Guy Kremer Eye Catchers & Thai Spa, Mumbai

Guy Kremer Eye Catchers & Thai Spa introduces Fish Spa Exfoliation Therapy for your feet, an extremely popular therapy across the world and a new craze catching on in a big way in India.
The Thai Spa brings to Mumbai a natural foot exfoliation therapy by Nature’s Doctor Fish. Garra Rufa or Doctor Fish as they are called are brought all the way from the hot springs of Turkey where their unique dietary habits were discovered to smoothen human skin to a healthy glow. Lounge with your feet in the fish spa while the Doctor fish nibble away the scaly dead skin on your feet to give you clean, healthy and smooth feet. It also allows newer skin to regenerate leaving your feet completely massaged. Not just this it also promotes blood circulation, lightens minor scars, eases psoriasis and minor eczema and releases stress and tension giving an enjoyable and relaxing feeling.
At Guy Kremer Eye Catchers & Thai Spa water is changed daily. Temperature is controlled at approximately 30 degree C (86 degree F) and pH level is maintained at neutral. It also prevents liquid waste of oxygen.

You can book your appointment at Eyecatchers & The Thai Spa , High Street, Phoenix, Mumbai. 022 30404528/29/ 30.

Review: Harnn Heritage Spa

My colleague Neha Bhatt had visited the Harnn Heritage Spa in New Delhi recently and written about it too. The article was published in Business Standard Newspaper. She's allowed SPAlendor to use the piece. Thanks so much Neha.


Harnn Heritage Spa, a Thai chain, recently opened for business in India. With its quiet, tasteful wooden interiors, this outlet includes a cafe and is in the rather empty MGF Metropolitan Mall at Saket, New Delhi.

Now, what spa pampering can I pick for a hot summer day? That information is not available on their website, which is still under construction. Over the phone, while making a reservation, the receptionist, a Thai gentlemen, suggested I walk in 10 minutes before the appointment to skim through the menu and zero in on my preference.

At the designated time, over a cup of complimentary herbal tea, I filled out a spa consultation form to specify my massage requirements. The 13-odd treatments listed on the menu include body massages, foot therapies and facials. Their signature treatment, the Jasmine Therapy (Rs 4,500 for 150 minutes), offers all three treatments. The other treatments at Harnn require 45 to 90 minutes. If you prefer an oil massage, you can pick from a range of aromas — rosemary, citrus, lavender and so on. I chose a balm therapy, the Thai Heritage Massage (Rs 1,650) — with medium to firm pressure. Among the other treatments, the facials seemed expensive at Rs 2,250, while the flowery body scrubs seemed slightly more moderate at Rs 2,000. (All prices exclusive of taxes.)

After a quick foot soak, my masseur, Manipuri incidentally, led me to a spacious treatment room, which was again done up quite elegantly and stocked with a range of Harnn beauty products. The masseur quizzed me with a series of questions before the massage. Did I like the music? Yes. Was the room temperature all right? Yes. Did I need to visit the restroom before we started? No, but thanks for asking. Sixty minutes later, I silently declared the massage to have passed my test, with flying colours, I might add. The stretching techniques and pressure from fingers, elbow, knees and feet perfectly worked the black pepper herbal balm into the skin. Post-massage, I was offered another cup of herbal tea and a plate of melon along with a feedback form, which got full marks for the polite staff. The cafe next door, in partnership with restaurateur Ritu Dalmia, offers a menu where beverages are priced at Rs 100 upwards, and short eats from Rs 300. So, even if you are not up for an over-indulgent afternoon at the spa, stop at this snug little cafe and take a peek into the Harnn boutique.

Score: 8/10. For an expensive but pleasing experience

Picture courtesy: Harnn India

Cleansing it just right

This story was published in Business Standard Newspaper http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/cleansing-it-just-right/374178/ on Sunday

After bingeing on sweets, drinks and greasy food, a detox spa is what you need.

You’ve binged on all the booze, gorged on sweets, lined the stomach with greasy but gratifying Diwali meals. Now, you’re lethargic and dreary, too. Right? Well, what you need is a detox programme, after all those nights of playing teen-patti with kebabs, chips and pakoras by your side. It’s reassuring, all right, but unhealthy eating and late-night rounds of card parties will leave you tired, especially once the festivities are over and you need to rejuvenate yourself quickly to get back to the grind of daily stress and duties.

