Search
SPAS
Spa sessions chami jotisalikorn, author of thailand’s luxury spas and thai spa book, reveals what’s hot in the world on wellness
HOT PRODUCT
Feeling just a little tense? Whip out the handy lipstick-size Aromapulse roll-on aroma oils that come in Go With The Flow Daily Rescue Kits (www.go-with-the-flow.com). The convenient bottle is easy to roll on your pulse points, and comes in soothing Rose/Neroli and uplifting Geranium/Peppermint blends.
Go With The Flow also offers a range of uplifting shampoos, conditioners, lotions, bath gels and scrubs containing the highest quality pure essential oils and antioxidant ingredients imported from Europe and Africa. Available in Villa, Siam Paragon and Emporium supermarkets in Bangkok.
EVENTS 14 September – Thinking about a spa career? Frederique Academy (tel +852 (0) 2522-2526, www.frederique.com.hk) in Hong Kong’s Central district offers “Is This For You?” – an interactive session in both English and Cantonese with career advisors in the fast-growing spa and beauty business. 16-23 September and 7-14 October – Beat a healthy retreat with an Ashtanga Yoga Retreat at Yoga Thailand in Samui (email info@yoga-thailand.com, www.yoga-thailand.com).
|
Holistic therapist Ruth Eedy (email ruth.eedy@gmail.com, WHAT’S NEW
Only in Bangkok will you find the novel concept of a day spa within a spa product shop within a shopping mall.
Thann and Harnn spa product lines have extended their brand with their stylish sister spas Thann Sanctuary (tel +66 (0)2 658-0550, www.thann.info) at Siam Discovery Centre and Harnn (tel +66 (0)2 610-9715, www.harnn.com) at Siam Paragon.
Both offer chic worlds-within-worlds of pampering and shops showcasing their bath and body products.
Expect five-star hotel service at the new Nicolie day spa at Sun Square on Bangkok’s Silom Road (tel +66 (0)2 233-6957, www.nicolie-th.com), run by the former spa manager of the famed Oriental Spa.
Freshen up from a long day hiking around Angkor Wat with a body scrub and massage at the glamorous Spa Indochine (tel +855 (0) 6396-6000, www.hoteldelapaixangkor.com) at Siem Reap’s Hotel de la Paix, which features an open-air deluxe suite with a plunge bath.
SPA REVIEW HIllTOP HOlISTIC HIDEAWAY
Total privacy is one of the perks at the Six Senses Spa at Sila Evason Hideaway Samui (tel +66 (0)77 245678, www.sixsenses.com), which you can enjoy within your walled duplex villa with private infinity pool overlooking the sea. However, it is worth venturing from your room to visit the spa, located a short stroll down the hill.
Its signature Four Hands Hot Stone Massage with aromatic oil is guaranteed to put you to sleep.
For a truly memorable treat, immerse yourself in the Chocolate Sensation, which includes a luxurious soak in a milk bath followed by a cocoa-scented scrub, wrap and massage.
Besides healing massages and facials, there are also holistic therapies to provide total balance for mind and body. Offerings include life coaching, hypnotherapy, reiki treatments and training as well as naturopathy.
HEALING VIBES
Winnie Rode is a German meditation and philosophy teacher, and author of two books on Tibet and Bhutan. An ordained Tibetan Buddhist Lama, he has even served as the Dalai Lama’s personal bodyguard in Germany. Now based in Koh Samui, from 15 October through December 2006, he will offer a unique form of healing with Tibetan singing bowl therapy.
Book sessions through Tamarind Springs (tel +66 (0)77 230571, www.tamarindretreat. com), Six Senses Spa at Sila Evason Hideaway or contact Winnie Rode directly (tel +66 (0)9 232- 2275, email wiwero@yahoo.de).
What happens in a singing bowl session?
The client lies on his/her back and different bowls are rung around the body as well as on the body to tune the client’s harmonic frequency and clear the aura. It is deeply relaxing. Some may cry while others fall asleep. But the result is a sense of relaxation, joyfulness and physical well-being.
How do Tibetan singing bowls heal?
The bowls heal through sound waves that harmonise the brain and stimulate the body to rediscover its own frequency. The water in our cells vibrates to the low frequency gamma, theta and beta waves which the brain picks up. These waves release repressed emotions and stimulate feelings of joy and happiness. Once the body is synchronised and in harmony, it can then vibrate independently and that’s when healing occurs.
How did you become a Tibetan singing bowl master?
I lived in Dharamsala, (the Tibetan community centre in northern India) in the 1970s and was an ordained monk at Drepung Loseling Monastery in Mundgod, south India for two years. Back in Germany, I founded the Buddhist Centre in Diessen before eventually gaining my PhD in Buddhist Philosophy at the Buddhist Centre and University in Hamburg and empowerment as a Lama. I’ve worked as a therapist, trained in Shamanism for 25 years and also wrote a book on traditional Tibetan medicine in 1995.
Can specific bowls work to heal specific problems?
Yes. Insomnia, muscle tension, stress, rheumatism, depression, a broken heart, tinnitus and many emotional issues.
