A relaxing way to soothe the spirit and restore well-being
A relaxing way to soothe the spirit and restore well-being
As part of activities in commemoration of its 10th
anniversary, the Javana Spa's management invited journalists last
week to tour its facility in the scenic highlands of Sukabumi,
West Java. The Jakarta Post's Maria Endah Hulupi has this report.
SUKABUMI, West Java (JP): Health spas seem to be gaining
recognition as part of the lifestyle of the urban upper class who
need a relaxing escape to the peaceful countryside, away from
their daily routine.
After a stressful period, ideally one needs a retreat to
nature where the air is fresh and clean -- just the thing to
rejuvenate the spirit.
Stressful living in a highly polluted city like Jakarta lends
to physical and psychological imbalances, something that ruins
one's health and personal relationships due to emotional
outbursts.
"The beauty of nature has a stress-relieving power that's why
even a change of situation from the city to a location,
surrounded by fresh air and nature already help loosen those
tired and stressed-out nerves," cardiologist Dede Kusmana said
during a press briefing at the Javana Spa facility.
It needs a proper combination of a refreshing environment,
balanced diet and adequate physical activities to maintain a
balanced, healthy lifestyle.
It is this concept of rejuvenating health that the Javana Spa
offers. The facility stands on a 122-hectare cool area at the
foot of Mount Salak, amid breathtaking scenery of the pristine
forest.
The establishment, which has become a tourist destination, has
specially designed health programs that are tailored to suit
individual guests. They include stress-releasing treatments,
outdoor activities, combined with three light yet satiating meals
and refreshing drinks.
"The programs are adopted from the Golden Door Spa in San
Diego, California but the diet has been adjusted to make it more
pleasing to local tastes," the Spa's founder Suhardani B. Arifin
said.
"Our goal is to further develop the area and provide more
challenges with other types of activity," said Yuliantoronto,
director of PT Sarana Prima Budaya Raga, which manages the spa.
One of the spa's exercise consultants, Amrun Bustaman, said
that an individual health check would be helpful to design the
right activities for each guest.
Activities
Some of the activities on the offer include trekking, herbal
and floral wrap, spa time, meditation, low impact exercise,
reflexology and a popular traditional dance from North Sulawesi
called Poco-poco.
One of the relaxing treatments as demonstrated at the spa was
a 20-minute herbal and floral wrap. The guest lay down on a bed
in the treatment room. The female spa worker covered the
patient's body with a piece of warm cloth, which had been soaked
in a blend of sweet-scented flowers and spices.
"This treatment will eliminate impurities and toxins from your
body," she said. She also performed a brief massage along the
hair line to eliminate puffiness. She firmly pressed and covered
the patient's eyes with a cold towel, dipping it every three
minutes into a bowl of sweet scented cold water.
The treatment ended with an over all body massage to relax
muscles and induce calmness. She was demonstrating that a good
massage helps ease muscle spasms and pain, increase blood flow in
the skin and muscles, relieve mental and emotional stress and
induce relaxation.
A meditation class was held in the afternoon. Meditation guru
Manju Kishin, from a social organization called the Art of
Living, taught yoga to help improve blood circulation, followed
by meditation, aimed at making the most out of a deep breathing
technique and absorbing prana or energy from our surroundings.
"Fifteen minutes of meditation a day will energize cells,
which is an effective form of stress management," she said.
The next day, all guests were woken up at 5:30 a.m; each given
a backpack, containing a bottle of hot ginger milk and an apple
for snack. After warming up and deep breathing exercises, the
participants were set to hit the 1.3-kilometer jungle trek.
The forest, the fresh air and the soothing scents of nature
were invigorating. Some plants, such as orange torch plants, pink
and purple impatiens were in full bloom, displaying their
beautiful colors and others released pleasant fragrances.
Along the track, out-door instructor Idris introduced some
wild plants -- the wild sarsaparilla, begonia, cooking herb
honje, anti-diabetic melastoma leaves, all growing freely in the
wild.
"This wild sarsaparilla plant has a strong sweet and relaxing
fragrance. It's an ingredient for sarsaparilla drink and
therapeutic oil for massage," Idris said.
The track was designed as a challenge without disturbing the
environment. "Some people are reported to have seen wild boars,
snakes and lizards. There was a black panther, which has
apparently withdrawn to deeper within the forest," he said.
And here was the biggest of the seven waterfalls in the Spa
complex. It is simply called the "fourth waterfall" where spa
participants can take a refreshing dip or just sit and enjoy the
beautiful scenery.
"It's said that taking a dip every other day in different
waterfalls would give you a ten-year-younger look on the seventh
day," Idris said.
The benefit from participating in the spa is that you can
learn the art of living a healthy life and renew commitment to
leading a healthy life.
More information on Javana Spa can be obtained at
http://www.javanaspa.com or (021) 719-8327 - 719-8328.