St. Lucia is one of those incredible Caribbean islands that draws you in with its stunning beaches, tropical weather and unspoiled landscape. That was the reason I took a recent trip there and upon my arrival it was everything I expected. But, there was one thing I kept noticing over and over that I didn’t expect on my travels. During my stay at Capella Marigot Bay Resort & Marina everyone I came in contact with me looked 10 to 20 years younger than their actual age. Could St. Lucia be home to the Fountain of Youth? I had to find out their secrets.

My first taste of this strange phenomenon came when I took a body scrub making class with spa specialist Freda Baptiste. As she was carefully explaining the ingredients to mix, I couldn’t help but notice her flawless skin. Thinking she was in her 20’s, I asked her skin secrets and came to learn she was in fact 39! How did she seemingly defy the effects of age? “I use different herbs on my skin,” Freda told me. “For instance, we use neem, which is an anti aging, antibacterial, and anti viral herb, and we do have all of those plants growing around the property. We use everything natural to create all the products from scratch, and we don’t use any parabens, silicones, fillers, or fragrances. I use plant extracts, and natural oils, to help the skin work from the inside out.”

And it wasn’t just the beauty expert that seemed to turn back the clocks; the onsite rum expert Denis shocked me when he said he’d been working in the industry for 30 years. “I basically eat salad and only local grown food which is very healthy,” he told me. “That’s all! Then you’re going to look as beautiful and thin as me and still drink rum."

In fact, upon talking to more locals this eating style and use of natural products is standard practice across the island. Doctors are rarely visited and the natural remedies are almost overnight fixes putting you back up by the next day.
The trend for the past 100’s of years has been to juice all fruits into a health smoothie and add local cashew nuts to it for that boost of energy. And if they're feeling run down, locals run straight for a freshly chopped coconut and revive themselves by drinking the water and eating the soft jelly interior.

So, while I learned there's no spring filled with magical water to keep you young, the St. Lucians prove that a relaxed way of life, homeopathic remedies and all-natural cooking are the secrets to looking half your age. Perhaps we should all try to live a little more on island time.

DIY Anti-Aging Body Scrub:
It's super easy to make your own at-home anti-aging body scrub like the one I learned to make!

Add 3 TBSP of sugar into a bowl. (Sugar exfoliates)
Empty a bag of your favorite tea into the bowl. (Teas like green tea have anti-oxidant properties)
Squeeze the juice of one lemon into the mix. (Lemon helps fade away dark spots and scars. The Vitamin C helps fight wrinkles)
Add 1 TBSP of coconut oil and 1 TBSP of olive oil. (Both oils are moisturizing)
Check consistency and add more if desired.

Is St. Lucia Home to the Fountain of Youth?