SPAS AT SEA
Jo Foley investigates a ‘medi-cruise’ Spa experience aboard P&O’s glamorous Ventura
Viva Ventura T
he Bay of Biscay is not the most tranquil of waters, so it was with some trepidation I followed Dr Nav Raj Bhatta into his realm of pins and needles. Dr Bhatta is the resi- dent acupuncturist aboard P&O’s Ventura and a ma- jor player in their ‘Ten Years Younger’ spa offering. This is an amalgam of beauty, body and medi- treatments which are currently packing them into the Oasis Spa. And, while I am a great fan of acu- puncture, this is the first time I was to experience it while the waves rolled around me. But I needn’t have worried. Dr B has a steady hand and before I could say ‘Jack Tar,’ some 70 needles were inserted into various bits of my body, including between my eyebrows, my toes and on the crown of my head. Others were plying their trade around my hands, ankles and certain flabbier bits. All of this was after a consultation and thorough questioning about my state of health, my eating and drinking practices and my exercise and sleep regime. Of course, he didn’t take me at my word over every- thing and proceeded to tell from my pulses (one of the most fascinating elements of Chinese medicine) how my kidneys, liver, breathing and sleep were doing. Only then did I turn into a human pincushion
44 WORLD OF CRUISING I Winter 2010 / 2011
but, apart from the one near my eyebrows and one just under my nose, I felt nothing. Dr Bhatta said he was concerned about my en-
ergy levels, which were low, and my sleep, which was negligible. And, while he would concentrate on both over the next few days, he would also attempt to balance the rest of my system. My Yang, he declared, was out of sync with my Yin, but promised that I would sleep soundly that night. He was right – I did.
After an hour or so with him, I was scooped up
by Miriam, who proceeded to blast extra oxygen into my face accompanied by various serums to fill out the places where the face was collapsing and smooth the wrinkles. There was much sucking and blowing from the three different facial wands as they supplied colla- gen, Vitamin C and oxygen to my tired, dehydrated skin. And, while I’m not a great fan of facials, even after one treatment I could see improvements. She did the same treatment on my hands – which I thought less effective. And this was just the start. For, over the next few
days, my body was pummelled, scrubbed, oiled and almost beaten into relaxation. The latter came
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