INTERNATIONAL SPA NEWSLETTER

Wherever you go, you cannot escape the word ‘SPA’. It is on everyone’s mind when thinking of ”wellness, wellbeing, antistress…” – What used to be simple often small beauty salons or institutes have now become a SPA in… an industry worth US$ 250 billion!!

When money is involved, there is no escape to potential abuse. This newsletter aims at revisiting the definition of SPA in order to put it back in its real context and to help spa lovers to choose the most adapted spas according to their needs.

Articles will :

• Feature real spas and not so real ones all over the world
• Question the involvement of some operators,
• Discuss why SPAS are such a popular trend,
• Explain what to expect from a SPA therapist,
• Emphasize on the difference between BEAUTY THERAPIES and SPA THERAPIES,
• Publish interviews of SPA key players.

Enjoy the readings and discover the new faces of the spa industry…

Ayurvedic medicine tackles health as a whole including hygiene of life, body and mind. Despite its numerous and recognised benefits, access to real ayurvedic medicine in Europe is limited and even in India from where it originates, only a handful of ayurvedic centres can pretend practising real Ayurveda. In Europe, it is mostly known through some of its aspects such as massages, yoga, dietics….

 

AYUR-VEDA = LONG LIFE AND KNOWLEDGE

In recent years, we have witnessed a renewed interest for this 5000 years old traditional medicine and it is anticipated that it will be increasingly incorporated in medical spas.

AYURVEDA aims at defining the PRAKRUTI of each individual, i.e. their own physical constitution and the principle ruling their metabolism. Ayurvedic medicine is supposed to acknowledge the physical particulars, the illnesses and the most common imbalances which can affect patients. It is in fact a science of ‘moods’ and the principle is that each individual is caracterised by a mixture of 3 different moods which represent the basis of DOSHAS, the vital energies regulating the body.

These 3 moods are respectively called VATA (wind), PITTA (bile) and KAPHA (phlegm).

In a nutshell, people whose mood is ruled by VATA tend to be slim, imaginative and impulsive and might suffer insomnia and anxiety; those ruled by PITTA are usually enduring but can be prone to anger and passionate reactions while those under KAPHA element are robust, with tendency to weight gain and tend to be slow and are prone to have obesity and cholesterol problems.

Of course, these ruling types are in variable proportions according to the person and ‘pure’ types virtually do not exist. It would take too long to describe this fine medicine through which numerous criteria are defined by examining various parts of the body: the tongue, the eyes and above all the wrist from which the pulses will give information about the vitality of the patient and his possible illnesses. Urine constitutes a major part of the diagnostic.

Ayurveda is truly a holistic medicine in the sense that it considers the whole individual.

TREATMENTS BASED ON FOOD AND NUTRITION

Once the diagnostic has been established, ayurvedic medicine promotes dietary meals adapted to the function of the weakest organs of each type. The treatment of the illness consists of 4 main steps:

 1. SHODAN: it is a cleansing of the body which allows the toxins to be released. First, a massage is performed with special oils and herbs, followed by PANCHA KARMA which consists of therapeutic enemas, nasal showers and vomiting, all considered as liberating.  Food such as clarified butter or a special type of yogurt widely used in Indian cooking are then prescribed to restore the digestive flora.

2. SHAMAN: this step allows to reconcile doshas through the incorporation of the spiritual aspect to the treatment. Fasting, chanting, yoga, meditation and breathing exercises are part of this ‘enlightening’ method. Here herbs and spices intake is also included so that Shaman works both on the emotional level and immune system of the ill individual or if the person is healthy, on the improvement of the general state.

3. RASAYANA, the third step is a tonifying process, able to increase capacities and performances of the body. This is a very important step to promote fertility and improve sexual performances. Rasayana is also supposed to have antioxydant properties to extend longevity. Here physical and breathing exercises are combined with herbal preparations based on minerals and composed according to the person mood type.  

4. SATVAJAYA is the final step and it aims at reducing stress and increasing psychological balance in order to attain a higher spiritual state and better mental performance. This is the step where one learns mantras, known as SOUND THERAPY, yantras to improve concentration and tantras to direct the energy through the body and free consciousness.

Like Chinese medicine, ayurvedic medicine is complex and scientific. Unfortunately, charlatans have populated spas and centers in Europe, meaning that patients do not get the benefits of such a wonderful and natural medicine which desperately needs to be integrated in our European lifestyles.