How many sessions does it take? Some need only one session while joint problems and insomnia need three to five sessions. A session lasts 90 minutes.
WELLNESS BUZZ: GO ON A BENDER
Some people get grumpy without their dose of regular yoga, but there’s no need to pout when you’re travelling in this region. Yoga-seekers can find Ashtanga yoga training, Pranayama breathing and spiritual sustenance at week-long yoga retreats on a peaceful and pristine Koh Samui beach at Yoga Thailand (email info@yoga-thailand.com, www.yoga-thailand.com).
For a more laid-back approach, The Yoga Café (tel +66 (0)77 245046, www.healthyandfun.net) at Bophut Fisherman’s Village on Koh Samui offers daily yoga classes, organic cuisine, holistic therapies, movie nights and dance classes; while the luxurious Six Senses Spa at Sila Evason Hideaway (tel +66 (0)77 245678, www.sixsenses.com) has a menu offering six types of yoga, including Yogalates, Pranayama and Meditation.
In Bangkok, you’ll find Bikram yoga at Absolute Yoga Bangkok at Amarin Plaza (tel +66 (0)2 252-4400, www.absoluteyoga.com), where yoga in a heated room works up a total sweat.
Time-conscious city-goers can squeeze in a quick workout class at Bangkok’s Yoga Elements Studio (tel +66 (0)2 655-5671, www.yogaelements.com), which offers fast-paced Vinyasa and Ashtanga yoga; while Singapore’s bustling shopping street of Orchard Road also offers a place to rest your feet and stand on your head instead at Gaia Yoga (tel +65 6738-2028, www.gaiayoga.com).
A KICK IN THE ASANA Some people can’t keep their asanas and chakras straight. It’s all Sanskrit to them. We explain the difference. Asana – a yoga pose Ashtanga – a fast-paced, physically demanding series of poses that offer a serious workout Bikram – a series of poses done in a heated room to help detoxify the body through sweating Chakra – one of seven spiritual energy centres in the body Pranayama – a meditative breathing technique to calm the mind and relax the body Vinyasa – a fast, gently flowing style of yoga that focuses on coordinating breath with movement |
HERBS FOR HEALTH
Khun Vanli Prasarttong-Osoth currently holds the positions of Managing Director of both Samui Palm Beach Resort and Bangkok Airtours Co. Ltd, while also overseeing production at Prasarttong-Osarth Co. Ltd. The latter has been operating as a registered company since 1953, producing a herbal medicine that follows a 69-year-old recipe.
Married to Dr Prasert Prasarttong-Osoth with five children, Khun Vanli’s achievements as a civil servant before she joined Dr Prasert’s private business venture have led her to be awarded the Knight Commander (Second Class) of the Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand.
We asked her to share her insights on traditional Thai herbal medicine and why the Prasarttong-Osoth Company’s ancient recipe still has a place in modern society.
What are the main differences between traditional Thai medicine and Western medicine?
Traditional Thai medicines use a single herb or a combination of several herbs in one formula. The latter is characteristic of Eastern medicines practised in India, China and Thailand, and is based on the belief that a collection of active herbs will render a more balanced treatment and result in fewer side effects.
Western medicines tend to utilise a singular herb for treating symptoms, while formulaic herbal medicine aims to treat the origin of the illness.
What are the common ingredients and ailments treated?
A formula of Thai traditional medicine may contain over 20-30 ingredients, so it is difficult to name just a few. However, familiar ones include clove, cinnamon, lemongrass, cumin, menthol, lotus, senna, nutmeg, sandalwood and pepper.
Common ailments treated are dizziness, nausea, fever, measles, chicken pox, flatulence, diarrhoea, fainting and constipation.
Have you always used traditional treatments, and do you recommend it to others?
Since I was young (I am now 72), our family was already using traditional medicine, so I am quite familiar with it. Even though modern medicine is more commonly administered today, we still use it to treat a slight fever, dizziness and other mild complaints. However, I would never impose the use of traditional medicine on others. If my friends ask about it, I will share about it, of course, but I always let them decide for themselves.
Prasarttong-Osoth Company is famous for its medicine based on an ancient recipe developed by traditional doctors known to serve in the Royal household of King Rama V. How has the product changed and what ailment does it treat?
The medicines have not been changed. The same formulae from that time are still being used now. The most popular medicine is one called “Ya Hom” or “Fragrant Medicine” for treating dizziness, nausea and fainting.
What other medicines does the company produce?
Besides “Ya Hom”, we also produce medicine for fever, constipation, flatulence and stomach upset. They are available in most traditional drugstores. Recently, we also started distributing them in 7-Eleven, Boots, and even on Bangkok Airways flights.
Where can someone learn more about or consult with a practitioner of traditional medicine?
Nowadays, traditional medicine is being formally taught in a few schools that specialise in this area. Rangsit University offers a degree in Eastern medicine that covers traditional Thai medicine as well. Certain hospitals also offer treatments.
You can get more information from the Ministry of Public Health (http://eng.moph.go.th/).
Bookmark This Post
