Healing Lifestyles & Spas

More is Better

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By on Beauty

By Leslie Gilbert Elman

Who knows better than spa directors what the next big spa trend will be? Our sources tell us to expect longer, more intensive, customized treatments like the ones below. The philosophy is: More is better. We heartily agree.

Ritual Treatments

Rituals, often lasting two hours or more, top the list of new offerings at many destination spas. Derived from ancient practices of indigenous cultures around the world, these total immersion experiences will transport you to another place and time.

Imagine that you’re a Balinese bride purifying her body before her wedding or an Aboriginal woman in Australia seeking mental clarity. Traditionally, these quests would include an elaborate process of baths, scrubs, and rubs with scented oils amid the sounds of tribal music. Each of your senses would be attended to in preparation for your spiritual journey.

Spa rituals work in the same way. “In a two-hour ritual, I can essentially take you to another country, expose you to something new, and get you to participate,” explains Tammy Pahel, spa director at Turnberry Isle Resort & Club, Aventura, Florida, which offers Australian Aboriginal, Balinese, Thai, and Ayurvedic Spa Rituals.

You might learn something, too. Therapists who perform ritual treatments at Turnberry Isle explain to guests what is being done and why. The Australian Aboriginal Ritual, for instance, might include a scented bath, a body wrap in Tasmanian peat, a Vichy shower and “smudging” with traditional herbs before a full body massage – all performed to the music of an Australian didgeridoo. Even the fabrics used for wraps come from the place where the ritual originated, so their look, texture, and smell are authentic.

The Spa at Torrey Pines, in La Jolla, California, also offers ritual treatments, such as the 140-minute Scen Tao Ritual that includes stone massage, Shiatsu, acupressure, body wrap, facial, and aromatherapy.

And at Spa Shiki, Lake Ozark, Missouri, the two-hour ritual treatment allows people to shut down to the REM state. Says spa director Ann Brown, “A fifty-minute treatment and out the door isn’t enough anymore.”

A fifty-minute treatment and out the door isn’t enough anymore.

The Total Package

Rituals are part of an overall trend toward longer, more varied treatments. Now you don’t have to choose between the full-body massage, scrub, or wrap. You can have them all in one blissfully long session.

The 110-minute Essential Rose Body Wrap at Lake Austin Spa Resort, Austin, Texas, includes an exfoliation with ground olive stones, a rose-scented moisturizing body wrap, a scalp massage with frankincense oil, and a one-hour body massage. It’s spa director Lynne Vertrees’ personal favorite because, she says, “it creates such a sense of well-being and total relaxation.”

Linda Richey, spa director at The Spa at Manele Bay, on the island of Lana’i in Hawai’i, hated to see guests agonizing over the spa menu. “People want to try new things, but they also want that full body massage,” she says. So, she gave them everything – a scrub, a wrap, and a fifty-minute massage – in a package called Tropical Bliss. “Now they don’t walk out of the spa feeling like something is missing,” she says.

Along with longer treatments, come more penetrating ones. The Spa at Manele Bay uses heated volcanic stones in its aromatherapy massage to soften and relax the muscles. Richey is also considering adding barefoot massage, in which therapists use their feet to massage clients. “I think clients’ requests for harder, more penetrating massage comes from the fact that more of them get therapeutic treatment from chiropractors or physical therapists at home,” Richey says.

Personalized Service

More and more spa-goers are asking for treatments that meet specific needs. Ann Brown of Spa Shiki thinks that’s great because it gives therapists a chance to demonstrate their expertise by tailoring treatments to clients.

At Spa Shiki, clients fill out a questionnaire to determine their physical needs and their personality traits. Their answers influence everything from the blend of oil to the type of strokes used during a massage. After a treatment, clients leave with “homework” – diet tips, breathing exercises, or perhaps stretches to do at their desks during the workday.

“People who visit spas today are looking for a therapeutic means of wellness, not just pampering,” Brown explains. “They want feedback for themselves. Knowledge is empowering.”

People who visit spas today are looking for a therapeutic means of wellness, not just pampering.

These days, spa-goers know what they want; and what they want is everything! So, spas are giving them more time, more attention, more education, and, ultimately, more for their money. If you ask us, more definitely is better.

Ins and Outs

IN: Eighty-minute massages, Healing and wellness, Botanicals, Customized treatments, Inspiration from ancient cultures

OUT: Twenty-five-minute quickie treatments, Pampering and self-indulgence, Cutesy treatments with no therapeutic benefits, “One size fits all” massages, Conspicuous consumption

address book

Lake Austin Spa Resort, Austin, Texas, www.lakeaustin.com, (800) 847-5637

The Spa at Manele Bay, Lana’i, Hawai’i, www.islandoflanai.com, (800) 321-4666

The Spa at Torrey Pines, La Jolla, California, www.spatorreypines.com, (858) 777-6690

Spa Shiki, Lake Ozark, Missouri, www.spashiki.com, (800) THE-LAKE

Turnberry Isle Resort & Club, Aventura, Florida, www.turnberryisle.com, (800) 327-7028

September/October 2003

Shanon Hoffman
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