Ancient spas more relevant today for mind and body<\/p>\n
Mineral-spring spas were once regarded as shrines by ancient
\nsocieties everywhere. The waters of the springs were said to have
\nmagical powers to heal all kinds of ills.<\/p>\n
Everyone was able to avail themselves of the bounties of
\nnature until spa treatments were administered through exclusive
\nand expensive spa resorts located at the source of mineral-rich
\nfreshwater and seawater, and mud that became the exclusive right
\nof royalty.<\/p>\n
Later, spa treatments were considered rather extravagant and
\neven decadent. The last 20 years have seen a phenomenal increase
\nin fast-paced living. High-maintenance lifestyles that involve
\njuggling home, careers, child care and hectic social agendas have
\ncaused much physical stress and mental strain.<\/p>\n
This has increased interest in holistic remedies, Eastern
\nphilosophies and complementary therapies that benefit the mind,
\nbody and soul. With the level of disposable income also on the
\nincrease, and a desire to spend money on personal wellbeing, the
\ndemand for spa-type treatments has led to more variety and
\ngreater accessibility. Apart from services offered at high street
\nand beauty establishments, Body Shop recently invented the take-
\nhome spa treatment.<\/p>\n
Its spa range retains the philosophy of using only natural
\ningredients and offers six luxurious, high-performance body
\ntreatments designed to deliver benefits in the seclusion of the
\nhome environment.<\/p>\n
The rationale is why go out when you can stay in?<\/p>\n
It was Hippocrates, the father of medicine who said that the
\nway to health was a scented bath and massage every day. Like the
\nsage of ancient times, Body Shop too believes that a bath ritual
\nis a sensual way to achieve a state of deep mental and physical
\nrelaxation and taken in solitude is the perfect place to reclaim
\none's sense of wellbeing.<\/p>\n
However, privacy was not always the order of the day.<\/p>\n
Previously, bathing took place in natural springs and streams
\nin the open air, although the custom of creating special rooms
\nfor bathing still dates from prehistoric times. Bathing was
\nimportant not only for cleanliness but also as a social activity
\nand a religious ritual. While bathrooms were incorporated in the
\npalaces and urban houses of many ancient civilizations, public
\nbaths achieved their most elaborate form in Imperial Rome and
\nsoon became the center of Roman social life.<\/p>\n
The public bath or hammam was of special importance to the
\nIslamic empire. The Muslim bathhouse included a dressing room,
\ncold bath and warm bath clustered around a domed, central steam
\nchamber. The hammam survives today in Muslim countries and in
\nEurope it developed into the Turkish bath.<\/p>\n
Spas with hot springs, like in Ciater, West Java, have been
\nwidely used for medicinal baths since ancient times. Natural hot
\nsprings are exploited the world over, even today. In Japan, the
\ntradition is to channel the hot water into a large central pool
\nsurrounded by steps on which the bathers sit. The type of
\nbathhouse known as a Finnish sauna, in which steam is produced by
\nthrowing water onto heated stones, has been adopted in many an
\naffluent home and most health clubs around the world, including
\nJakarta. Today, the sauna is often used with swimming pools; a
\nplunge in the pool substituting for the Finnish custom of dashing
\nfrom a steamy sauna into a cold stream or snowbank.<\/p>\n
Vogue magazine hit the nail on the head when it claimed that
\nspa culture seems to be the way forward. This is a fact as health
\nspas offer more than just body care -- they are a sanctum from
\neveryday life, offering a wide range of treatments, such as
\nhydrotherapy, massage and body scrubs and the larger ones
\ncombining all this with sports and fitness facilities, even
\noffering healthy meals and drinks.<\/p>\n
Javana Spa, high in the mountains of West Java, is one such
\nplace that combines hikes in the rain forest, massage, yoga, dips
\nin an onsen (the Japanese sulfur bath of healing waters), in this
\ncase taken directly from Mount Salak's hot springs, with three
\nmeals a day of gourmet cuisine complementing the fitness and
\ntreatment program customized for each guest.<\/p>\n
To make life even more free of care, visitors are picked up
\nfrom their doorstep and driven to the Javana Spa, so that they
\ncan witness for themselves how wondrously healing nature's
\nbounties really are. (Mehru Jaffer)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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