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?

Hair spa review: Aman, New Delhi

"Who'll style my hair?" Rod quipped while giving me a hair spa treatment



What is hair spa, I thought aloud, looking at Rod Anker, who was busy studying my scalp at Kim Robinson, the brand new salon that opened its doors recently at New Delhi’s Aman. While I relished my cappuccino with cookies, sinking comfortably into the plush chair, surrendering my scalp and mane in the able hands of Rod, I found myself struggling to keep awake thanks to the soothing music that played in the background and Rod’s firm yet comforting head massage. But Rod began: “Hair spa is all about studying your scalp, knowing which treatment to give for a lustrous, shiny mane and really, doing justice to your hair that should be well maintained.”
I suppose, he would know better. As creative director of Kim Robinson at the deliciously serene Aman, the world class hospitality chain that opened its magnificent gates to the junta (audience) just a month ago, Rod is working overtime to ensure that everyone who walks into Kim Robinson walk out feeling confident, feeling wonderful.
So, what was the best part or the one defining moment about my spa treatment? It would be unfair to pin it down to just one, for the joys of being treated at Kim Robinson are aplenty. Number one: No one will tell you, “Madam, your hair, very bad. And miss, what is this thinning of hair? You should put oil in the head madam, see how bad you look. You should use our volume enhancing cream madam, only with that can your hair look better, or else, tsk tsk tsk.” I hate this about salons and the manner in which people cluck their tongues in disgust after carelessly holding a clump of my hair and feeling sorry for my existence. So it’s surprising when Rod looks at my hair (even taking pictures of my scalp from a complicated looking gadget) and pronounces, “So, your hair’s very clean. Nice.” He’s convincing too, immediately giving my hair a good rub and then proceeding to cut my hair.
“Wait! You won’t spray my hair with water?” No, exclaimed Rod stunned at the suggestion. At Kim Robinson they use what’s called a dry technique. Instead of wetting hair and then snipping it away, the promoters believe that hair should be treated in as natural a way as possible. It means hard work for the hairstylist but Rod says it’s worth it. A regular haircut at any other salon would mean the hairstylist spraying jets of water all over the name, helping it to concentrate in one area which makes it easier for them to snip it away. After that is a quick blow dry, a yummy hairstyle which draws everyone’s attention. But what happens the next morning? Don’t you invariably sulk looking at your hair which is back to its usual look with no volume, no bounce and absolutely no convincing haircut.
Surprisingly, that’s where Kim Robinson haircut with its dry technique works. After snipping away with his scissors, Rod gently rubs and massages orange essential oil by parting my hair in different sections and soon after, I’m ushered into a room where his assistant Akram diligently gives my hair a smart wash. This is done after he’s parted my hair in sections and applied a cooling hair mask that’s then treated to a “micro mist” steam. This is clearly the best part of the treatment and I find myself snoozing for 20 minutes before Akram wakes me up by lathering my hair in shampoo. I feel like I’m floating on clouds what with the steam mist rising gently over my face. Akram proceeds to apply a quick conditioner followed by scented linseed oil which is mild but gives my hair a soft, feathery touch.
I look into the mirror with dreamy eyes [still sleepy, you see] and by now, Rod’s done a swell job of setting my hair. “It’ll stay like this,” he reassures while I walk out of the experience, glad that Rod touched my hair and created magic. But that’s what a creator does, no?

Spa Notes
· The overall experience of a hair spa treatment at Kim Robinson, Aman, New Delhi, is wonderful. I just wish they’d give at least five-10 minutes of a power nap to clients who, after such a great experience, have to walk out to the usual stress of the city.
The cost of a hair spa treatment: Rs 9,700 ($194) + taxes
Contact Rod on (91) 11 43633475 at Aman, Lodhi Road, New Delhi
PSSSST!!!

• Overheard that Ms Shobhana Bhartiya, chairperson and editorial director of the Hindustan Times group, walks into Kim Robinson twice a week with her shampoo, conditioner and hair spray for hair wash and blow dry.
• Actor Karishma Kapoor and her cousin Riddhima Kapoor Sahni are ditching their previous haunt Salon de Ravissant for Aman

Meeting hairstylist Kim Robinson

When I met Kim Robinson, a celebrated hairstylist who has dressed the likes of Jackie Chan, Kate Moss and many, many other celebrities, I was stunned by how charming he looked and behaved. He's set shop in The Aman that only recently launched in New Delhi.
Kim's interview was published in Business Standard Newspaper. http://www.business-standard.com/india/

Introducing luxury hairdressing
Kim Robinson has styled the manes of celebrities ranging from Kate Moss to “big names” in India who fly down to Hong Kong for a haircut! Now, he is in India, finds Abhilasha Ojha

What brings you to India?

We are opening our salon at The Aman New Delhi. I’m really excited about the entire venture. I have been attached with Aman Resorts in Beijing and have a salon in Singapore too but it’s good to be in India, especially because a lot of my Indian clients wanted me here.

So, you have styled Indians?

I cannot reveal names but many Indians especially fly down to Beijing or Hong Kong or even to Singapore to get their hair styled by me. These are people who are big names in India.
Why don’t you reveal some names to us? (Laughs) No, I can’t do that. But watch out for a limited edition book that we’ll bring out by the end of 2009 on Indian beauties whose tresses have been styled by me. We had bought out a similar book, 30 Years of Orient Beauty, talking about some of the very popular artistes, models and actresses in south-east Asia who have, over the years, been styled by me.

You’re perhaps the only hairstylist in the world who specialises in what’s called a dry cut. Is that right?

Yes, not many in the business cut hair without wetting it. My concept of cutting hair is to treat it like a garment. You cannot wet a garment before wearing it. Spraying water on the hair just before cutting it flattens it completely, dissuading both the client and the stylist to know how a hairstyle might look in the long run. So I cut hair dry and then, say a week later, I ask the client to come back so I can see if I’ve done a clean job. It’s similar to how people do garment fittings.

Wow, that’s taking a haircut very seriously.

(Interrupts) It’s never just a haircut. What we want to introduce in India is luxury hairdressing. We’ve got spa treatments for hair, we’re using the best products and believe it or not, I’m constantly developing techniques not just to cut hair but also to maintain it in the long run.

Photo courtesy: Kim Robinson