PRODUCT FOCUS
HEAT EXPERIENCES
Temascals are being updated and included in modern spa offerings
Temascal Savvy operators such as Swissôtel the Bosphorus are recreating hammams with a modern feel Hammans
“Hammams can be traced back to 641AD and the Arabian conquest of Alexandria, Egypt. They then spread across Europe with the Ottoman Empire,” says Richard Bishop, UK director of NOLA 7. Even the British Empire once had 600 hammam buildings. Authentic hammams are housed in large ornately-decorated buildings with three main areas, the sicaklik, a hot room with a ‘gobek tasi’ or sweat stone as the source of heat, and with humidity provided by water flowing over the heated surfaces. The tepidarium: a warm room to raise the body temperature and the sogukluk, the cooler relax room. Traditional hammam massages include vigorous exfoliation of the body with a coarse mitt, followed by
rich soapy lather cleansing and culminat- ing with an intense sports-like mas- sage. Besides cleansing, the experience improves circulation and includes intense massage and joint manipulation to relieve pains. The experience is very appealing to men and would be ideal for operators who want to entice them into their spa facility. Some leading operators, such as Swis- sôtel (above), are recreating hammams with a modern interpretation to give them a selling point. With space considerations prime in modern spas, NOLA 7 repli- cates traditional hammams with L-shape steamrooms which incorporate massage tables. Cooler heated relax loungers are then located in relaxation retreats outside the steamroom.
spa-kit.net keywords nola 7
St Lucia’s new Rainforest Spa, at The Jalousie Plantation, has included an authentic temascal, made from earth, as part of its offering. Director of PR, Molly McDaniel, says the decision was taken to include a temascal to firmly reconnect the resort to the island’s original Amerindian and Carib-Indian settlers, and Jalousie’s owner, Roger Myers, travelled to the mountain border of Guatemala and Honduras to research the concept.
A temascal – a sweat lodge used in the Meso-American cultures – is a place for ceremonial and therapeutic rituals. Red hot volcanic rocks are placed in a central pit, over which an infusion of medicinal herbs are poured to produce a steam, which cleanses the respiratory and digestive tracts, tones the skins, reduces stress, improves blood circula- tion, helps weight control, calms pre- menstrual cramps and post-partum pain and can ease muscular and osteopathic problems. The ritual also generates a meditative state.
RUSSIAN BANYAS: Stemming from the latin word, balneum, which means to get rid of disease, pain and sadness, Russian banyas are part of an ancient Russian tradition, mentioned in chronicles dating back to 100AD, and still central to Slavic life. Benefits include improving blood circulation and kidney function, detoxing and balancing energy. The experience takes about three hours and involves a number of steamrooms; a massage with either birch, oak or eucalyptus twigs and a Russian soap massage. In between, us- ers relax with seasonal drinks, smoothies
ence – up to 100 different types of steam can be made according to the amount of water and scents added and wafting techniques – and providing the massage.
Up to 100 different types of steam can be made
or kvass, made from black rye bread. A host known as a poparshita (female) or poparshik (male), leads the experi-
80 Read Spa Business online
spabusiness.com / digital
The Amber Spa Hotel in Latvia (see SB10/3 p56), has recently modernised the concept with contemporary equipment and highly trained staff, while maintaining tra- ditional rituals. Hotel guests and spa members use the banya for free, while walk-in customers pay £15
(US$24, e17). General manager, Alla Sokolova, says the banya accounts for around 40 per cent of the spa’s revenue.
SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84