Bali spas, a feast of rejuvenating treatments

Bali spas, a feast of rejuvenating treatments

I Wayan Juniartha
and Fitri Wulandari
The Jakarta Post
Denpasar, Bali

Bali is undoubtedly a haven for spa-lovers. From luxurious
spas in five-star hotels to small ones nestled among surf shops
along the Kuta tourist strip, the "island of the gods" offers a
feast of health and relaxation treatments.

There are all types of body treatments, from various massages,
body scrubs and flower baths to pedicures and manicures,
everything that one could hope for a relaxing day at the spa.

Ritz-Carlton Spa, located at the five-star Ritz-Carlton resort
high on a hill overlooking Jimbaran, offers special package
treatments for couples.

Called Cinta Abadi (eternal love), Ritz-Carlton offers a
romantic relaxation treatment for lovebirds. This US$240, 2.5-
hour package climaxes with the couple descending into a spacious
bathtub and immersing themselves in a herbal or milk flower bath.

A romantic experience, indeed. To add to the romance and
privacy, the spa offers six villas and one suite.

"The villas and suite are for couples who want to spend
intimate time together experiencing a spa treatment in a private
atmosphere," spa manager Dewi Sariani said, adding the package is
the spa's most popular treatment.

The Spa has 45 qualified therapists and also is equipped with
seven hydrotherapy rooms and 19 standard massage rooms.

Another establishment, Puri Esthetic, nestled amid a tropical
garden in the quiet Sanur area, offers the Puri Esthetic Luxury
as its top-of-the-line package.

This $150 package pampers guests with nine successive stages
of treatment that takes an average of six hours to complete.

It starts with a foot bath, then an 80-minute-long body
massage, body scrub, masker, flower bath, facial, manicure and
pedicure, cream bath and wash and blow. At the end of the
treatment, guests are given a free meal. This package is quite
popular among Japanese tourists.

"Our massage is very unique because it combines traditional
Balinese, Thailand, Shiatsu and accupressure massage techniques,"
Puri Esthetic guest relation officer Swandewi said.

Asia's leading spa operator, Mandara Spa, offers a range of
treatments that last less than an hour to loosen those tense
muscles and nerves. The spa's signature treatment is the Mandara
Massage.

This massage uniquely blends five style of massage -- Japanese
Shiatsu, Thai, Hawaiian Lomi-lomi, Swedish and Balinese. And
unlike traditional massages, the Mandara Massage features two
massage therapists working on a client's body.

One therapist works on the upper part of the body and the
other works on the lower part of the body. Both massage the
guest's body simultaneously, so that at all times the massage is
balanced -- top and bottom, side and side.

The massage is a fluid sequence of rhythmic sliding and
circling elbow strokes of Hawaiian Lomi-lomi, the long strokes
and finger pressure of Balinese Massage, the long gentle strokes
of Swedish Effleurage, Shiatsu thumb pressure and the stretching
and lifting style of Thai massage.

"As the therapists are working on both sides of your body
simultaneously, it can also be more balancing than regular
massage," Angela Fitriadi, Mandara Spa Asia training manager,
told The Jakarta Post.

"Mandara Massage is not a strong or deep-pressure massage. It
is calming and relaxing, where the benefits and pleasures of
regular massage are multiplied," she said.

Tucked in the Bali Padma Hotel along the famous Legian beach,
Mandara Spa is equipped with three private spa villas with
oversized outdoor bathtubs, six single treatment suites, spa
manicure/pedicure, separate male and female changing rooms as
well as a spa boutique.

Mandara Spa Asia now operates more than 40 spas across the
region, including in Guam, the Maldives, Malaysia and Saipan.

Apart from treatments, spas also offer other facilities to
attract guests.

The newly refurbished and expanded Ritz-Carlton Spa
boasts a 650-square-meter Aquatonic Pool.

Divided into 12 sections, this saltwater pool is equipped with
specially designed corridors, where guests can swim or walk
against the current.

"This outdoor pool is among the largest in Asia and definitely
the only one of its kind in Indonesia," Dewi Sariani said.

The Alamanda Spa in Legian, Kuta, provides free a pick-up
service for guests from Kuta, Nusa Dua and Sanur.

"We also offer a free photo service. We take a picture
of the guest dressed in traditional Balinese clothes, which are
available at the establishment, develop 12 prints and give them
to the guest, all for free," Alamanda therapist Anee Rosita said.

Guests who take the 2.5-hour-long $38 Best Alamanda package
also are entitled to use the sauna and jacuzzi for free at the
completion of their treatment.

The establishment has 10 therapists, two jacuzzi pools, a
sauna and 10 massage rooms.