What a WOW holiday

Sumitra Senapaty brings her brand new package for 2010 for women who love travelling and are spa-holics. Read the details below and go on a "nirvana" holiday. Cheers to health, then.

WOW Wellness Week at
Om Beach, Gokarna
Celebrating 5 years of WOW!
June19th to June 26th ex Goa

Where
SwaSwara is situated beside the legendary Om Beach in the small town of Gokarna in Karnataka, 170kms from Goa’s Dabolim Airport. Pampering comes naturally here because there are 26 acres of private forests of banyan, casuarinas, acacia, kokum, fig, coconut and palm trees within a secluded sanctuary for the soul right next to the Arabian Sea.
Accommodation
The sense of space is to die for! Because it is like your own private home! You can laze and linger on for the entire day, reading your favourite book, enjoying precious time for your self! Your villa consists of the following:
• A very comfortable glass and curtain enclosed air conditioned bedroom.
• A covered walk-in-wardrobe for suitcase and clothes.
• An open centre courtyard with loads of greenery.
• A sitting room that looks out over a beautiful pond.
• A staircase that leads up to your individual meditation platform, which faces the forest canopy and ocean below.
Facilities
• 24 self contained villas built in traditional Konkan style.
• 22 meter lap swimming Pool
• Meditation Dome
• Ayurveda Centre
Cuisine
• Healthy vegetarian and fresh sea catch
• Interactive cooking at the Gallery Kitchen

Things to Do
• Yoga
• Pranayama
• Meditation
• Ayurveda (separate charges apply)
• Boat rides (weather permitting)
• Kayaking (weather permitting)
• Nature walks (weather permitting)
• Exploration of Gokarna town, market and temples
• Satsangs (discourses) on important aspects of Yoga and Ayurveda.
• Glass/sand painting with Artist in Residence.
• Clay modeling
• Jewellery designing with shells and beads.
• Movie evenings.

Your days at Gokarna
• 7:00am-8:00am Progressive Asanas Yoga Shala
• 8:15am-9:15am Wellness Asanas Yoga Shala
• 10:15am-11:00am Rejuvenation Asanas Blue Dome
• 11.15am-12pm Mantra studies Yoga Shala
• 12:15pm-12:45pm Art Yoga Art Gallery
• 3:30 pm-4:15pm Yoga Nidra Blue Dome
• 4:30 pm-5.30pm Chakra Meditation Blue Dome
• 7:00pm-7:45pm MSRT Blue Dome

What you get
Sanjivani Meditation - To strengthen biological as well as spiritual link between our inner vital force and cosmic force through simple hand movements. Application of these pranic sensations to all organs will enhance overall energy level.
Chakra Meditation: Activating 7 major energy centers (CHAKRAS) of body by focusing on their colour & location. Deep breathing & “OM” chanting accelerates the supply of vital energy from all chakras to related body organs.
Manthra Studies: To avoid mechanical chanting, here we teach you the pronunciation & meaning of various mantras, to get its real vibrations & all other benefits.
Stress Management: This session include theory and practical lessons on stress management, various techniques, motivating stories etc will reduce mental and emotional stresses.
Anahata Suddhi Meditation: This is to purify and enrich your personality by removing all emotional scars and wounds that you got in life. Positive values like universal love, compassion etc will become stronger in you with this practice.
Yoga Games: Various simple indoor games to increase quality of life to maintain inner happiness and to make interaction with others, smoother and enjoyable.
Satsanga: These include teachings of great personalities and this session will give you answers for questions relating to yoga spirituality etc.
Mind Sound Resonance Technique: This is a meditation technique to generate resonance throughout the body by repeating a mental sound (mantra). Thus makes us able to gain mastery over the mind and reach subtle layers of mind or super consciousness, enhances the power of mind and leads to bless.
Pranic Energisation Technique: This is a meditation technique in which we use our prana shakti (life energy) which is activated by hand gestures to energize our entire body. Each and every organ & system of the body can be revitalized by this meditation.
Om Tat Sat

Inclusions
• Airport transfers from Goa and back to Goa.
• All meals.
• Facilities & activities listed above.
Exclusions
• Ayurvedic treatments & massages.
• Wines & soft drinks & beverages.
• Excursions & transfers other than listed.
• Anything not included in the inclusions.
• Tips, telephone calls, laundry, room service.

*Please note that SwaSwara has no room service, no soft drinks and only Indian wines.

WOW Wellness Package cost per person on twin share is as follows:
• For 7 nights RS 22,000
• For 5 nights RS 18,000

To reserve your place on this exciting tour, please courier to the below address your full package amount in favour of WOW Club along with the filled in WRF that is attached. The last date for booking is 20th May 2010.
Below are the payment options:
• Courier an At Par Cheque in favour of WOW Club at the given address.
• Online transfer or deposit the money at any Axis Bank close to your area and send in the deposit details.

