Horwath Spa Consulting

Rina Segal, Andrew Jacka and Naphalai Areesorn directors at Horwath Spa Consulting pick up Asia’s Leading Spa Consultancy at the World Travel Awards. The regional World Travel Awards ceremony for Asia, Australasia and the Indian Ocean, took place at The Leela Palace Kempinski in Bangalore with the best in entertainment that the Indian sub-continent had to offer. Winners from across the region flew in to collect their awards. All guests enjoyed a glittering celebration with over 30 different media outlets participating.

There are many ways to enjoy a sweat bath, one of the basic elements of the detoxification process and on the top of the “things to do when I visit a spa”.  Sauna users like their bath hot and relatively dry, while Islamic hammam bathers prefer cooler and steamier sweat baths, and the early Romans incorporated both climates into their bathing rituals. Some cultures like the American Indians chanted, while others basked in quiet meditation in the sweat bath.  Today’s spas offer various versions, from the more traditional steam and sauna, to hammams, hay baths, enzyme baths and rock baths – all offering varying levels of heat with differing results.  What is most important is to follow a few basic guide lines for use in a sweat bath.  Obviously some are ‘bath specific’, while others apply to all forms of sweat baths. 

Allow yourself reasonable time for preparation and bathing. Saunas need to “ripen,” time for the kiuas to heat the rocks, walls and benches. Remember, comforting heat radiates evenly from all sides, not from a single source. Sauna is best taken in a leisurely fashion so bathers can savor each other’s camaraderie.   Refrain from eating and drinking a few hours before sauna (see precautions.)  Before undressing, attend to details such as towels, loofas, soap, vihtas and other sauna implements. Searching for a forgotten brush is annoying once bathing begins. 

Attitudes toward nudity are relaxed in many European countries. To bathe clothed is unheard of, however, bathing is often done at separate times for males and females. If inhibitions rule, loosely wrap a towel around your waist and shoulders. Avoid constricting clothing like a swim suit, it will cut off circulation and inhibit sweating. 

To promote cleanliness, you should shower or wash before entering the sweat room.  In the sweat room a towel or washable cover may be placed over the bench to keep the seat clean for the next user.  Immediately after entering the sweat room toss water on the heated rocks (loyly) to help get the negative ions circulating, but warn fellow bathers so they can anticipate the wave of heat by ducking or moving to a lower level. 

After sweating, cool off. (Time in the sweat room is an individual matter –15 to 20 minutes is average.) For the hardy, and assuming availability, soft snow and ice water are invigorating pleasures, while hoses, buckets and showers provide gentler cooling.  

Heat and sweat purge dirt and pollutants no other bath can reach, including the one you may have taken in the beginning, and must be scrubbed and rinsed off the skin, so washing during your sweat bath is essential for maximum cleanliness.  A luxury not to be missed is the back scrub by a friend or a massage given after the body is softened by the heat – this is one of the main attractions to this type of experience in a spa.  After two to four sessions in the sweat room, relax in a quiet place.  If possible, remain naked and dry naturally, if not a loose robe only should be used.  If you skin is dry, moisturize with lotions or oil. Dress only after sweating has stop­ped.The typical body is 6O% water by weight and while sweat baths may have an indirect effect on weight loss, generally any weight lost during the experience will be promptly regained as soon as you drink a glass of water afterwards.  

Precautions 

Accidents in the sweat bath are rare and if they do occur, can usually be attributed to a lapse in common sense. The most usual mishaps are hot stove burns or bruises from a slip on a wet floor or bench.  Remove jewelry, glasses & contact lenses before entering the sweat room.  Do not be excessive with the water you pour onto loyly.  Too much can scorch skin and lungs. 

Wait 1 – 2 hours after a big meal before using the sweat bath.  Eating before sweat bathing puts a strain on the circulatory system, but is also best not to bathe on an empty stomach.  Sweat bathing, uses energy and some people may experience nausea or even fainting.  If in doubt as to your own state of health, or a beginner bather, use lower temperatures and shorter bathing sessions.  If you are physically exhausted or have been suffering from a long illness, avoid all sweat baths. 

We all react differently to heat. Learn your own limits by starting with lower temperatures and increasing them gradually. Listen to your body and let it tell you when it has had enough, which will become progressively longer the more you use the sweat baths as your body will adapt with repeated exposure to heat, sweat will flow more readily and your cardiovascular system will function and cool more efficiently. 

