Top 10 Spas Using Prime Local Ingredients: "
There are many reasons why people visit spas. Some want to detoxify after a long week’s work, or maybe a weekend of drinking too much alcohol. Others want to lose unwanted pounds, so they undergo treatments. Some just can’t do without their weekly massages the facial treatments. For some spas, though, service goes beyond simply helping their clients relax. They also offer something culturally rewarding.
What makes these spas different from the ones offering generic Swedish and European massages is that they sport local ingredients. This means that if you’re visiting one of these spas for the first time and you’re a stranger to the customs of the country or region you’re in, you’ll get a comprehensive primer via specialty massages, facial masks, and the fragrant scents burning in your room.
Below are the most culturally educational spas around the globe.
Pennsylvania: Omni Bedford Springs Resort
This joint was first owned by Dr. John Anderson. In 1776, the 2,220 acres of rural land in Cucumberland Valley had nothing but rigged tents. Dr. Anderson bought the land because it had 7 natural springs which he thought would fetch quite a fortune in the long run. He was right.
These natural springs have legendary healing powers according to the Shawnee and Iriqouis tribes. Because people were into this hype at that time, it attracted droves of rich clients. This even included no less than ten presidents of the US of A. Now, the Omni Bedford Springs Resort has expanded to house the Springs Eternal Spa. This is fed by an eighth spring.
While the spring water is local to Pennsylvania, spring water as spa treatment isn’t unique to Omni Bedford Spa. There are a handful of spas across the USA offering spring water treatments, and they all claim that this nourishes the nails, skin, and hair, thanks to the minerals that are in the water.
Once you’re in the Omni Bedford Spa, start the nourishing ritual by hopping into the vicinity’s cold and hot pools. Other products of the spa are also locally grown in the region. These include black walnuts (used to exfoliate), ginger (believed to stimulate circulation), and Indian cucumber root (to help the skin and/or hair rehydrate). All of these crops are grown in the Allegheny Mountains which surround Bedford.
British Columbia: Madrona del Mar Spa (Galiano Oceanfront Inn)
The Galiano Island is a very slender piece of land (no more than 6 miles wide) which can only be reached by ferry from Canada. For most Canadians, the island represents deep relaxation. It’s a quick escape from the mundane and the stressful.
Determinedly nature-oriented, the island seems to have been unaffected by time. Sequoias and Douglas fir welcome hikers, and there are seals bobbing from the waters, dominating most of the island’s unspoilt beach. This same island is home to the Galiano Oceanfront Inn, where the famous Madrona del Mar Spa resides. Like much of the island, the spa has the same spirit of Zen-like calm.
Even if you’re indoors, in the spa, you won’t miss the sea. The sea in this island just dominates much of the scenery. The cabanas of the Oceanfront Inn are lines with windows, that while you’re having your massage, you can still hear the waves crashing in the background. Everything just seems to be in a lull while you’re in Galiano. Not only will you be stress-free after leaving the island, you would have been cured of insomnia and rheumatism, too.
The ingredients they use in this spa are also native to the island. They use seaweed treatments which are rich in vitamins, iron and trace minerals, and British Columbian glacial clay, also called “miracle clay” because of it is said to heal skin. This spa fuses hemp powder (organic) with clay treatments. The fusion is believed to make skin feel softer.
While everything else seems rooted in nature, city-slickers from Vancouver won’t feel alienated. If you look at the rooms and the restaurant closely, the designs are similar to the ones in the city. They’re not at all outdated. The island is very accessible. To reach the inn, you just need to take about 45 to 60 minute’s ferry ride to Galiano and you’re already in relaxation haven.
Ischia: Le Terme della Regina Isabella
If you want a culture-rich spa which doesn’t bypass the authority of medical practitioners, you should go to the Le Terme della Regina Isabella which is off Ischia, a volcanic island in the Gulf of Naples. Most European spas would have medical practitioners recommending treatments to clients, too, but none would be as unique as the one in Ischia, would it?
The medi-spa also has mineral springs which trickle from Mount Epomeo. Ischia’s springs has a lot of history, having been first used by the Greeks in the 8th century B.C. Under the Romans, though, what used to be a natural bathing area was transformed into a resort. This was the favorite spot among health-conscious Romans during that time.
After more than a millennium, the spot was rediscovered by Marie Curie, and she promoted the spring’s natural healing characteristics. Today, the spa offers a myriad of treatments, including the swathing of warm mud from the island’s caves, and soaking in pools of mineral water before a massage. There are also contemporary spa treatments to look forward to, like injections, peeling, etc.
Since you’re already in Italy, the resort beside it gives a very la dolce vita vibe. After getting very healthy at the spa, you can spend the afternoons sailing or diving underwater and exploring the area’s reefs. The beach is also a great place for watching the sunset.
