All Wrapped Up in Weight Loss in Wayland

Maria Martin wants to help people, and she wants to do it in a rather unusual way.

Well, unusual for Massachusetts at least.

In October, Martin, a Wayland resident, opened , a spa of sorts that specializes in body wraps for inches and weight loss.

“This kind of concept business isn’t really in Massachusetts,” Martin said, sitting in the front room of her cozy and calming space above Rite Aid in Cochituate. “Nobody [in Massachusetts] does this kind of program.”

Martin, whose background is in nutritional counseling, said her particular program is geared specifically toward helping people lose weight. It’s unlike most body wrap programs in the state, she said, which are more focused on toning the skin and detoxifying without specific weight loss goals. Spas like hers, she said, are popular in warmer weather states like California, Florida and Texas.

So what is body wrapping exactly?

Martin explained that each of her clients receives specialized treatment geared toward helping that person meet individual goals. A first session at Forever Slender will likely take about two hours as Martin assesses goals, discusses the program, weighs and measures the client, and conducts the initial wrap.

The wrap itself involves wrapping the body in bandages of sorts that have been “cooked” for a period of time in an organic mixture of aloe, seaweed, green tea and other ingredients.

Then, Martin said, it’s all about compression and absorption. Depending on the treatment for a given client, Martin directs the now wrapped person to her dry sauna or places the client under her infrared blanket. The dry sauna, Martin said, works to boost metabolism and “melt” toxins in the body. The infrared blanket does some of the same things, but is also good for relaxing muscles and easing joint pain.

Martin is so confident in her work that she offers a guarantee: “Lose three to 15 inches in your first session or it’s free.”

And it isn’t just water weight that her clients lose. In fact, Martin said she instructs her clients to drink plenty of water both before and after a session in order to see full results. The water helps flush toxins from the system following a wrap session, which is ultimately about detoxifying the system and helping the body rid itself of acquired toxins.

While she guarantees results after the first session, Martin is quick to point out that body wraps alone won’t change a permanently body. With her background as a nutritional counselor, Martin also sets clients up with an eating plan and realistic goals.

“The wrap is going to help, but they also need to focus on eating,” she said. “Each body is different; each body reacts differently.”

It’s admittedly a bit of a foreign idea to most people in the area, Martin said, adding that a big part of her job is educating people.

Lisa Mello, another Wayland resident, is a friend of Martin’s and is helping with the marketing efforts for Forever Slender. She’s also working toward becoming a certified body wrapping technician – it’s an intense program that requires plenty of textbook work and at least 30 test wrapping sessions.

“A lot of people are skeptical about it,” Mello said. “But there’s quite an extensive science associated with it and very specific techniques for the wrapping.”

Martin said most of her clients are women, but that she does see several male clients as well. For the men, they are often interested in a targeted wrap focused on their abdominal area.

“The people who are depressed and need to lose weight, this is instant gratification,” Martin said. She added that she measures clients before and after a wrapping session. Some see results immediately after the wrap, some notice the difference the next day and most people see both.

“I want to make people feel good,” Martin said. “I love that part of this business.”

Martin sees clients by appointment only. Her website is foreverslender.org.