Tourists Appreciate Rotorua Mud Facials

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31000, 4 March 1966, Page 2

Tourists Appreciate Rotorua Mud Facials

Mud—rich Rotorua mud—is one of the country’s greatest attractions for overseas visitors, but is little appreciated by most New Zealanders.

The person responsible for putting Rotorua mud on the map is a Rotorua housewife and mother, Mrs Alice Robinson, who for the last four years has been slathering mud on the faces of tourists—both men and women.

The mud used by Mrs Robinson comes from Tikitere, about eight miles from Rotorua, and is unique. It is made of pulverised sea shells, lime, sulphur, petroleum and phosphorous.

Beauticians from all over the world come to Rotorua for Mrs Robinson's mud facials and are heart-broken when told the mud is not available for export. Recently an American multi-millionnaire wanted to obtain large quantities of Titi-

kere mud and process it overseas for world distribution, but as far as Mrs Robinson could determine, this would not be allowed. A warm outgoing woman, Mrs Robinson enjoys her work and finds deep satisfaction in bringing new life to tired bodies and a fresh warm glow to weary skin. “Most people come in to relax and forget their loneliness and unhappiness." she said. Time is no object to Mrs

Robinson. She will spend up to two hours on a facial and longer for a facial and body massage. ilf a client has time only for a facial she spends 20 minutes on facial massage to give the client time to relax and so obtain the full benefit of the minerals in the mud. For the massage, Mrs Robinson uses a light vegetable oil and her swift sure fingers soothe and stimulate every muscle. By the time she is ready to apply the mud, which she specially processes at her home, most clients feel that the treatment is the next best thing to paradise. While the fawn-coloured mud is drying to a white mask on face and neck, Mrs Robinson massages fingers, hands, toes, feet and ankles. The process is so relaxing that many people go to sleep. The mud is removed bytowels wrung out in cold water. Then Mrs Robinson sponges on more cold water and allows it to dry. “This acts as a natural astringent and tightens the skin. I think it is better than anything,” she said. EVEREST CLIMB The result of Mrs Robinson’s treatment is a new person, with baby-soft skin, alert and feeling ready to climb Mount Everest. Men, especially Americans, have no hesitation about having facials. Half her clients are men. “Men are vainer than women,” she said. She treats several Rotorua men, too, but these are rather shy and prefer to come at times when there are few people about to see what they are doing. People from all over the world have come to Mrs Robinson but “I like Kiwis best.” She has found that New Zealanders take longer to overcome their resistance to treatments. “Our women are not used to spending as much money on themselves as American women,” said Mrs Robinson. However, once a New Zealander, man or woman, has tried a facial he or she returns time and again. Although in her early fifties, Mrs Robinson has the skin of a woman 20 years younger. Asked if this was because of mud, she laughed and said “I have never had time to give myself one yet.” The photograph shows Mrs Robinson applying Tikitere mud to the face of a client