Istanbul: Four Seasons
If you’re looking for a spa with a purely Middle Eastern vibe to it, you might as well go to Turkey. The newly opened Four Seasons Istanbul has a spa reminiscent of ancient Middle Eastern public baths. In fact, it actually has three public baths or hammams in the building. One of them is exclusively for men, the other exclusively for women, and the third, for couples.
For conservative Istanbul, the hammam for couples is certainly a first. As for the pool, it’s lined with grand columns. The whole space is also very gracefully illuminated. If you’re a bit shy and the prospect of a public bath irks you, you can go for the traditional Turkish Bath instead. There will be a therapist with you, and s/he will be guiding you throughout the ritual.
Treatments in this spa begin with the cool room. Then, you’ll be taken to a warmer one where you’ll be asked to lie on a marble slab which has been pre-heated before you were asked to enter the room. While lying at the marble slab, the therapist will scrub your entire body rigorously using the kese or the loofah sponge. S/he will also apply nourishing bubbles to your skin.
Then, you’ll be asked to stop by the qurna or the washbowl so they can wash your hair and massage your head. After washing your hair, you will be taken back to the cool room so you can decompress.
Machu Pichu: Unu Spa (Inkaterra)
A lot of people have been fascinated with the coca plant. While the alkaloids of this plant is the prime ingredient used for making cocaine, its medicinal properties, at least in the Andean culture, give it a Jekyll and Hyde personality. In most parts of Machu Pichu, it is still used to treat almost every ailment, from cough to depression.
When you visit the Unu Spa in Peru, located inside the Inkaterra Machu Pichu, you will be given traditional Andean treatments. This means that you’ll be seeing a lot of products using extracts from the coca plant. It’s not illegal, it’s traditional. Upon entering the vicinity, you will see casitas with tile roofs sprawled over 12 whole acres of forest grounds. Pray that you’re not allergic to fern because there will be a lot of plants here.
The spa grows their own ingredients, and you’ll see wild birds too, sharing the forest with the spa. Treatments usually begin with half-an-hour or so at the Andean sauna. This isn’t your usual white-tiled sauna, either. You’ll be surrounded by a wall of eucalyptus branches. Then, you’ll spend the next three hours in Inkaterra Therapy.
Your therapist will give you a massage using a lotion made from extracts of a coca leaf, a number of creams, and a body mask also made from a blend of these controversial leaves. These leaves, the spa claims, should help your body release toxins, promote blood circulation, and improve your lymphatic system.
Montego Bay: Fern Tree Spa
Once you step into the lobby of Jamaica’s Half Moon resort, you would be welcomed by sheer British-inflected elegance. Almost everything here is made of marble, and there ate crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. The lobby also displays some of its most prominent guests in the past: Queen Elizabeth II, the Kennedy family, and Prince Charles to be more exact.
However, all traces of the Commonwealth Era face away once you enter the hotel’s spa. The Fern Tree Spa has only been around for two years, and it is an oasis in stark contrast to the marble coldness and formality at the lobby. Here, you’ll see luxurious pools and lounging areas. Nothing can look more relaxing.
The current head therapist of the spa is Stella Gray, a Jamaican local who has been with the hotel for almost 40 years. Under her care, the spa incorporates treatments which make use of plants and herbs growing from the hotel’s own backyard. Are you wondering what these herbal infusions are?
Soursop leaf, cerasee, leaf of life, and the ubiquitous aloe vera make the list. Jamaicans have been using these herbs and plants to cure anything, from menstrual cramps to curing the most common cold. Other ingredients you will probably not see anywhere else include plantains, Blue Mountain coffee, coconut, and rum. These make for instant aromatherapy, so when you enter the spa, you’re in for an olfactory treat.
If you love the sea, you may want to book yourself an over-the-water cabana. Just to suit your mood, they’ll be using local ingredients for your treatments as well, including seaweed, salt, sponges and algae. Before you doze off, you can stare into the turquoise sea and dream yourself a Caribbean dream.
Riviera Maya: Mandarin Oriental Spa
If you ever find yourself in the Yucatan Peninsula, and you’re somewhere near the Riviera Maya, don’t forget to visit the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. The stay can be pretty hefty, but who says you have to be a guest to enjoy the Mandarin Oriental Spa in Riviera Maya? Just make a call and they’re sure to accommodate you.
As the name suggest, this spa is inspired by the ancient Mayan civilization. You can see the influence with the architecture of the hotel. Check out their open-air palapa, where you’ll be taken by spa therapists so you can enjoy your chaya (spinach) juice. Everywhere, you’ll see the jungle crawl and try to reach for the resort. It’s a healthy break from your mundane city life.
The most interesting décor of the spa, though, is the temazcal. This is a clay structure that’s heated, then drenched with herbal water. Generally, the spa is warm and dark, and the concept behind it is that it should resemble a womb.
