All the Hoo-ha About Health Spas

 was taking a stroll in my neighbourhood in Bangalore recently and was surprised to find the number of spas in quite a small area; not even a square kilometre! It got me thinking about how important wellness and relaxation has become to the modern Indian these days.

Imagine this – a site like About.com, one of the major sites of the world, has even listed a Top 10 Best Spas In India.

But honestly, tell me something – all this hoo-ha about medicinal spas, natural spas, Thai spas, Ayurvedic spas; is it really worth it? Or wait, let me rephrase, is there any real difference between them at all? Don’t get me wrong, I am not trying to undermine or diss any of the above therapies; it’s just that in my experience, the results were all the same; they all felt really good!

Okay, I am not a sucker for getting pampered or anything, but yes, I do like a good rubbing down every once in a while. And trust me, I have tried quite a few.

Starting with the obvious.

The Ayurvedic Spa

With so many Kerela Ayurvedic centres cropping up in every city in the country, it is impossible to miss one. At one point in time, I just had to give in to my curiosity and walked into a Ayush wellness centre in Mumbai. These guys are hardcore Ayurvedic; they even have chants playing in the background. The rooms are dark-ish, the oils are, you can tell, infused with herbs and spices. In all, intense!

When I entered the room, the masseuse seemed a little grumpy. I told her to switch off the music; she obliged. The massage oils gave me a little headache at first but one gets used to it in a matter of minutes. After 60 oily, at times painful, yet glorious minutes, she was done, and I felt seriously amoebic (in a good way). A shower later, it was a kind of freshness that stayed with me for the rest of the week.

The Home Experience

Poulomi, a fellow writer and friend suggested this method initially, when I complained to her that I felt strange to walk into a spa without company. “Call this woman, she will come home and give you the spa experience!” Interesting, I thought, and gave the woman (completely forgot her name) a buzz. “Main sab kuchh karta hai,” said the woman enthusiastically in broken Hindi interspersed with Marathi, “Tumko kya mangta?“

On the “menu” that day, was a pedi-mani, a facial and a whole body massage. She told me to keep some body oil/moisturising body lotion ready. And since it was my own living room I have never felt more comfortable. The result was an amazingly refreshing experience.

The Thai Spa

So my old school friend Farah now has a upscale spa and salon in Bangalore called Walk In Beauty. Her USP? Thai massages and oils. When I moved here, I made sure to visit, not only to reconnect after more than a decade, but also check out what her spa had in store for me.

And I was not disappointed.

With a well-trained staff and quality products (not to mention the mesmerising music in the background) the experience was thoroughly rewarding, and I am not saying this just because she is my friend. The oils, and consequently I, smelled divine. And I realised, this whole experience at her spa is addictive as well.

The Gym Spa

Okay, a confession. Freebies are tempting. And when a freebie comes knocking on your door, more often than not, I respond, positively. So when a friend of mine told me that he had some free 15 massages in a month at a top-of-the-line gym he went to, AND he could invite a friend, I could not resist.

While I was just a little worried that I might end up getting a pounding of my life (it was a gym after all), but my fears were unfounded. The massage therapist there was a friendly, sweet woman who know exactly what she had to to. She asked me if the pressure was okay, if I had any body issues she should know about. The oils she used smelled nice, she gave me an intro to the herbs and other stuff used in the oils, but I was switched off already, and why not? The massage was truly wonderful.

Now, I have not experienced a 5-star spa experience yet though. So anyone out there from a 5-star set-up, want to prove me wrong? Please do invite me. Maybe there is a different layer to spa treatments I have not experienced yet.

My point is, if you think luxury spas are the only way to get a good rub-down, think again. If the staff is well-versed and the technique is correct, the relaxation WILL come for sure.

What kind of spa treatments have you had? Tell me your experience.