. "It's not for everybody," says Executive Spa Director Donna Christoffersson, "but it's excellent for people who frequently exercise."

"It stretches the body," she says. "And it releases tension for a good night's sleep."

Swimmers

While outdoor sports and gym workouts can produce a lot of perspiration, which affects your skin one way, ocean and pool water affects your skin in other ways. Salt and chlorine dry skin, but skin also absorbs toxins and other pollutants from the water. Cleansing, detoxifying treatments are the prescription here.

There's something else you must consider before and after you head to the spa. "You can't exfoliate if you're a frequent swimmer," says Rena Sencenkova of Kiva Day Spa in Chicago. "Can you imagine chlorine on top of that?" Exfoliating includes shaving any part of the body, because along with the hair you remove, a thin layer of skin is removed as well. Exfoliation makes skin more sensitive than usual, so swimmers should opt for an alternative treatment.

Diva's Blaylock Smith recommends that swimmers shower, or at the very least, rinse their faces and bodies immediately after leaving the ocean or pool. Letting salt and chlorine and other toxins remain on your skin is extremely dehydrating. She uses collagen in her facials, which gives added hydration.

Injuries

Before you lie down on the table, you must tell your massage therapist it you have any aches or injuries--including old, or recurring ones. That means your back that started bothering you after yesterday's golf or tennis game, as well as that shoulder that's been a little funny ever since you played softball in high school, fell your therapist about that trick knee that always let's you know when it's going to rain, or those recent symptoms of the arthritis that runs in your family. The last thing you want to do is get up from the table in worse shape than when you lay down.

Depending on the circumstance and/or the afflicted body part, you might need to postpone your massage for a few days. Hot stone applications can be good for a sore or injured body, but cold stones can be equally therapeutic, he ping to reduce inflammation. Blaylock Smith recommends a treatment that may offer some temporary help for any client with a sprain or injury, or who is feeling any physical discomfort--aromatherapy. Physical discomfort often leads to higher stress levels, she explains. Aromatherapy can relieve the client of some of that tension.

Sun

Because golf and tennis are played outside, exposure to sun and wind in hot temperatures can be harsh on the face. Aestheticians say the perfect way to keep your face fresh is by thoroughly cleansing it, removing impurities like whiteheads and blackheads, and by getting facials that stall the aging effects of the sun. Diva's Day Spa recommends microdermabrasion. It removes dead skin and improves sun-damaged skin. Blaylock Smith says skin cells turn over every 30 days so regular facials are important. Once a month is a good schedule to follow. If that's too ambitious, aestheticians recommend treating yourself four times a year.

For those who like to maintain a sun-kissed look. Smith says it's important to let your aesthetician know if any part of your face or body is sunburned. In most cases, it's best to apply a topical agent, such as aloe vera gel or cream, to the affected skin and wait for it to heal. But if the burn is on a small isolated area, a technician may be able to work around it. If it's your face that soaked up too much sun, you need to "calm the skin down" says Blaylock Smith. Diva's administers a facial that uses seaweed and rose petals to that effect.

Even though educated, conscientious sunbathers like you slather on ample sunblock containing lots of moisturizers, a long day of sunbathing actually dehydrates the skin. A soothing, hydrating facial and/or body treatment is just what the aesthetician orders in this instance.

Weight Loss

Unfortunately, there's no magical treatment or technique that makes you drop 20 pounds overnight. Massage therapists and aestheticians often find themselves debunking myths about spa treatments clients hope will shave off pounds.

Doral therapists explain that massages don't rid you of cellulite but tone the body for a period of time and minimize the appearance of cellulite. Diva's Day Spa offers body scrubs that detoxify the skin and can cause the client to shed a couple of pounds in water weight. However, "this effect is very temporary," Smith warns.

Kiva Day Spa has a special treatment for cellulite, but it's very strenuous and only recommended for the very athletic. The client's thighs are wrapped in a plaster-like mask, electrodes are attached to the mask, and low electrical impulses are administered. "It doesn't feel the best," Kiva aesthetician Paul Krok says of the treatment, "but the process detoxifies the skin and breaks down cellulite." The treatment must be repeated for maximum results.

Special Treatments

Women call Diva's Day Spa asking about ways to get rid of prickly bumps, and unsightly whiteheads and blackheads all the time. The Fort Lauderdale salon happily obliges them, readily cleansing and removing unwanted blemishes and leaving skin as soft and smooth as a baby's bottom--on their bottom.

The Fanny Facial is a microdermabrasion treatment for the derriere. Blaylock Smith explains that when you work out, you perspire all over--even in less obvious places: "The pores on your fanny open up and become congested." And athletic women--including an increasing number of black women--who want everything on their bodies to be velvety smooth request this treatment. "It used to be exclusively requested by white women," says Blaylock Smith. "Now a lot of sisters are requesting it." That's pampering to the fullest.