Giving time-out for the body, mind and soul

Giving time-out for the body, mind and soul

Debbie A. Lubis
Contributor
Jakarta

A soothing scent from an aromatherapy oil, coupled with
relaxing massage and soft music almost made Dea, 29, fall asleep
during her two-hour spa treatment at Griya Natura, one of the
mushrooming spa centers in Jakarta.

For Dea, spa treatments have become a part of her routine and
a necessary ritual to perform on the weekend to maintain her
physical and mental health and to relieve her of stress.

"Besides, I also give a boost to my appearance since I feel
fresh and relaxed after a treatment," she said.

Nowadays, savvy spa guests can choose from a vast array of
menu items with various prices. Many spa centers offer a
combination of eastern and western therapeutic techniques with
prices ranging from Rp 100,000 (about US$11.75) to Rp 1.5 million
for treatments lasting at least two hours or a full day.

The treatments include various features, such as body scrubs,
body masks, traditional massage, aromatherapy massage, aromatic
sea salts, hydrotherapy, head-and-shoulder therapy, facial
treatments, eye treatments and hand-and-foot treatments.

"A treatment should be conducted based on the client's
characteristics and medical history. The aim is to remove toxic
materials that have accumulated in the body, especially for
individuals who rarely do workouts, by empowering the functions
of the lymph glands and improving blood circulation," said Dr.
Rachmi Primadiati, a medical aromatherapist.

She added that apart from alleviating stress from the mind,
aromatic essential oils could also have a therapeutic effect by
restoring the function of vital organs, such as the kidneys,
intestinal system, liver and reducing accumulated fat caused by
hormonal disorders.

Most spa centers use natural products for their treatments.
Take for example, the Martha Tilaar Spa Eastern Rejuvenating
Centers (ERC) whose spa concept and treatment philosophy is
uniquely based on the three great civilization of Asia such as
Malaysian/Indonesian, Chinese and Indian and include Acupressure
(Chinese), Rupasampat Wahya Bhyantara (Indonesia) and Ayuverda
(Indian).

The treatments are specially developed and include the unique
Bali Garden Bliss, Traditional Golden Lulur, Java Island Legacy,
Chinese Empress Ritual, Eastern Princess Retreat, Exotic Facial
Therapy, Eclectic Spa Therapies, and many others.

"The customers are unique individual. The spa manager will
recommend the kind of treatment and customers can experience the
unique rituals using the products they choose," Michael Suryadi,
the Spa Operational Manager of Martha Tilaar.

The company also has a series of products such as ERC Sensual,
Relief, Reviving, Body Contour and Whitening. Those products are
naturally made and come in the form of aromatic soaps, body
washes, body scrubs, massage oils, body masks, body lotions,
herbal baths and bath salts, which are only available in the
Relief and Reviving lines.

These unique treatment philosophies help ERC grow
tremendously. There are currently seven ERCs in Indonesia,
including in Semarang, Surabaya and Bali, and four operating
centers overseas and five more under construction this year in
Korea, the United States, the Philippines and Malaysia, with
agreements for 19 more in the U.S., Korea and China in the near
future.

Michael said that ERC is a world-class destination spa that
maintains clients' historical treatment in its database to
provide clients with the best service when they visit any ERCs.

"We also serve a group of women for a special private function
in our spa so that they can get together while receiving our
treatment," he said.

While some spa centers call themselves destination spas, many
others are only day spas, in which the customers can choose from
a single menu and the treatments end within hours. Destination
spas are mostly located in tranquil locations, while day spas are
found in the downtown core or even in hotels.

Take for example, Le Spa, which is located in Le Meridien
Hotel. Its therapists and beauticians always help clients to
choose day spa services such as therapeutic and relaxing facials
and body scrubs, aromatic and hydro baths and western and eastern
massages. It also provides an array of facilities, such as a
sauna, steam room and a Jacuzzi.

Clients can choose to have a seaweed body wrap, in which they
are enveloped in a thick layer of seaweed to eliminate toxins
from the body and reduce cellulite, or a mineral earth clay wrap,
which uses volcanic soil and clay from Central Java to clean the
skin's pores by drawing out impurities. These treatments are
accompanied by the use of a heated blanket.

"Sixty percent of our clients are men ranging in age from 20
years to 60 years. Most of them choose a stress release massage
during their lunch hour," said Listya Suhita, Le Meridien's
Assistant Club Manager. Le Spa offers special spa treatments for
male clients.

Unlike Le Meridien, Bale-Bale Spa, also in Jakarta, offers its
services only for women. Besides offering the traditional body
and hair treatments, the spa center also offers a hair spa,
comprising hair treatments for women with complicated hair
problems.

"The clients are given special creams and serums to restore
the hair's natural balance while they listen to soft music and
enjoy a traditional atmosphere," said Vivi Dahlan, who owns the
Bale-Bale Spa.