August 2nd, 2007
Spas and getting what you deserve - Cover Story
It’s a water thing. Since the earliest times, cities have been built specifically for their ideal proximity to hot springs, mineral water, and sulphur water, or to other spa-friendly geologic attributes. Since Roman times, the cities of Aix-la-Chapelle in West Germany, Aix-en-Provence in France, and Castellammare di Stabia in Italy have been known for mineral baths. The Romans founded other cities, like Bath, in England and Baden-Baden and Wiesbaden, in Germany, because of their nearness to hot springs. Pompei was also known for its baths, and, for hundreds of years, the sulfur springs at Karlovy Vary, in the Czech Republic, have been considered medicinal.
In more recent times, unless it was for healing purposes, the idea of going to a spa has seemed somewhat decadent and a pleasure reserved for the rich and idle. This perception is obsolete. Spas, and spa-like treatments, either away or at home, have become a “right” that we deserve and a “luxury” that we have earned (although some would even question whether these are luxuries, at all). Whether planning a vacation or time off at an exotic resort, or spending a few hours at a local spa or your own bathtub, the result can be the difference between burn-out and rejuvenation.
“I think these days people realize this isn’t luxury; it is almost a necessity now for people to be able to keep going and to carry on being effective in the rest of their lives,” comments Ann Costelloe, manager of The Berkeley Health Club and Spa (one of the Savoy Group hotels) at Knightsbridge in London.
“Once you get to the top of the hotel, somehow you do feel cut off and that all the normal ghastly aspects of life can’t get to you here. Yes, people look for the exercise and the swimming which makes them feel good, loosens them up, and helps them to relax; and, yes, it’s wonderful to have a therapist carrying out all these lovely treatments on you, but it’s more important than all of that.
“It somehow has to be separate from the rest of your life and all the problems that you have. It’s time for yourself when you do feel cut off from all the pressures that you are normally under. You can’t quantify the benefit of that. Only each individual can really understand what it has done for them and it’s all relative to what’s going on in their life at the time and how much they need this,” explains Costelloe.
To be active or to vegetate, that is the question…
Spas vary in what they offer — from being more active or exercise-oriented, including golf and tennis, swimming, gyms, and aerobics or calisthenics, to vegetative, relaxing body treatments, including wraps, various types of baths, Jacuzzis, hot tubs, and saunas, as well as facials, massages, reflexology, and beauty and hair treatments. Some offer nutritional and dietary counseling, or go as far as to provide medically oriented consultations.
There are spas designed to be get-aways for long stays, up to several weeks. There are others that are located in busy hotels, and used by guests of the hotel and area residents for one-hour or all-day treatments. Exclusive, secluded spas generally have health-conscious menus provided, while spas in hotels offer healthful choices on their menus.
Destination spas
The Berkeley Health Club and Spa in London recently refurbished its facilities located on the seventh floor of the hotel. The swimming pool is up on the eighth floor, with a roof that opens during nice weather, offering a magnificent view of Hyde Park.
Some of the services the spa offers in addition to the pool and a gym are a wide array of facials, body treatments, including a hydroactive mineral salt scrub, an assortment of massages from aromatherapy to lymphatic drainage, and many other beauty treatment services. They also have a Jet Lag Recovery retreat designed for those international travelers who come through so often.
Since the last hurricane, the Bolongo Bay Beach Club & Villas in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, has had to cut back its services, but it’s still a full-fitness center with all the latest in gym equipment, swimming pools, and access to tennis, volleyball, and basketball courts. There’s also have a nutritionist on-call and a massage therapist available.