Bank Details
Current account no.296010200008051
AXIS BANK
Mayur Vihar, LSC, Phase 2, ND 91
IFS Code: UTIB0000296

Address for sending cheque and/or WRF
WOW Club
703/704 Som Dutt Chamber II
Bhikaji Cama Place
New Delhi-110066

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

Ayurvedic products by Iraya

Inspired by Ayurveda, Iraya, a three-year-old brand unveiled its new range of products for the Indian market recently. The beauty and wellness brand from Sadatan Pure Ayurveda, Iraya reaches out with its range of “natural” beauty products. Natural is the key word here especially because the brand’s range comprises of products that believe in nature’s own healing process, bestowing complete wellness and lasting beauty from within. Needless to say, none of the products have synthetic colorant or fragrance.
Appreciated — and used — by spa professionals and wellness patrons, Iraya products are present at over 50 spas in India and overseas destinations. This includes spas like Sereno Spa at Park Hyatt, Goa, Quan Spa at JW Marriott, Mumbai, Blu Spa at Marriott Hotel Goa, Club Prana Spa at The Hyatt Regency (Mumbai and Kolkata) and The Spa at Shangri-la, New Delhi, to name a few.

Kumkumadi Balm
Prescribed in Ayurveda as a “miraculous elixir’ for the skin, this balm is a concoction of pure saffron and 10 precious Ayurvedic herbs that lighten and brighten the complexion. It evens skin tone, clears blemishes, minimizes fine lines and surface imperfections and helps improve skin texture and complexion. Excellent for dry skin.
Rs 475 (50 gms)

Orange & Green Tea Scrub
With extracts of green tea, orange, walnut shells (yes, that’s right) and almonds, this face scrub gently removes dead skin cells, improves skin texture and tones up the skin. Regular use will aid in a luminous complexion and a healthy glow. Other ingredients in the scrub include bael fruit (amazing!), aloe vera (trusted), apricots, almonds and grapefruit seed extracts. Who knows, maybe it’s delicious to taste too ;)
Rs 195 (50 gms)

After Shave Gel With Tea Tree
With extracts of tea tree, wild grass and aloe vera, this soothing gel calms irritated skin and wonderfully moisturizes while also reducing any inflammation. An excellent unisex product, it can be used as an after-shave soother to soften and heal the skin as naturally as possible.
Rs 195 (150ml)

Oatmeal Soap
A wholesome, mildly-exfoliating soap that leaves skin soft, smooth and fresh. With the calming aroma of oatmeal and the goodness of cold-pressed oils, step into the shower armed with this soap to de-stress at the end of a long day. Containing oat flakes, coconut oil, rice bran oil, vanilla, olive oil, vegetable glycerine and aqua, this could be you next pick.
Rs 115 (100gm)

Triphala Face Tonic
Iraya’s signature Triphala face tonic balances the metabolic mechanism and opens up the channels of the skin with its cleansing action. Triphala helps to enhance the skin's natural resistance to free radical damage. The nutrition that your face gets with the face tonic includes amla, sandalwood, vetiver oil, vegetable glycerine, natural “grain” alcohol besides essential oils of neroli, ylang ylang and Indian rose.
Rs 225 (150ml)

Orders can also be placed online at www.iraya.in
Picture courtesy: Iraya

FICCI E&Y 2009 report on the Indian wellness industry

The Great Indian Tourism story isn’t exciting in 2009. The economic slowdown, the terror attacks have hit the tourism industry big time and that’s a reason why Incredible!ndia www.incredibleindia.org, as part of its new initiative has announced special tie-ups and packages with wellness centres.Interestingly, the Indian tourism ministry is in the process of finalizing a scheme wherein a tourist visiting India for medical treatments will be offered additional treatments free of cost. Of course, the logistics will still need to be worked out but the tourism ministry is set to offer a healing touch. How? For instance, a person coming for a bypass surgery from abroad will be offered a complementary skin treatment package or an Ayurvedic therapy, for that matter. Since November 2008 (immediately after the terror attacks in Mumbai) the tourism — particularly the hospitality — sector is grappling with negative numbers of tourists. No wonder, the sector is now banking on medical tourism while also offering valuable add-ons. While the ministry is already in advance discussions with major hospitals like Apollo, Moolchand, Fortis and Wockhardt to offer patients complementary treatments, a clearer picture should come out soon. “Roping spa centre operators into the scheme for tourism India is a very conscious decision,” confirms a spokesperson.

