Surabaya spas offer Javanese<\/p>\n
Indra Harsaputra, Contributor, Surabaya<\/p>\n
A waitress at the Mandarin Oriental Majapahit Hotel here
\napproached a group of guests carrying a tray with a teapot and
\ncups.<\/p>\n
"Excuse me, would you like to try our SPA tea, free of
\ncharge," she said to one of the guests. After the guest sipped
\nthe tea, the waitress moved on to another group.<\/p>\n
A cup of SPA tea at the hotel costs Rp 25,000 (about US$2.70).
\nThe hotel also sells tea packages for about Rp 100,000. Each
\npackage comes with a description of how the tea is prepared.<\/p>\n
SPA (Solus per Aqua) tea is available only at the Majapahit
\nHotel, which first began promoting the product about a year ago.
\nThe tea is sold in bottles in the hotel lobby. It comes in
\ndifferent types of black tea (kasmiri, chai, Earl Grey), herbal
\ntea (camomile, peppermint) and green tea (sencha ginger and
\nlemongrass).<\/p>\n
If you wish to improve your vitality, a herbal tea blend is
\nthe right choice. If you want to get rid of stress and improve
\nyour sleep, a waitress will be able to suggest a suitable tea. If
\nyou like your tea sweet, the tea can be mixed with liquid sugar
\nflavored with peppermint, lime or chocolate.<\/p>\n
It takes about five minutes before your tea order is placed in
\nfront of you. After the tea is served, just add the flavored
\nsugar of your choice and enjoy. If you choose the peppermint
\nflavor, your body will begin to feel warm about 15 minutes after
\nyou sip the tea.<\/p>\n
The public relations manager of the hotel, Syandra Kwan, said
\nthis tea was most popular with Japanese and Chinese guests. They
\ncan spend hours in the hotel lobby, enjoying the tea while
\nreading a newspaper or discussing business.<\/p>\n
He said Americans and Australians were also fond of the tea,
\nusually opting for the peppermint flavor. Unlike the Japanese and
\nChinese, the Americans or Australians generally do not linger
\nover their tea.<\/p>\n
"This tea is also popular with residents and people who work
\nnear the hotel. In the afternoon, many of them come to the lobby
\nto sip tea while waiting for the traffic to ease," Kwan said.<\/p>\n
It is recommended, he went on, that after you drink your tea
\nyou go to the hotel's spa, which is run by Martha Tilaar. The
\nspa, not far from the lobby, is a combination of Balinese and
\nJavanese styles, in terms of its interior design and aroma
\ntherapies.<\/p>\n
Unlike spas found in other hotels, which suggest a strong
\nEuropean style, the spa at the Majapahit Hotel is quite unique
\nand elegant. The walls are covered with ulin wood, with flowers
\non both sides. The lights are dimmed to accentuate the Balinese
\nand Javanese interior design of the room. There is a small pool
\nin the shape of a vase with a fountain in the middle of the room.
\nThe moment you enter the spa, you will be greeted by the fresh
\nand fragrant smell of cinnamon.<\/p>\n
"Can I help you?" the receptionist asked. Then she offered a
\nlist of services available -- jacuzzi, sauna, massage and spa --
\nand their rates.<\/p>\n
After choosing a service, the receptionist offered various
\ntypes of therapies, including Bali Garden Bliss (anti-stress,
\nwhitening, reviving and body contour), Java Island Legacy (fruit,
\nflower, milk bath), traditional Golden Lulur, Chinese
\nAccupressure Massage with Chi herb, Indonesian Deep Tissue
\nMassage, exotic Facial Therapy, Eclectic Spa therapies, Artistic
\nEncore (make-up and hair-do), Eastern Princess Retreat, Chinese
\nEmpress Ritual and prewedding as well as postnatal therapies.<\/p>\n
Then the receptionist led the way to the treatment rooms.
\nErick, a Majapahit Hotel Spa member, said the jacuzzi was his
\nfavorite because the design for this service was unique. There is
\na marble lion head that continues to spurt out warm water with
\nthe fragrant and fresh aroma of cinnamon.<\/p>\n
Besides the Majapahit Hotel, the Hyatt Hotel and Surabaya
\nPlaza Hotel also have spas. There are also specialty spas in
\nSurabaya, including Miracle and Tussy.<\/p>\n
The Shangri-La Hotel plans to open a spa in 2006. The hotel's
\npublic relations manager, Wike Trisnandhini, said many of their
\nguests had asked for spa services, in addition to the hotel's
\nhealth and fitness facilities that include a tennis court, a
\nswimming pool, jacuzzi and sauna. These facilities are all
\navailable at the hotel's health club on the third floor.<\/p>\n
"It is very likely that our spa will also be located in our
\nhealth club," Wike said, adding that the spa would adopt a
\nEuropean concept as most of the hotel's guests were Westerners.<\/p>\n
The hotel's massage, steam and sauna rooms are designed in
\nEuropean style. The rooms look beautiful with their brown
\nwoodwork. The Shangri-La has six massage rooms, each of which has
\nits own bathroom. A massage session costs Rp 120,000. If a guest
\nwants a massage in his own room or calls for a masseur from
\noutside the health club, he has to pay Rp 50,000 in addition to
\nthe standard fee of Rp 120,000.<\/p>\n
A guest at the Shangri-La can play tennis at the hotel's
\ntennis court. The fee is Rp 60,000 per hour. Tennis rackets can
\nbe rented for Rp 15,000 an hour, while a playing partner costs
\nRp 80,000 an hour.<\/p>\n
The hotel also provides swimming lessons at a cost of Rp
\n40,000 for members and Rp 50,000 for non-members.<\/p>",
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