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.