Urbanity - Summer 2008 - (Page 46)

Care & Feeding of the Body Beautiful explosion of decade. No wonder there has been anwhen peoplespas in the last‘spa day’ Weaso desperately need them. I’m astonished characterize as luxury, when so clearly it’s a necessity. People are individuals with different likes and dislikes, and far be it from me to presume to advise. I’ve met people who don’t like being touched, whereas I crave massage after a long day at the salt mines. That’s as it may be, and part of what makes us unique. What we do is present options and opinions only. It’s the mandate of ‘Urbanity’ to bring you the best, but best is subjective and there’s a lot of ‘best’. After careful consideration we chose the spa at the Peninsula hotel in Hong Kong for this issue. Situated on two different floors of the Peninsula Hotel (7 & 9), and designed by ESPA, it is easily one of the best spas on the planet. If you’re a spa person you’re aware of the many innovations in the industry. We’ve written about them extensively, and offered our opinion on fire cupping, live snake massage…and the like. At this spa, as at other ESPA designed spas, you can select a block of time and after reviewing your options decide what treatments you’d like. ESPA trained therapists will be happy to go over the different therapies, but no one is going to peddle a ‘package’ that might give you a half hour of something you like, and an hour of something you don’t. ESPA is deservedly the benchmark for Spa. To begin with, explore the spa area. It is gorgeous in a minimalist and typically Asian tradition. More than 12,000 square feet of spa includes a Romanesque swimming pool (the exception) replete with statues and friezes. Glass walls provide an uninterrupted view of the kaleidoscope of color that is Hong Kong harbor. You’ll choose from an array of Asian, Ayurvedic, and European therapies. There are nine different massages alone, but first spend twenty minutes or so in the soaking tub. Your spa begins with a cup of tea and an herbal foot bath while you discuss with the ESPA trained therapist which treatment you’d like. We selected the Ayurvedic Ama releasing Abhyanga therapy. The treatment includes an extraordinary salt and oil full body scrub, a hydrating and very intense facial that surely restored the skin as well as every muscle in my face—is that a magic mirror? When I could face—is move myself—to move, there was the Ayurvedic marma point massage, ahhh. Aside from the pure sybaritic pleasure and relaxation, this oil and herb massage urbanity Summer 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Urbanity - Summer 2008

Urbanity - Summer 2008 Contents Editorial Destinations / Travel Zany Mad Wacky Nuts The Palate Eye of the Beholder Plaza Sweet Where’d You Get That? Hale Fellows Well Met Ah The Good Old Days Ruminating On Architecture The Wearing Care & Feeding of the Body Beautiful

Urbanity - Summer 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.