Nature Calling

SPA addicts know that few indulgences can match a session of pampering and personal grooming. But if the economic downturn has played spoilsport with your budget,heres a reason to cheer...

Written by Pallavi Jassi

June 25, 2009 02:40 AM IST

4 min read

SPA addicts know that few indulgences can match a session of pampering and personal grooming. But if the economic downturn has played spoilsport with your budget,heres a reason to cheer the stores are packed with spa essentials that are not only easy on the pocket and good for your skin but also great for the well-being of earth. Earlier restricted to just soaps and massage oils,the list now includes aromatherapy bath balls,customised bath salts,creams for every purposefrom exfoliation to hydration egg and garlic shampoo,strawberry exfoliating bath marmalade,green tea and herbs face cream and tangerine-ginger bath salts.

At The Natures Co.,a store on the second floor of the Select City Walk mall,the shelves are full of body creams,shampoos,scrubs,toe creams and massage oils,all made of natural ingredients like lavender and rose. But,the pride of place is for bath salts. Here,clients can mix their own bath salts depending on their skin type. A lot of people create their own individual selection from various types of bath salts like tangerine and ginger,which have Vitamin C and antiseptic properties,and rose,which helps in hydrating the body, says Rashmi Sarda,Manager,The Natures Co. The bath salts here are priced at Rs 175. The store provides funnels and test-tubes for people to mix their own salt,a facility thats proved to be popular with women.

One of the newer entrants in the market is Fresh Line,a firm that brings ancient Greek recipes to its store at DLF Place,Saket. The products range from the Olympian Zeus,a body lotion with sandalwood,myrrh,lavender and palmarosa,to an Oat and Calendula peeling face polisher. The aromatherapy bath balls hand-crafted fizzing circles made of vegetable moisturising oils and butters. Put the ball in a bath tub and it fizzes as its ingredients break and dissolve. It can be used for body bath or to soak tired feet and hands only, says Smita Agarwal,who brought the products to India. She adds that the bath balls provide relief from aches,tensions and stress as well as fever. Prices start from Rs 195 for chamomile hair rinse to Rs 3,750 for perfumes. Others like sugar scrubs are priced at Rs 1,000.

Spa Siam,a small kiosk at the same mall,is where you can line up for essential oils and creams. The products are made of botanical extracts and the aromatic wood shampoo and mangosteen are popular. TheUSP is that while most products use green tea,Spa Siam has a red tea collection which people find interesting, says Barsha Sharma,Brand Manager.

While stores like Tatsat in Hauz Khas is where you can choose the right soap,from nine varieties like turmeric apricot and parsely-oregano. These soaps are hand-made and use natural products. So,obviously,they are easy on the skin, says Prashant Narang,owner of the store. The soaps,priced around Rs 90 are made by a Kullu-based NGO called Jagruti and are high on oils like soya,sesame and coconut. And Lush,in Select City Walk,remains a favourite for its bath range that looks good enough to eat. Here,you can pick up shampoo bars and solidified massage oils bars. These oil bars have solidified oils which melt at body temperature when they are rubbed on after a bath,so that its fragrance lasts longer, says a regular at the store. The fragrances range from chocolate and lavender to organic almond and coconut oils. These bars are priced at Rs 590. So,whats stopping you from transforming your room into a spa.

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Nature Calling

SPA addicts know that few indulgences can match a session of pampering and personal grooming. But if the economic downturn has played spoilsport with your budget,heres a reason to cheer...

SPA addicts know that few indulgences can match a session of pampering and personal grooming. But if the economic downturn has played spoilsport with your budget,heres a reason to cheer...