Spotlight

The perfect spa

That a flurry of spa brands, tailor-made for the Indian market, are jostling to attract the new age traveller, is a fact as ubiquitous as their growing presence across India. A lesser known fact is that their intrinsic style, indeed, is the ultimate differentiator, realises Neeti Mehra.

Merging opulence and rejuvenation in a wellness retreat is an art to be perfected. Expanding from a single massage table nearly a decade ago, to a sprawling 10,000 feet of well-manicured environs, exclusively for pampering its denizens, spas are attempting to pamper the well-heeled guest's demands, offering the moon as an experience. And the trend is prevalent in India, with Taj Hotels conceptualising its Jiva brand, The Park Hotels with Aura, the Marriott with Quan Spa, and Oberoi Spa by Banyan Tree, as opposed to outsourcing its operations to traditional spa operators. But the journey to perfection is not simplistic.

The beginning

A spurt of home-grown brands is dotting the spascape, reason being the business opportunity that existed in developing a holistic spa experience, rich in culture and tradition , while developing the brand.

Raymond Bickson, managing director and CEO, Indian Hotels Company, which operates Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces, says that developing Jiva, which essentially means 'life force' was in fact, an attempt to introduce an Indian spa with an international experience, and bring in consistency. Nearly four years ago when the company had a look at spas across its then 53 hotels, there were six different spa operators, including Shiseido and Mandara, etc. "If we visit a spa in Bali or Thailand, what do you get? Ayurveda, meditation, yoga and ironically all of that is from India, so we had to not look further from home. Then we thought, why isn't there an international spa that is Indian?" Bickson reasons. And this tenet runs centrally through all brands that have chosen to develop their indigenous brand - consistency and developing a brand that adds immense value, plus rakes in the profit.

But another school of thought runs parallel - that hotel chains are in the business of running hotels, and spas are best left to professional operators. This is eponymous with the Oberois, whose spas across its hotels and resorts are managed by Banyan Tree, using its expertise for research and development of new treatments, recruitment and training of spa therapists, facility planning and operations as well as co-marketing.

The design template

A spa design that blends local/traditional design elements with modern execution is the archetype. Quan Spa, designed by Zoran Dzunic combines form with function, using the Chakra system infused with Quan's philosophy, not only in design elements, but for treatments also. Aura at the Park Chennai draws from Indian tradition too. Its treatment rooms are based on the Indian philosophy of Navaratana gems, and the spa also houses the usual gymnasium, yoga and meditation room and a sauna. And these designs take cognisance of the fact that wet areas and treatment rooms require proper drainage and ventilation, apart from open, airy spaces.

In destination spas, the focus is to offer a holistic, yet unique experience to the guest, on the basis of which the design structure is conceived. This, unfortunately, cannot be replicated in day spas, constrained by space, privacy concerns, and legislature, being of the nature of addendums to existing edifices. Chandu Chhada, principal and founding partner, Chhada, Siembieda & Associates (CSA), which designed the award-winning Ananda in the Himalayas, explains the concept, "The architectural vision was to be one with nature, a natural extension of the outside in, creating of lot of open spaces, with plenty of natural light, keeping the exterior and interior design simple, without disturbing the ecology of the site and the surroundings." Maximum space was used for built up spaces within the guestrooms, restaurant and spa block, and, as a result, the spa has plenty of natural daylight, and overlooks the Doon valley.

And spas adhere to hierarchies too, albeit in size, offerings and branding, commensurate to the property. Whereas the Taj Jiva Grande is present at Taj Exotica in Mauritius and Maldives, and the Wellington Mews in Mumbai, the Taj Jiva is present at other properties, the difference being the size and lavishness on offer.

Spa menus

Fusion from design elements has percolated to spa menus today, with spas offering a smorgasbord of treatments, intrinsically Oriental, with a few Western treatments, given the high incidence of international visitors. A typical spa menu draws from traditional Ayurveda, yoga and its derivatives, apart from holistic, non-clinical therapies and massages, aromatherapy, acupressure, Swedish and Thai treatments, and reflexology techniques. The esoteric also finds place in treatments. The Amatarra Spa at the Ashok in Delhi, draws from the tenets of Yin and Yang, and uses astrosciences to assess the impact of planetary positions on an individual's health and well-being.

The products (whether indigenous or sourced) that the spa uses, be it black mud from Jaipur to alleviate arthritis, as used at Jiva, or the Vichy or Thalgo products used in Quan Spa, dispense to the brand a unique identity. The depth of therapies is another differentiator, with brands preferring to focus on quality, rather than quantity.

And given that the spa audience at day spas is primarily women, suddenly attention is shifting towards the modern metro sexual male. Says Rhett Pickering, director of spa operations and spa development for Marriott International in Asia Pacific, "We recognise that males want to take advantage of the spa experience too, so our design teams are directed to create spaces that both males and females feel comfortable in."

Service standards are another area where spas hope to score, and to ensure consistency in the spa experience, and generate positive energy in the practitioners. From its inception in 2001, the Oberoi spa's highly skilled and trained Thai therapists, have been hand-picked from staff that has undergone 430 hours of rigorous theoretical and practical training at the Banyan Tree Spa Academy in Phuket, Thailand. At Jiva, therapists undergo training on the anatomy, apart from meditation, yoga and pranic healing.

In the end, the effort is to create an international brand that is uniquely international. It isn't restricted to external treatments only. Today, spa restaurants and bars complete the package, moving from mere rejuvenation to nutrition and replenishment. But unless the hype matches quality, the spa experience would be a mere pipe dream.