Feeling the heat at the Ciater hot springs

T. Sima Gunawan, Contributor, Ciater, West Java

A row of people sat at the side of a shallow lake with a small waterfall that stands amid a beautiful natural setting. They took off their shoes and dipped their feet in the water while chatting and enjoying the cool, fresh air.

"Wow, it's really hot. I can't stand it," one of them said after she had put her feet in the water for a few minutes.

"But it's really nice, it's like a natural massage," another woman said with a laugh.

The people were enjoying their time at Curug Jodo hot waterfall in the recreation park of the 22.5-hectare Sari Ater Hot Spring Resort in Ciater valley, Subang, West Java.

There are also a number of thermal pools where visitors can submerge in the hot, sulfur-rich water, which is believed to be beneficial for those suffering from diseases like paralysis, rheumatism and skin conditions.

However, staying too long in the water can be harmful, especially for the elderly, pregnant women and people with asthma, heart disease or diabetes. If you cannot stand the strong smell of the sulfur, you might find it difficult to breath and even collapse. It is suggested that you get out of the water after about 10 minutes and rest for a while before getting in again.

The water, at a steamy temperature of 40 to 45 degrees Celsius, comes from Mt. Tangkuban Perahu and flows to the pools and the resort's guest rooms, allowing you to enjoy the natural hot water in your private bath tub.

Located on the hills and slopes at 1,500 meters above sea level, the resort is surrounded by tea plantations and lush green forest. It is a nice place to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Among the facilities are a fishing pond and a children's playground as well as sports and game facilities like tennis, basketball and volleyball courts, a mini golf driving range and horse-riding track. You can also join the paint ball war game, which is offered at a price of Rp 80,000 per person.

The resort has more than 100 rooms and bungalows and enjoys a 50 percent occupancy rate, with 70 percent of the guests from Jakarta. Most others are from Bandung, the next closest major town, while a small number of the visitors are foreigners, according to sales manager Agus Wahdiyat.

It is usually full at the weekend, but during Ramadhan, business is slow, and a 20 percent to 45 percent discount on its published rate starting at Rp 331,000 is offered.

For those with a bigger budget, Ciater Spa resort provides both beauty and medical treatment. The resort, which claims to be the biggest of its kind in Asia, covers a total area of about 7,000 square meters and stands on 400,000 square meters of land.

The idea to build the center came from a former Yugoslavia ambassador when he visited the Sari Ater hot spring resort in the late 1980s.

"He said that in his country, people had to dig to a depth of 3,000 meters to get mineral water for hydrotherapy treatment. When he learned that we had mineral water coming from the mountain, he suggested that we make the best of it," Dr. Widya Pramoedji S, the medical director of Ciater Spa Resort, said.

In the medical rehabilitation and recreation center, the temperature of the hot water is decreased to between 36 and 37 degrees Celsius, or about the same as the temperature of the human body. Advanced physiotherapy is applied for rehabilitation, maintenance and prevention of diseases.

Also available are electrotherapy, hydrotherapy and kinezi therapy -- a therapy using programmed exercise methods based on kinesiology.

Visitors who want to get refreshed can try the relaxation program, which is designed for recreation, particularly for relaxation after stress. This treatment includes relaxation massages, a bubble bath and whirlpool.

Naturally, it all comes at a price. Therapy programs cost between Rp 62,500 and Rp 296,500 each, while the body treatment programs are from Rp 50,000 to Rp 670,000. Bungalows rent at a price of between Rp 726,000 per night for two persons to Rp 3,650,000 per night for six persons.

The Ciater Spa Resort is located next to Sari Ater Resort and the two have the same owner, albeit under different management.

If you want to enjoy the natural hot springs without spending much money, visit the Sari Ater recreation park. For an entrance price of Rp 7,500 (it will be increased by Rp 1,000 starting Nov. 24) you can spend the whole day in the park. An average of 3,000 people visit the part every day while at the weekend, the number increases to 10,000.

During the last Idul Fitri holiday, it recorded about 12,000 visitors a day, which may be too close for comfort for some visitors.

From Ciater, you can continue your journey to Tangkuban Perahu tourism park, which is only seven kilometers away. Drive up to the mountain and stop at the roadside to see the crater of the volcano.

On the drive home to Jakarta, you will see many people selling pineapples at the roadside. They call the fruit "honey pineapples" because they are very sweet (you are likely to see bees clustered around the fruit). For Rp 10,000, you can get three medium-sized pineapples.

"Our business is very slow these days. Hopefully, the condition will get better after the fasting month is over," a vendor said, adding that unsold pineapples were made into dodol (a kind of preserved sweet cake made with glutinous rice that can be stored for months).