Surabaya spas offer Javanese

Indra Harsaputra, Contributor, Surabaya

A waitress at the Mandarin Oriental Majapahit Hotel here approached a group of guests carrying a tray with a teapot and cups.

"Excuse me, would you like to try our SPA tea, free of charge," she said to one of the guests. After the guest sipped the tea, the waitress moved on to another group.

A cup of SPA tea at the hotel costs Rp 25,000 (about US$2.70). The hotel also sells tea packages for about Rp 100,000. Each package comes with a description of how the tea is prepared.

SPA (Solus per Aqua) tea is available only at the Majapahit Hotel, which first began promoting the product about a year ago. The tea is sold in bottles in the hotel lobby. It comes in different types of black tea (kasmiri, chai, Earl Grey), herbal tea (camomile, peppermint) and green tea (sencha ginger and lemongrass).

If you wish to improve your vitality, a herbal tea blend is the right choice. If you want to get rid of stress and improve your sleep, a waitress will be able to suggest a suitable tea. If you like your tea sweet, the tea can be mixed with liquid sugar flavored with peppermint, lime or chocolate.

It takes about five minutes before your tea order is placed in front of you. After the tea is served, just add the flavored sugar of your choice and enjoy. If you choose the peppermint flavor, your body will begin to feel warm about 15 minutes after you sip the tea.

The public relations manager of the hotel, Syandra Kwan, said this tea was most popular with Japanese and Chinese guests. They can spend hours in the hotel lobby, enjoying the tea while reading a newspaper or discussing business.

He said Americans and Australians were also fond of the tea, usually opting for the peppermint flavor. Unlike the Japanese and Chinese, the Americans or Australians generally do not linger over their tea.

"This tea is also popular with residents and people who work near the hotel. In the afternoon, many of them come to the lobby to sip tea while waiting for the traffic to ease," Kwan said.

It is recommended, he went on, that after you drink your tea you go to the hotel's spa, which is run by Martha Tilaar. The spa, not far from the lobby, is a combination of Balinese and Javanese styles, in terms of its interior design and aroma therapies.

Unlike spas found in other hotels, which suggest a strong European style, the spa at the Majapahit Hotel is quite unique and elegant. The walls are covered with ulin wood, with flowers on both sides. The lights are dimmed to accentuate the Balinese and Javanese interior design of the room. There is a small pool in the shape of a vase with a fountain in the middle of the room. The moment you enter the spa, you will be greeted by the fresh and fragrant smell of cinnamon.

"Can I help you?" the receptionist asked. Then she offered a list of services available -- jacuzzi, sauna, massage and spa -- and their rates.

After choosing a service, the receptionist offered various types of therapies, including Bali Garden Bliss (anti-stress, whitening, reviving and body contour), Java Island Legacy (fruit, flower, milk bath), traditional Golden Lulur, Chinese Accupressure Massage with Chi herb, Indonesian Deep Tissue Massage, exotic Facial Therapy, Eclectic Spa therapies, Artistic Encore (make-up and hair-do), Eastern Princess Retreat, Chinese Empress Ritual and prewedding as well as postnatal therapies.

Then the receptionist led the way to the treatment rooms. Erick, a Majapahit Hotel Spa member, said the jacuzzi was his favorite because the design for this service was unique. There is a marble lion head that continues to spurt out warm water with the fragrant and fresh aroma of cinnamon.

Besides the Majapahit Hotel, the Hyatt Hotel and Surabaya Plaza Hotel also have spas. There are also specialty spas in Surabaya, including Miracle and Tussy.

The Shangri-La Hotel plans to open a spa in 2006. The hotel's public relations manager, Wike Trisnandhini, said many of their guests had asked for spa services, in addition to the hotel's health and fitness facilities that include a tennis court, a swimming pool, jacuzzi and sauna. These facilities are all available at the hotel's health club on the third floor.

"It is very likely that our spa will also be located in our health club," Wike said, adding that the spa would adopt a European concept as most of the hotel's guests were Westerners.

The hotel's massage, steam and sauna rooms are designed in European style. The rooms look beautiful with their brown woodwork. The Shangri-La has six massage rooms, each of which has its own bathroom. A massage session costs Rp 120,000. If a guest wants a massage in his own room or calls for a masseur from outside the health club, he has to pay Rp 50,000 in addition to the standard fee of Rp 120,000.

A guest at the Shangri-La can play tennis at the hotel's tennis court. The fee is Rp 60,000 per hour. Tennis rackets can be rented for Rp 15,000 an hour, while a playing partner costs Rp 80,000 an hour.

The hotel also provides swimming lessons at a cost of Rp 40,000 for members and Rp 50,000 for non-members.