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Wanna spa BREAK?
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Spas are spawning a whole new culture, what with the corporates bestowing their employees with de-stressing packages
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— Photos: Murali Kumar K.
Jennifer Cox: `Spas are a necessity now, like a gym membership.'
AFTER GALLIVANTING in the summer sun you'll certainly want your skin brightened and after hogging a Big Mac you'd want your thigh tightened. After all, it's all about feel-good, baby!
Your next stop, of course, is the spa. C'mon, if you spend 2,000 bucks on a Tex-Mex dinner, you can blow up the same kind of money to drain all those toxins from your body. That's what Nancee Ong will tell you. The spa manager at The Leela Palace will make sure you get into shape at The Spa (yes, it's simply called that).
She asks me if I've ever tried a spa before. "Er... no," I venture rather embarrassedly at the cost of being branded a "not in" sort. And then, shatteringly, I earn a new sobriquet. Nancee exclaims: "Aaah! So you're a spa virgin!"
Spas are creating a whole new lifestyle and vocabulary around them. Luncheon business meetings are out. Spa meetings or meetings with spa breaks are in. As in, "Let's seal this over a massage." Or a quick, 15-minute stress-relieving neck and shoulder massage in between a strategy meeting.
Bridal showers are soothing affairs at spas now — they'll throw you an all-girl package so all of you can have an aromatic evening and are scrubbed for D-Day. Or you could just have a private spa party for close friends on a relaxing afternoon.
ESPA, the European leader in spa products, design, training and more, recently had its international account manager Jennifer Cox come down to The Spa, the only one in the country that houses ESPA's all-natural products and holistic treatments. (The E in the name stands for spa Education!) "Gone are the days when spas were for the rich and rare. It's more a necessity now, like a gym membership or waxing. Modern day stresses need more of a lifestyle treatment than a cosmetic one. A five-star hotel is not one until it has a spa," is how Jennifer sums up.
"It's about priorities. Companies give employees spa vouchers as incentives. We've started couple massages and honeymoon packages by the poolside," adds Nancee.
ESPA has added two more specialised treatments — a skin brightening and rescue treatment and a thigh and hip cellulite buster treatment.
Oh, bodily woes! And before you jump to any conclusion, Nancee surprises by revealing that nearly 80 per cent of visitors to her spa are men! So spa products are unisex too and don't come in "pink pretty bottles".
Jennifer Cox trains a therapist at The Spa in stress-busting techniques.
"Most Asian women are worried about their dark skin and pigmentation. A lot of people come here with ageing problems and business travellers come with dehydrated skin. Hip and thighs are areas people are getting more concerned about," Jennifer lets me know. The 55-minute, Rs. 2,000 brightening treatment is for congested dull skin, fine lines and wrinkles. "Natural Hawaiian algae in the cream dissolves dead cells. We don't use any chemicals, so it's not aggressive like a chemical peel that leaves the skin dry. The facial is a very involved process. We start with a sensory feel and let the clients pick the oil they want," explains Jennifer. Mulberry, melon seed oil, Ylang Ylang and wild sea fennel are some of the exotic ingredients in this concoction.
Jennifer also shows the neat and graceful hand movements that go into the massage.
"We use ayurvedic principles and philosophies in our treatments. But ESPA is about pampering and luxury, while ayurveda's approach is more medicinal. We cool the silent irritants and work with the client's breath. So the ambience helps." Candles, dim lighting, music, smells of essential oils, hot stones, a real comfy soft couch are ingredients of a good spa. "We train our therapists (that's the politically correct word, not `masseurs' anymore) to tip-toe around and ask them to prepare for a treatment by unscrewing lids off the product bottles beforehand." No vigorous scrubbing and packing off the client after the bath. Instead, it's hot packs and peppermint teas.
Thou shalt have some Botanical Rescue, says one beauty commandment. Seriously. That's the name of a balm that offers "emergency moisture remedy". This skin saviour comes in a bees wax base blended with exotic oils like manuka.
The vigorous detoxifying experience that the thigh cellulite treatment is, is all about lymphatic drains and exfoliation with seaweeds, sea salts and marine algae flushes. Grapefruit and juniper berries are natural detoxifiers, but hey, they sound too yummy to be scrubbed away! The massage comes at Rs. 1,750, says Jennifer, and adds: "Many are figure conscious and it's a good time now for pre-bikini treatment!"
BHUMIKA K.
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