1. WELLNESS //
041
ANCIENT LORE,
MODERN HEALINGIndigenous traditional treatments and
natural ingredients are gaining popularity
and respect in many ofAsia’s spas
WORDS SAMANTHA COOMBER
A
sianspa-goersareincreasinglyseeking
authenticityintraditionaltreatments
andexperiencesindigenoustothe
spa’slocationandculture.“InSingaporeand
globally,there’sanincreasingtrendfor
guestswantingtogetbacktonatureand
experience the art of human touch,” says
Ravi Dhandran, senior vice president
and managing director, spa operations of
Banyan Tree Spa.
Luxuriousspascatertosuchdemandswith
regionallyspecifictreatmentsandtraditions
—thoroughlyresearchedandauthentically
reproduced—combinedwithfresh,locally
sourcedingredients.Thisisn’tdifficult,given
Asia’sdiverse,age-old,spa-relatedcultures
andabundantnaturalproduce.“Whilein
Bali,guestswanttoexperiencetraditional
Indonesiantreatments,sothat’swhatwe
focuson,”saysDaLaSpamanager,Atiek.
Inspiredbythetimelesshealingtraditions
oftheIndonesianarchipelago,thespaoffers
Banyan Tree Spa
embraces a ‘high-
touch, low-tech’
philosophy
041-044 JSA Wellness Spas_BMAL R2.indd 041 15/9/11 12:18 PM