Cleopatra Knew A Thing Or Two About Relaxing

Have an appetite for pampering yourself? There8217;s a lot new on the menu: champagne baths, coffee wraps, hot stones...

FANCY A BATHTUB full of Dom Perignon? It8217;s the best of passive luxury. And, for the comfort connoisseur, it8217;s about soaking yourself in a tub of champagne to relax. Treat yourself to the optimum in ex-cessive and decadent pampering. Just spend a day at the nearest spa and give yourself over to the care of the therapists for a complete makeover of the mind and body.

The war among these urban oases has just got bigger, with spas jostling with upmarket ayurvedic treatment centres in the urbanite8217;s mindscape. Time was when relaxing meant something as simple as soaking your feet in salted water, a champi with warm oil or just catching up with some much-needed shuteye.

But now, more is less. From obscenely luxuri-ous treatments like champagne baths, Ja-vanese lulur, coffee wraps, synchronised mas-sages and crystal therapy, to traditional ayurvedic treatments like rice scrubs with medicated milk, there is something for every-one.

8220;One can get a lot of these massages at home. But, we are trying to tell people to incul-cate wellness and relaxation in their lifestyle. We8217;re telling them that they8217;re important and they deserve a day of indulgence,8221; says Pari-neeta Sethi, Editor, Asia Spa.

The spas and centres are targeting specific consumer profiles8212;jet-set travellers, people with high-stress jobs, stay-at-home mothers8212; catering to specific lifestyle ailments and cus-tomising the therapies accordingly. 8216;8216;With stressed-out lifestyles and higher disposable in- comes, more people are heading to these places. They are conscious of their grooming standards like never before,8221; says Ajay Malik of Espace Spa, Radisson Hotel, Delhi. The spa here offers the unique experience of a treat-ment room with glass walls by the poolside.

8220;We are giving them the same natural sur-roundings they would get at a resort spa, with a view of the pool, the greens and a vast open area with a two-and-a-half hour treatment with natural products. It is the extreme in luxury,8221; adds Malik. And if that8217;s not good enough for you, how about trying a wine bath or facial? 8220;Wine works as an anti-ageing agent and can do wonders for the skin. So does champagne.

We also offer the Cleopatra Bath where milk, honey and rose petals are soaked and a full-body hot stone therapy is given,8221; says therapist Rita Juneja. Or go in for a coffee wrap. 8220;The minerals and extracts in coffee are good for the skin8212;detoxifying and also exotic,8221; adds Sethi. Amatrra Spa offers floatation therapy, which reminds one of the Dead Sea. Here, the customer floats on a special water bed. Ex-plains Dr Jairam Nair, manager, Amatrra, 8220;It8217;s a feeling which is close to being cocooned in the womb.8221; You can buy this sleep for Rs 4,500.

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Adds Nair: 8220;We also offer hydro therapy, where a seven-head hydrojet shower works on the seven energy chakras of a person8217;s body. People come out feeling new after this therapy.8221; The temptation is high, and so is the price tag. But sleep, they say, is priceless.