While it’s absolutely essential to eat right (a good idea is to go on a healthy fruit diet for a week), what I’d personally recommend is spa treatments to leave you relaxed and completely recharged.

A quick-fix weekend break at Ananda, a leading premium spa property, for instance, could be the perfect choice for the post-Diwali detox session. While the property is breathtakingly beautiful, the treatments at Ananda don’t disappoint either. As a post-Diwali fix, Ananda has a host of Ayurvedic treatments which, coupled with yoga and healthy food, aim at complete detoxification of the body. The signature treatments, perfect for post-Diwali detox, include wild rose salt glow (with rose oil and Dead Sea-salt cleansing scrub) and a 45-minute Indian body mask (dry exfoliation with therapeutic clay application for 45 minutes).

If a marathon detox session is what you need, then head to Goa’s Park Hyatt to experience the Samudra Ritual, a three-and-a-half-hour-long treatment that promises to leave you feeling revived from head to toe. The treatment combines hydrotherapy, dry scrubs and algae wraps with rigorous massages using creams that come packed with sea mineral scrubs. The cost: Rs 9,500.

If time is a constraint, we recommend Sole2Sole, a foot reflexology service started by Mallica Singh in Delhi’s Uday Park area. It makes sense to go in for a rejuvenating foot reflexogy treatment, especially because all the hectic Diwali activities have a direct impact on your feet.

Natasha Shah of The Nature Co adds,“Celebrations are bound to take a toll on the body, so it’s important to pamper oneself.” Shah says that a spa-at-home is also an option, what with the availability of quality products, soothing music and candles to create a soft glow. The Nature Co has introduced a special “white pepper cleansing milk”, with antiseptic and purifying qualities, that penetrates the skin to remove impurities. The company’s special range in the “detox” category includes cleansing milk creams, rose hydrating facial mist, corn-based exfoliating face packs and special aroma oils (rosemary-sage-thyme, for example) that promise to treat dull skin.

My personal suggestion, despite all the products you can purchase at stores, would be to get detox treatments done by experts. Thanks to mobile spa vans, you can get masseurs to come to your doorstep. They’ll recreate the magic of a spa in your humble room and transform it radically into a dreamy, wondrous place. Try Tattva, a mobile spa van which has introduced festive specials, including chocolate scrubs, foot spa treatment, facials, traditional Swedish back rubs and much more.

Like Tattva, The Park’s Aura Spa has introduced special spa treatments that are perfect for post-party souls. Our pick: Soothing Pumpkin, a treatment which comes packed with the goodness of beta-carotene, anti-oxidants and vitamins A and C, as well as zinc and alpha-hydroxyl acids. Blended with sesame seeds, the treatment helps sagging skin (something that happens when you consume too much alcohol) and hydrates the skin layers. Available at Rs 2,000 for one hour.

But the ultimate high in a spa experience would be the signature treatments that Aman offers. For an oil-free experience, try Saleekha, a special 90-minute Thai massage which aims at gentle yoga stretches while also using pressure points to energise tired muscles. At Rs 7,000, it’s the perfect recipe for a soothing tomorrow. The best part at Aman is that you can simply surrender yourself to the expert who, after studying your skin type and other details, will suggest a therapy for you. And if time’s a constraint, you could try Shiro, a simple head massage and wrap treatment where the therapist massages rosemary and hibiscus oils into the scalp. At Rs 1,500, it’s your answer to the hangover that you may have experienced after a night of drinking.

Amatrra offers special detox packages for the festive season, in which therapeutic massages are designed to remove toxins. Radisson Espace has designed special therapies, including a lime and pink ginger body scrub, for example, that help in fighting pimples, skin infections and eruptions. Who said you can’t gorge on sweets, then?

