Summer packages from Aura, Park hotel's luxury day spa's

Experts at Aura, the luxury day spa at The Park, have devised the perfect way to beat the heat. They've announced new packages to battle the season's horrific heat, dust and grime. So sweat no more and simply check out these amazing treatments available at The Park in New Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Visakhapatnam

Vanilla Essence
It is a gentle massage with a concoction of freshly crushed vanilla beans along with an in-house chocolate-coconut cream. Choco powder, believe experts, is rich in cocoa that helps blood circulation by increasing oxygen supply to the cells. It also helps in removing toxins apart from firming and toning up the skin. Vanilla, on the other hand, is anti-oxidant, aphrodisiac (hmmm!) and is known for its anti-depressant qualities too. What’s more, coconut Cream, rich in Lauric acid, protects one from harmful sunrays. It is known for its healing, tissue repairing and anti scarring properties. I would agree on that; in fact, eczema patients are often advised to rub good ol’ coconut oil on the affected area since it reduces itching and heals the area too.
Duration: one hour; price: Rs 2,350 (excluding taxes)

Mango Mélange
The active ingredients of mango will nurture your skin and the much needed antioxidants of yoghurt will take care of the damage caused by the harmful sun rays. Mango boasts of having a high content of antioxidants and is rich in its hydrating properties while also being rich in vitamin C that helps in relieving clogged pores. Yoghurt being a good natural sunscreen improves complexion and with its cooling and calming properties, makes the skin soft and supple and is a good anti-skin irritant.
Remember to use fresh yoghurt else your face might burst into boils. Also, while mixing yoghurt with Fullers Earth and applying on the face is a good idea, make sure not to let it dry completely especially if you are prone to having a dry complexion.
Duration: one hour, 15 minutes; price: Rs 1,750 (excluding taxes)

Photo courtesy: Aura: The Park, Kolkata

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