By Soumit Saha:
Doesn’t it feel good when you come out after a hot steamy shower, or when you’ve lounged around in a pool or Jacuzzi? Well, to our hospitality industry and medicine tourism industry (India is an upcoming spa destination, especially south India), this is exactly what drives the fascination behind Spas, and why one shouldn’t opt for it. It’s relaxing and you come out feeling heavenly, no contention over that. So let’s a have a trivia filled round up of what spas are all about. And in case you’re wondering you wouldn’t be referred to going to any particular one after this piece, just in case you felt this is a marketing stint.
Alright so what is a Spa? Well leaving aside the etymology of the word, Spa’s are centers where healing is done based on Balneotherapy, the science of treating disease by bathing. We’ve all seen in magazines how people lie on beds and get a massage followed by an oh! so tempting bath in a tub festooned with rose petals and fragrant aroma therapy oils. All this is to release and allay the stresses and tension that’s pent up in your muscles as well as relax you mentally. It’s been around in Europe for a very long time and is catching up in India at a fast pace. I might be sounding a bit equivocal so let’s delve into how Balneotherapy works.
“Balneotherapy” sounds scary? Not, at all. How it works is that all the water that they soak you in a spa is rich in a variety of essential minerals like silica, sulfur magnesium sodium and the like. All these are found in peat, a very impure form of coal which is used in preparing spa waters and sometimes directly placed on the skin for absorption. The mineral rich water is supposed to flow through your skin pores and give that rejuvenating and relaxing feeling. That’s how simple it is. It’s not a sham folks. It really works and has been in practice since the ancient days, but due to rapid commercialization few tend to extend the concepts and fool people into believing medically impossible benefits from Spa treatment. Some other benefits include arthritis and reflexology spas cater to reflex points on your body to relive stresses (similar to what acupuncture does).
Now let’s get a bit real, we’ve all seen people going to spas then why haven’t we. Contrary to popular belief it’s not something which only the rich and filthy rich can enjoy. A one day spa treatment for general relaxation costs just about 2.5 to 5K at average to good spas and better yet couple can enjoy a weekend retreat together at a spa for fewer than 15K complete with food and accommodation. Now doesn’t that sound as blissful indulgence? And who said spas are visited by the old and gold, youth such as in their twenties are equally deserving of the relaxation that they miss out given their hectic work schedules. So next time you’re pocket’s feeling a bit heavier, excuse yourself and your +1 to a complete spa package filled with meals and cocktails and pedicures and manicures, it’s worth it.
Now, for some of that promised trivia for you to chew along as I end this piece:
Spa treatments have gotten stranger and horrendously costlier over the few years. No one knows and wants to know any truth behind the claims offered by these but people sure are braving and shelling out to undergo some of these.
A gold facial , a wine bath , a beer bath , a Chocolate truffle massage and the famous Caviar spa are sure to burn that crater in your wallet. Now don’t be confused with these and what balneothrapy works upon. We’ve moved beyond bathing in mineral rich water.
If price wasn’t a option how about going in for a Snake massage or a Gondola massage (seriously! A massage that you get while floating around a Gondola) or a geisha facial using the injected enzymes from nightingale excrement or an even more ridiculous fruit peel treatment designed to exfoliate your tush and finish it up with a million dollar tan to keep your rump shining for your next bikini vacation in the Bahamas.
Great now that we’ve covered some grounds on spas, I’m sure you’ll be considering giving yourself the luxury of one, so go ahead and get de-stressed and come out feeling like a billion dollars of freshness.