That wellness is high on the radar of Indian tourism is evident from the success that the Indian wellness services market has witnessed. According to the latest study by FICCI and Ernst & Young, the wellness industry — currently estimated at Rs 110 billion — will continue to remain buoyant and has the potential to sustain at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 30-35 per cent for the next five years. The FICCI-E&Y report, Wellness: Exploring the Untapped Potential, has classified the wellness industry into seven core segments within different products and services such as allopathy, alternative therapies, beauty, counselling, fitness/slimming, nutrition and rejuvenation. Of these, rejuvenation services such as spas, alternative therapies, ayurveda treatments and beauty services are expected to show growth rates as high as 30 per cent. At the same time, fitness comprising gyms and slimming centers are expected to grow by more than 25 per cent. Nutrition products, including dietary supplements, health food and drinks have shown a growth rate of 8-10 per cent, whereas allopathy as a segment was not classified due to its traditional linkage to healthcare. According to the report, the increasing level of activity is arising from the entry of several providers such as organised Indian and international players; expansion by existing companies to new product categories and regions; strategic alliances across the value chain, interest by private equity investors and also players in allied industries like hotels and real estate entering the wellness segments. The report also points to a trend of players moving towards offering a ‘one-stop-solution’ for all wellness-based needs by adding more products and services across various segments in wellness. In terms of payback and gestation periods, products such as health foods and drinks, dietary supplements and alternative medicines require greater investments, normally exceeding Rs 25 crore or more, says the report, with paybacks ranging from 3-6 years. At the same time, services such as ayurveda treatment, alternative treatment centers, salons etc require much lower investment and also have lower paybacks of upto three years.

* Picture courtesy: Aura

Summer packages at Soukya, Bangalore

The Indian tourism ministry, on its website http://visitindia2009.incredibleindia.org/ has begun advertising a lovely spa centre from Bangalore. Called SOUKYA Indian Holistic Health Centre, http://www.soukya.com/ it has announced its 2009 wellness packages for tourists.
A Basic Ayurvedic Rejuvenation programme for 21 days, complete with accommodation, food (vegetarian cuisine which also includes fresh, organic herbal drinks), daily consultations and dietary advice, treatments, yoga programmes implemented twice every day, along with complimentary use of recreational and swimming pool facilities, costs Rs 15,812 per day.
Other programmes at the Soukya centre include Shareera (Body) treatment that concentrates on weight loss using Naturopathic hydrotherapy, Yoga and Diet Simple Ayurvedic package. (Rs.19,057 per day for a 14-day treatment) There’s also SUNDAR (Beauty) treatment that spread over 15 days this treatment offers over 66 different therapies that include natural Ayurvedic products which are anti-ageing. Additionally, guests are also given mud and herbal packs. (Rs 19,942 per day).
The most expensive treatment is Shakthi (power) treatment that’s designed to rejuvenate and soothe and calm the nerves through specially designed Ayurvedic revitalising treatments besides mud packs, reflexology and even acupressure. This is ideal for corporates and foreign tourists who obviously don’t have much time on their hands. Spread over just seven days (the minimum time you have to spend at Soukya, the programme offers as many as 42 treatments for a price of Rs 27,022 per day.

Actually, for those of you planning to travel to south India, where a plethora of spa treatments are available anyway (*beware of touts and unclean places that pass off as spa centres) it would be a good idea to make Bangalore your base, try out Soukya treatments and then proceed to different destinations. Better still, round off your India holiday with a trip to Soukya and the luxurious treatments that it offers.

*Soukya package rates (excluding taxes) valid from April 1, 2009 till September 30, 2009.
* Meals served are primarily vegetarian. Low fat, low salt and very little spice.
* No smoking and alcohol allowed on the property
* Select treatments cannot be done on women when they have their menstural cycle
* Cash, cheques, debit and credit cards (Visa, Master and American Express) accepted

Green tea spa treatments

I was speaking to a friend about spalendor.blogspot.com and she was kind enough to tell me about this very unique spa in the heart of Kurseong. Nestled in the midst of tea gardens in north East India, it’s a wellness resort which specializes in — what else — tea massages besides other therapies. My friend, who has experienced a green tea facial here (60 minutes, Rs 400) swears by it, claims that the perfect ambience and the trained therapists with their amazing skill make a trip to this resort a truly memorable one. Called the Cochrane Place, the resort offers yoga and pranayama sessions, Ayurvedic treatments, in addition to what they call, Himalayan Spa.
Cochrane Place is on the outskirts of the main town and is essentially a restored British colonial home. One of the best things about engaging in spa sessions here is the fact that you’re gently teased by the aroma of Darjeeling tea, gardens of which surround the entire property. Not surprising then that many guests opt for tea spa treatments here. While the green tea facial is there, there’s also an ayurvedic “leaf-bag massage” especially created to relieve body aches and pains (Rs 750 for 45 minutes; Rs 800 for 60 minutes).
Do give their website http://www.imperialchai.com/ a look to find out other details. While at it, I also suggest you take a look at one of the tickers which advertise an interesting site called calcuttawalks.com. Cochrane Place has just announced some of its new packages and maybe you’d like to give this place a try this summer.

Incidentally, Delhi's Galaxy Hotel (pitched as India's first lifestyle hotel complete with five-star services, spa and shopping centre) does a unique body wrap with green tea extracts that are mixed with multani mitti (Fullers earth) and sandalwood powder which makes the skin feel younger and lighter. Green tea is said to have anti-oxidant properties which detoxify the skin. This treatment is available for Rs 950 and lasts for a luxuriating 45 minutes.
Happy spa holidaying, then.

* picture courtesy: Cochrane Place