World of SPAs
World of Spas editor Jo Foley presents the latest news and products to seek out this winter
EDITOR’S LETTER
Spas are devoted to helping us feel good and looking better. We arrive tired, stressed and in need of TLC, and hopefully we leave at the end of our visit looking and feeling refreshed. And, while spas have devised wonderful treatments for our faces and bodies for decades, they have tended to forget there is another organ that needs care too – our mind. For, no matter how soft and smooth our skin may feel or how unknotted our muscles, if the mind is still frazzled then the job is only half done. However, spas are actually spending more time these days tending to what is going on inside our heads. For many of us a good hike, dance class or decent workout will have a great effect on the brain, but more of us need extra help, whether it is a floatation treatment or acupressure, watsu (a sort of water-based shiatsu) or a vigorous head massage. In addition, the introduction of the likes of tai chi, Pilates, meditation and Yoga all have a beneficial effect on both our bodies AND brains. With that in mind, I hope you enjoy our main feature in this issue on where to go to have the best Yoga workouts, PLUS a free relaxation/meditation class to help you along the way. Because nothing clears the mind and helps the body relax better than a gentle dollop of silence and some deep breathing.
PURE INDULGENCE
One of the newest launches at sea is the Celebrity Reflection, which comes with every known luxury, including a superb two-deck AquaSpa that fuses fitness with pampering, beauty and cosmesceuticals. For, not only can you have state-of-the-art facials (including one with 24-karat gold leaf mask) but also a menu of facial fillers from restylane to botox, teeth whitening, acupuncture and host of fitness choices – including your own personalised-at-sea boot camp!
FOOTLOOSE
In order to stay ahead of the game, spas have to have their own version of a crystal ball, to help them see what their guests might want at different times, seasons and ages. So hats off to Queen Mary’s Canyon Ranch Spa, which is introducing gait analysis to not only help correct the way we walk and run but also aid any postural imbalances. With a specialist on board, passengers can end their voyage almost literally walking on air. More foot-care treatments are also being introduced to remind us our feet are important, and boy do we rely on them.
TRADITIONAL HEALING
Deep in the mountains of Utah, luxury spa provider Amangiri have introduced a number of treatments created to reflect the healing traditions of the Navajo who have lived in the area for centuries. Each treatment, called “A Desert Spa journey,” begins with a ritual where local grasses are burnt and the smoke fanned over the body to clear away any negative energy and then continues with a choice of cranial sacral massage, floatation, a body-wrap using the local red Sedona clay, facial acupressure or a relaxing holistic massage. There are four Desert Spa journeys to choose from.
CULTURE AND PRACTICE
Yoga at sea is on offer from Swan Hellenic and their current ‘Colours of India’ cruise, where daily classes are held on board with a visiting yoga expert. The stillness and relaxation will prepare guests for the many and varied shore excursions to the tumult of Indian cities, the romance of palaces and the magnificence of the temples. A cruise for both body and brain, it is also available on February’s ‘Grand Trade Winds’ voyage.
Winter 2012-13 I WORLD OF CRUISING 47
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