Tattva Spa's festive offers

Festive specials at Indian spa resorts

Celebrations just got a little more enthralling at the Kenilworth Beach Resort and Spa, Goa. This year, add a special touch to your Diwali celebrations, with a leisurely getaway to this amazing beach resort and spa getaway in Goa. The festive package at this five-star beach resort, for a three-night, four-day stay (October 16, 2009 to November 10, 2009, is Rs 30,000 for a ‘sea view’ room, Rs 27,000 for a ‘standard deluxe’ room and Rs 25,000 for a ‘garden view’ room (per couple).
The costs for single occupancy starts at Rs 21,000 and goes up to Rs 23,000 and Rs 26,000 (‘sea view’ room) respectively. For children between the age group of 10-12 years to be accommodated in the same room, the additional charges cost Rs 2,400-3,000.
Apart from gorging on cashews and port wine, you can also indulge in some sightseeing to the churches, temples and some nearby spice plantation areas. For water lovers there’s the 17,500 sq ft pool and you can use the pool and the Jacuzzi. There’s also free entry to R.E.D, the hotel’s discotheque.
The prices include buffet meals (three breakfasts, three lunches and three dinners, to be precise and children will be entitled to free ice cream coupons too.
It goes without saying that you’ll be also pampered with some irresistible spa therapies at the resort. Do indulge and share your experiences by writing a guest blog for us at SPAlendor. You can mail me on spalendor@gmail.com and I’ll definitely include your write-up on the blog. Send us pictures too.
Contact:
The Kenilworth Beach Resort
Utorda, Salcete
Tel: 91 0832 6698888
www.kenilworthhotels.com
kenilworthgoa@kenilworthhotels.com

Aura, The Park: New Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Vishakapatnam
Three new treatments from the house of Aura, Park’s very trendy spa centre have been introduced for the festive season. These rejuvenating and relaxing offers at Aura will ensure that you detox well after endless rounds of eating and binging and late night parties.
Sweets Moments – One complete hour of bliss is what you will be promised when sugarcane extracts will be used to knead your tired muscles. The “lactic acid crystals” from the sugarcane ensures in restoring the natural elasticity in the body.
Duration: One hour; price: Rs 2,150+taxes

Soothing Pumpkin – Pumpkin is rich in beta carotene and contains anti-oxidant vitamins A and C, as well as zinc and alpha-hydroxyl-acids. These properties blended with the power of sesame seeds help to reduce signs of ageing and hydrate the skin layers.
Duration: One hour; price: Rs 2,000+taxes

Kesar Kulfi - This beauty treatment is a blend of fragrant saffron (kesar) and nourishing almonds. Kesar is best known for its power of reducing facial lines. The face is gently cleansed with milk and then polished with a concoction of jaggery and semolina powder.
Duration: 1.15 hours; price: Rs 1,850+taxes

Samudra Ritual with Exotic Sea Minerals at The Park Hyatt, Goa: This has to be the season’s best offering. The Park Hyatt, Goa, is bringing together the magic of yoga and ayurveda and exotic sea minerals in a wonderfully sublime therapy called the Samudra Ritual. The three-hour luxurious and rejuvenating spa ritual with uplifting properties of natural sea based ingredients, starts with micronized marine algae body wrap, followed by marma massage and a detox facial.
The treatment begins with a steam in the private hydrotherapy room attached to the spa suite where an aromatic steam bath is prepared to optimize your experience with the therapist and the therapy. Beginning with specially blended aromatic oils that will be burning on your arrival and a private plunge pool with warm water smeared with floral extracts, the purifying welcome ritual of soaking the feet in water filled with rose petals also includes an exfoliating rock salt cleaning treatment.
The therapy commences in aesthetically-designed suites complete with soft lighting, comfy beds and aromas of oils and candles. After a “marine algae wrap”, used to dry brush the body, the warm marine mineral mix is then gently smeared over and cocooned around the body to generate heat and induce detoxification.
What follows is a traditional Marma massage, a combination of energy point stimulation and gentle strokes designed to stimulate the natural cleansing processes in the body and improve the mind-body balance. The grand finale includes a revitalizing “marine facial” where sea minerals are used to hydrate and enrich the face. This replenishing treatment helps to combat the signs of premature ageing by restoring the natural balance of the skin. Additionally, there’s an ancient herbal concoction where one could conclude with a mineral bath salt soak or saffron infused milk bath soak in their private plunge pool. A cup of organic tea in the tranquil tea lounge that follows the treatment is the best way to say a quiet thank-you for the rich experience.
Duration: 3.5 hours; Rs 9,000+tax