People not acclimated to heat may feel nauseous or faint. Nose bleeds or other injury to blood vessels may also occur, although there is little danger if treat properly.  Nausea can result a poorly vented sweat room, or from bathing on an empty stomach when your blood sugar is low.   If you feel nauseous, immediately leave the room, lie down and drink a glass of fruit juice.  Fainting may also occur if you stand up abruptly in the sweat room. Blood vessels are relaxed during bathing and when you stand suddenly, fainting may result so MOVE SLOWLY! 

Injury to blood vessels sometimes occurs with the sudden dilation of weak vein walls. If this happens, stanch the bleeding with a compress, leave the sweat room and lie down. Next time, try lower temperatures. 

IF YOU SUFFER FROM A SERIOUS ILLNESS OR HAVE AN ACUTE HEART, CIRCULATORY OR RESPIRATORY PROBLEM, CONSULT A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SWEAT BATHING.

Getting lathered in mud is not just child’s play any more.  Adults and the savvy spa goers of the world are re-discovering spa muds (or more technically correct) clays thanks to research that supports their therapeutic qualities.   

Since the earliest Antiquity, earth and water have been used to heal ailments and alleviate pain. Animals instinctively use clay when they are wounded or ill: they eat earth and roll in clays. It seems that these muddy places around which they gather are the source of some of the best clays.  Used by indigenous cultures around the world as an important medicine and cosmetic since before recorded history, around the world, spa clays are used externally to absorb excess oil, dirt, and toxins from the skin, for exfoliating and improving skin circulation, and some are ingested to detoxify or treat mineral deficiencies.  Considered sacred by Egyptians, clay was prescribed by their doctors for external and internal uses to heal wounds and burns as well as a multitude of gastro-intestinal diseases. In the 5 Elements Traditional Chinese Medicine, it is considered to focus telluric and cosmic energies and allow the entry of the Element Earth in the global dynamic of an organism. Indeed, during its very long process of birth, Clay has accumulated lots of different energies (electric, magnetic and chemical thanks to all the minerals and trace elements of which it is composed) which contribute to making Clay a unique natural remedy adapted for a wide array of purposes.  

Our skin is highly porous and will absorb anything that is put on it, so by applying clay, your skin will absorb minerals and nutrients while simultaneously removing toxins.   

Spa clay’s come in a range of textures from coarse to fine and in a range of colors from red to green, white, yellow, blue, grey and black depending on the natural mineral content.  Red clays are high in iron, green clays are high in silica, while coloured clay contain iron oxides, Bentonite, hematite and a long list of other minerals such as sulphur, magnesium, potash, aluminia, ferric oxide, lime, soda and titania, humic acid, salicylates, phytohormones etc. etc. depending upon the type and source of the clay.The Maori reserve of Hells Gate, Tikitere is arguably New Zealand’s best known source of spa clay.  The geothermal reserve was formed some 10,000 years ago and today is a major tourist attraction, with private and communal clay baths on site, or you can take some clay home for self application.  Australia offers environmentally clean and geologically ancient clay with some dating back as far as 300 million years, and Abundant Springs claim that they are more absorbent and more active than other similar clays on the market.  Casselman, Ontario Canada is home to the Golden Moor bog, which produced clay taken during the winter months from a depth of 5 – 15 meters under the frozen surface, uncontaminated by modern day pollution and where the thermal current circulates constantly.  Cervia in Italy claims to have very rare, lagoon clay whose special properties derive from mineral salts and organic substances present in seawater.  Many other countries around the world offer clay of varying types and purities to the growing number of spa goers.  If in doubt about is purity, always ask for confirmation of its mineral content before purchasing. 

Clay will purify, stimulate, invigorate and regenerate. “Have you had some clay today?”

Horwath Spa Consulting has been awarded ‘Asia’s Leading Spa Consultancy’ at the World Travel Awards 2007.  The awards based in the UK have been called the travel industry’s equivalent to the Oscars by the Wall Street Journal and are the most comprehensive recognition programme in the global travel industry.  Sponsors of the 14^th World Travel Awards, include BBC World and Amadeus, with voting done on-line by over 165,000 travel professionals in 200 countries worldwide.  

