Sparkling Spas
Sparkling Spas
by Peter Graham
by Peter Graham
Lie back and relax, you are in good hands... There are few things as soothing and enjoyable as being pampered in a really top-class spa. And while most luxury hotels around the globe have latched onto this health trend, spas in Asia still reign supreme. From Bangalore to Bali and from Singapore to Sri Lanka, you will find spas that specialise in giving guests a new lease on life. Join us as we take a look at four of the top health spas in Asia.
This may well be Asia's most exclusive spa resort. Located on seven acres of beachfront at Hua Hin, where the Thai royal family have their holiday home, Chiva-Som is everything you expect of a luxury spa resort. Since opening in 1995 it has drawn the rich and the famous. The resort's celebrity guests have included David Beckham, Kylie Minogue, Hugh Grant and Serena Williams.
So what can you expect from Asia's best? Besides being a spectacular beach resort, it boasts top-notch therapists and medical staff. Name any treatment and it is bound to be offered. Preventative and rehabilitative care is offered, but most guests come here to regain a feeling of vitality, recharge their batteries and to be pampered like nowhere else.
With indoor and outdoor treatment pavilions, the spa offers a range of face and body massages, scrubs and wraps, reflexology, aromatherapy, electrical face and body reshaping and toning treatments. There is also a hydro-therapy suite with computerized spa massage baths, a jet shower room, a music therapy room and a unique flotation chamber for de-stressing.
As if that's not enough, you can also use their high-tech, air-conditioned gym, pavilions for yoga and Tai Chi, air-conditioned studios with spring floors for aerobics, outdoor pool by the beach, and a bathing pavilion with an indoor pool for aqua aerobics, a multi-level unisex steam room, a plunge pool, a Kneipp bath of pebbles in a cold and hot pool to massage the feet and a large hydro-pool. By now, you should have the picture. Chiva-Som is in a league of its own.
If you have a taste for the historic and the exotic, Le Méridien Angkor Hotel and Spa will take your breath away. At this magnificent resort, you can indulge in soothing spa treatments on the doorstep of Angkor Wat, one of the wonders of the world. What better way to relax after a day of touring the majestic temples than to be pampered with a full body massage in the hotel's superb spa.
On offer is a range of traditional massage and health therapies, Western and Asian, to relax, rejuvenate, and revitalize body and mind. These include a traditional Khmer herbal bath, bergamot and walnut seed exfoliation, East-West fusion massage, an ancient hot stone facial and foot reflexology.
The spa has six treatment rooms, three designed for couples and one with a Jacuzzi. Other facilities at the resort include a Khmer-designed swimming pool with tropical gardens, cycling and a studio gym with aerobic and resistance equipment. The Le Meridien Angkor is the perfect place for a restful break, where you can find bliss in tranquil surroundings and regain a zest for life.
For innovation and a big "wow factor", little can touch the spa at Huvafen Fushi Resort in the Maldives. To start, this is one of the world's most sought-after holiday resorts, set within its own lagoon and offering tropical island splendour and pristine beaches. But what sets it apart from its formidable rivals in the Maldives is its underwater spa, the first in the world.
Two underwater treatment rooms and a relaxation area offer guests the opportunity to get within a few inches of the marine wonderworld. Imagine being gently massaged as you watch the sealife glide by. Even the six overwater treatment rooms have their own glass floors, so you can view the sun-dappled aquamarine seascape below.
But that's not all. The spa, managed by Per Aquum, also boasts the Maldives' first salt water flotation pool (known as a Lonu Veyo), which is known for its therapeutic and healing effects. Finally, you can even choose to be pampered aboard the resort's own 70-foot yacht, which has a spa treatment room on board, a rainmaker shower on the main deck and a large jacuzzi. That's real style! Other facilities at the resort include a steam roomk, sauna, ice room, high-tech rain shower, overwater yoga pavilion and a gym.
Among the treatments on offer are haemaview live blood analysis, iridology, reiki, shirodhara, reflexology, and naturopathic facial therapy. But the spa's signature treatment is its underwater massage, named the "Crystal Ritual", using coconut, lime and minerals. Your time down under the ocean will make you feel on top of the world.
An archipelago of 99 islands in the Andaman Sea, Langkawi is growing in stature as an international tropical destination. Part of its success lies with the opening of the Four Seasons Resort, which has lifted standards of luxury and service to a new level. And it's here that we find one of Malaysia's best spas. Set on a pristine beach, with a backdrop of limestone granite, the emphasis here is on seclusion and tranquillity. Before your treatment, you can enjoy an outdoor shower or an indoor bath in a celadon soaking tub.
Let's look at just one of the treatments - the Malaysian mist. You start off with a steam bath and shower where you begin to unwind. Next stop is the massage table, where you have a traditional Malay massage. An organic lemongrass and coconut body scrub comes next, followed by a cool shower. Then you take a long soak in a pandan floral bath, after which your skin is treated with tropical body butter. The session ends with a cup of fresh pandan herbal tea. Just imagine how great you will feel after that!
Book a one-bedroom beach villa and you'll get your own private spa room, where you can enjoy one of the spa's four signature massages in total seclusion from the outside world. Staying here, one can easily forget the stresses and strains of everyday life. And that, I guess, is the biggest benefit of all.
For other reports on resorts in Asia, check out our archive
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Koh Samui, Thailand
If your idea of a holiday is relaxing in a friendly beach hotel, then the Thai House Beach Resort is perfect for you. With only 60 rooms, the resort offers great Thai hospitality and comfort. Located on Lamai beach on Koh Samui, the resort has a sparkling beachfront swimming pool and jacuzzi. Dine on fresh seafood overlooking the beach and enjoy a soothing massage with the sounds of the ocean in your ear.
From only US$87 per night, including all taxes and breakfast.
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