So you want to pamper yourself but where do you start?

Treatments in spas range from facial and body treatments such as exfoliating, wraps… to relaxing treatments including massages, acupuncture, osteopathy, aromatherapy… They are often completed by a more ‘holistic or spiritual’ treatment such as yoga, reiki, kinesiology and many now include services like restaurant, nutrition, hairdresser, tea room contributing to enhance your wellbeing experience.

Most of the treatments involve genuine ‘rituals’ usually inspired from ancient traditions from Thailand, Bali, Tibet, China, Polynesia, Japan or Morocco, adapted to our modern society.

Introduction to Chinese medicine

The roots of Chinese medicine go back to over 5000 years. Traditional Chinese medicine or ‘TMC’ is based on the taoist concept by which the world is one and represented by two opposite but complementary forces: the yin and the yang.

The interaction between those two forces will influence the quality of the ‘chi’ i.e. the vital energy at the core of the whole universe and which impregnates each living creature. To this, five fondamental elements are linked: water, wood, fire, earth, metal. Depending on the case, these can oppose (destruction cycle) or complete each other (construction cycle). Thus, in order to understand Chinese medicine, it is important to grasp the chi concept – the vital energy -, under the influence of telluric vibrations (the Earth energy or YIN) and of cosmic vibrations (the Cosmos energy or YANG). In this regard, Chinese therapists do not believe in ill-ness as such but rather in energetic disorders causing illnesses.  

The Art of Chinese medicine will therefore aim at restoring harmony, by acting on the meridians, energy channels through which the chi flows and involving our whole body.

Chinese medicine treatments in a spa

Acupuncture : Here the aim is to modify the chi flow by placing a needle on certain points. This action allows the sensory receptors to freeze in order to reduce pain, stimulate the nervous system and the blood circulation.

Reflexology : According to Chinese medicine, the foot is a miniature representing the whole body. Each area of the foot corresponds to a specific organ and by stimulating this particular area through pressure or rubbing, the matching organ is then stimulated.

Tui na : Here various pressure techniques are applied onto some points (meridians and nervous centres), promoting relaxation and healing. The massage leads to relaxation and relieves muscle tensions and joint pains as well as increasing the blood flow in some organs and tissues.

THE ORIGINAL SPA CONCEPT

The word SPA comes from Latin “Sanitas per Aqua” (meaning ‘Health through Water’). However, the city of SPA in Belgium, renowned for its spring waters, has adopted this word as an identity.

More recently, English and Americans business operators have used the word SPA to define a place where luxury, wellness and relaxation are combined. Commercial opportunity has been the name of the game as proven by the number of new spa resorts opening every week somewhere.

Unfortunately, the reference to the idea of WATER healing the body is often forgotten in most of the new Spa resorts.

THALASSOTHERAPY/SEA THERAPY

In a special site, thalassotherapy is the combined use of the sea world properties, done under medical control with a preventive or healing purpose. This is far away from most of the spas we currently hear about. Sea therapy is defined taking into account several elements including seaside climate, sea water, sea muds, sea weeds, sand and other substances from the sea.

The Sea therapy practice is currently mostly regulated and observed in France where medical thalassotherapy centers combining medical treatments and relaxation are controlled by the International Federation of Thalassotherapy. 

THE OBJECTIVE: PRIORITY AND PREVENTION

A thalassotherapy center is not a clinic nor it is a simple wellness institute. Between those two, there is space for another medical alternative that more and more consumers try to find on the seaside. In those special sea resorts, it is easy to forward the messages relating to health and wellbeing as the medical teams focus on the human approach contrarily to public hospitals where this aspect is discarded today. Thalassotherapy centers are therefore closer to the original concept by Hippocrates than the way government authorities deal with Health in the 21st century.

THE SPA CONCEPT TODAY

As the spa industry is still trying to define what Spa is all about, the term thus means ”a PLACE WHERE ALL RELAXATION TECHNIQUES ARE PRACTISED”. This loophole necessarily leads to commercial abuses and bad practices. For example, how can a hair salon be a spa?

However, it is understandable that consumers – keen on preserving their health capital – turn to alternatives. After all, why should health be a constraint? Combining it with relaxation and celebration means that we take responsibility for our health without any sacrifice or restriction.  

Spas or thalassotherapy centers are friendly places where the term ‘DIET’ is replaced by ‘NUTRITION’ and where relaxation techniques allow for the stress to disappear in a smooth way.