The Perfect Spa

While a flurry of spa brands, tailor-made for the Indian market, jostling to attract tourists is known, a lesser known fact is that their intrinsic style, is the ultimate differentiator, realises Neeti Mehra.

A spurt of home-grown brands is dotting the spascape, reason being the business opportunity that existed in developing a holistic spa experience, rich in culture and tradition, while developing the brand.

Raymond Bickson, MD and CEO, Indian Hotels Company, which operates Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces, says that developing Jiva, which essentially means 'life force' was in fact, an attempt to introduce an Indian spa with an international experience, and bring in consistency. "If we visit a spa in Bali or Thailand, what do you get? Ayurveda, meditation, yoga and ironically all of that is from India, so we had to not look further from home. Then we thought, why isn't there an international spa that is Indian?"

But another school of thought runs parallel—that hotel chains are in the business of running hotels, and spas are best left to professional operators.

The Design Template

A spa design that blends local/traditional design elements with modern execution is the archetype. Quan Spa, designed by Zoran Dzunic combines form with function, using the Chakra system infused with Quan's philosophy, not only in design elements, but for treatments also. Aura at the Park Chennai draws from Indian tradition too. Its treatment rooms are based on the Indian philosophy of Navaratana gems, and the spa also houses the usual gymnasium, yoga and meditation room and a sauna.

In destination spas, the focus is to offer a holistic, yet unique experience to the guest, on the basis of which the design structure is conceived. This, unfortunately, cannot be replicated in day spas, constrained by space, privacy concerns, and legislature, being of the nature of addendums to existing edifices. Chandu Chhada, Principal and Founding Partner, Chhada, Siembieda & Associates (CSA), which designed the award-winning Ananda in the Himalayas, explains the concept, "The architectural vision was to be one with nature, a natural extension of the outside in, creating of lot of open spaces, with plenty of natural light, keeping the exterior and interior design simple, without disturbing the ecology of the site and the surroundings."

Spa Menus

Fusion from design elements has percolated to spa menus today, with spas offering a smorgasbord of treatments, intrinsically Oriental, with a few Western treatments, given the high incidence of international visitors. A typical spa menu draws from traditional Ayurveda, yoga and its derivatives, apart from holistic, non-clinical therapies and massages, aromatherapy, acupressure, Swedish and Thai treatments, and reflexology techniques. And given that the spa audience at day spas is primarily women, suddenly attention is shifting towards the modern metro sexual male.

In the end, the effort is to create an international brand that is uniquely international. It isn't restricted to external treatments only. Today, spa restaurants and bars complete the package, moving from mere rejuvenation to nutrition and replenishment. But unless the hype matches quality, the spa experience would be a mere pipe dream.