Just to keep up with the Mayan culture, a shaman guides the purification ritual. This lasts for about an hour, and involves mineral-rich mud, meditation, herbs, and Mayan blessings. Guests are also bound to be moved by the Mayan Tzolkin Ritual. Spa-goers will be taken to a medicinal garden where they can pluck chaca leaves of Mexican marigolds.
Once they’ve chosen their ingredients, the therapist will mix it into a footbath and scrub, as well as a poultice which should cure all aches related to tension. Then, guests will be given a massage, which is meant to align the body’s energies with the tzolkin cycles. The Tzolkin is an ancient calendar of the Mayans. It has 260 days in a year.
Udaipur: Jiva Spa
If you’re a frequent spa-goer, then there’s no way you could have missed Ayurvedic treatments. If you liked it as an imported spa tradition, then you’ll probably love it when you experience it from its homeland. The Ayurveda is actually a medicine technique which has been around for centuries. When you have an Ayurvedic treatment in India, you will undergo rigorous treatments and be put through two to three weeks of monastic practices.
The best place to have this is the Jiva Spa at the Taj Lake Palace. The palace used to be a royal residence, but now it’s open to public, and guests can experience how it was to live like royalty in those times. This does not mean living like a glutton, though. Far from it, guests who stay here are encouraged to live a healthy life.
Definitely, Ayurveda is more than just the utilization of ingredients in treatments. It’s a lifestyle makeover, as most physical fitness trainors would tell you when you hit the gym. In India, though, this goes beyond physical aspects and includes the spirit and the mind as well. While you’re in the Jiva Spa, you can also sign up for the Mewar Khas. This is a treatment usually only applied to people who are about to be married.
Basically, it’s a body scrub and massage given to royal couples before regal weddings. Prepare yourself for an overload of ingredients as well. The mud packs and creams are bound to have more than just three ingredients mixed in there. They resemble Indian cuisine if only because you can have as much as 22 local herbs in a single wrap.
To get the whole aristocratic package, you should also set sail using the spa’s boat. Once you’re onboard, use the steam shower or enjoy the boat’s hot tub which can sit two people. This is definitely a spa made for honeymooning couples.
Sedona: Mii Amo
Are you a big fan of New Age and Native American culture? If you are, then you have to head on to Arizona, Texas, and look for Sedona’s Mii Amo Spa. It has already won quite a lot of awards, simply for having top-of-the-line treatments. There’s a disclaimer though which says that this spa isn’t for everyone. People who don’t believe in healing crystals, and who get turned off when they hear someone say, “daily intention” might hate it here.
However, for someone who’s totally adapted to New Age and who has a fondness for Native American culture, this spa is perfect. Located among the cliffs and red buttes of Boynton Canyon, the spa sits at the epicenter of healing, at least for the Yavapai-Apache nation. Their local tribe leaders even bless the spa’s therapists before these therapists lead spa-goers to the Inner Quest Sessions.
The treatments here all intend to get rid of “negativities”. These include the smudging of sweet grass and the special blanket thrown over the spa-goers shoulders. The blanket stimulates warmth, which makes the body release toxins as would a Native American sweat lounge.
Senior therapists (those who have been in the job for more than 10 years) are then assigned to conduct Soul Seeker treatments. They use reflexology, breath work and imagery for these sessions. Once the therapists have treated the spirit, the guests are then covered in red clay, or scrubbed down with a fusion of salt, oil, and blue corn so that the body can be healed as well.
Tembok, Bali: Spa Village Resort
As in any other spa destination, when you come to the Spa Village Resort in Tembok, Bali, you’re expecting holistic wellness. The healing of the body and spirit may seem difficult to reach in some locations, but once you set foot in this place, you’ll know just how naturally it can be done. The northern tip of Bali is still unspoiled, to say the least.
Guests can even customize their spa experience. Once you arrive here, you’ll be given a menu listing “Discovery Paths”. These paths are actually sets of treatments and diet choices, so you won’t be forced into a spa treatment you don’t really like. There is the Balance Path which includes lessons in Balinese dancing and even fishing for squid during the New Moon.
The Creativity Path, on the other hand, lets you visit artisans in the village and lets you learn how to weave. Campur-Campur treatment is a massage which fuses Malay and Thai techniques while letting pouches of native herbal infusion rest on your body. They also have a hair revitalizing treatment making use of coconut oil, hibiscus leaves, and fried candlenuts.
Before initiating the treatments, the guests of the spa are guided through a ritual which helps get rid of bad spirits. They’re asked to dig their feet through the black volcanic sand which surrounds the resort. Overall, guests would feel like they’ve been refreshed in mind, body, and spirit, without feeling overwhelmed because they’ve been given too many activities to do.
The resort has a total of 31 rooms and is very popular among couples spending their honeymoon. If you’re worried about the menu, they’re big on seafood, and will probably not ask you to fast on juice supplements. Guests are free to pick from a listed program or even make their own. For more details, you can drop by their website.
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