Receiving the award were Naphalai Areesorn, Managing Director, and Directors Andrew Jacka and Rina Segal at a gala dinner in the plush Leela Palace Hotel, Bangalore. Horwath Spa Consulting has developed and managed spas for clients in Thailand, Italy, Turkey, Dubai and on board cruise ships. Naphalai and Andrew are active in the spa industry, with Andrew being the current President of the Thai Spa Association.  This award for the Thai-based company is also seen as recognition for the leading role that Thailand plays in the global spa industry. 

Thailand is unique in the spa world, given that the largest sector of the industry is the Resort Spa sector compared with the vast majority of countries where the Day Spa sector is the driving force.  The Thai spa industry is very much a holiday experience with almost 90% of spa goers across the kingdom being tourists - be they international or local.  There are moves underway to try and change this, but given that the key component of the Thai Spa industry (Thai massage) having a rich cultural and traditional heritage within the family life, it is probably still a long way off before the majority of this nations residents see the health advantage over the financial considerations of a Thai spa experience versus a Thai massage.   However with continued economic growth and consumers enjoying a greater disposable income, their willingness to spend money on services which are often perceived as luxurious should see a rethink with the realization that regular spa visits can assist in living a longer and healthier life, but until this happens the dependence on the tourist dollar will remain for many spa operators.

Traditional Thai therapies such as Thai Massage and Thai Foot Massage are the cultural heart of the industry, so there was a solid foundation from which to build when a water element was added, and the nation proclaimed a ‘new industry’ – the Thai Spa industry.  Since the establishment of the first spas in Thailand in the early 1990’s when confusion reigned within government and industry ranks as to what a ‘spa’ really was, how to categorize it within the existing legal framework or even what the official definition of a spa was and by whom or how the industry should be regulated, and which authoritative body was responsible for establishing what legality for the industry, there has been significant development and improvement.  The wheels of government and industry sometimes grind slowly, but in 2002 the definition of ‘spa’ was finally agreed upon and spas became (in part) “ a business establishment for the promotion of health care and wellness, where the main services consist of massage and water application for promoting health and wellness”.  Shortly thereafter the official separation of the spa industry from the massage parlor industry the industry was seen as a great stride forward, and the subsequent introduction of certification of Spa Therapists and the instigation of a national test by the Ministry of Public Health for those seeking registration as Spa Managers have been embraced by all as positive industry developments

Fortunately, other than the much maligned massage excise tax that was imposed in early 2004, for the most part the teething issues experienced have now been largely resolved, and the Thai Spa industry is looked upon as a guiding light for many of our neighbors’ burgeoning spa industries as something that they can aspire towards.

You can now experience an ever varying number and diversity of spa treatments and therapies as each operator seeks to establish their own market position.  From Thai massage to Tibetan, Swedish to Shiatsu, Aroma to Ayurveda, diagnostic, curative or pampering, a myriad of body scrubs and wraps, baths, showers, herbal steams, poultices and soaks, infra-red saunas, 100% natural or spa age technology – the menu choices that feed the mind, the body and the spirit just continue to grow.  Despite all of this the vast majority of people still go to a spa for a basic massage, so much of the extra remains marketing padding and not necessarily business reality.

Given its growth the Thai spa industry remains relatively small, with less than 500 spas employing about 5,000 therapists, and the true impact of the spa industry on the economy of Thailand is difficult to substantiate in monetary terms, although many have tried.  Last year, an Asian wide survey by SpaAsia magazine reported that 83% of people consider ‘spa’ when making their final decision as to where they would spend their holiday, thereby indicating that the actual amount of money spent while visiting a spa represents only a small fraction of the financial value of spas to a nations economy.

There is now a growing awareness that the industry offers the potential of a long term career possibility for those seeking to make their living from an industry that is based on the cultural heritage of Thailand – an industry that offers more than a quick ‘feel good’ factor, but one that can assist circulation, detoxification and improve the overall feeling of well being, thereby extending our quality of life – an industry that every man, woman and child in this country can truly be proud of, and should also seek to protect as the world tries to copy it.

In mid 2005, the Department of Skilled Labor introduced a series of standards for Spa Therapists and while these are not legally binding, for those seeking to become experts in their profession, are standards to which all should aspire even if they seem out of reach today, as they will only serve to further improve the professionalism of the industry.

In 1999 the Department of Export Promotion organized the first Health & Beauty Show, and in 2000, Thailand hosted its first international industry conference.  The Health & Beauty Shows have continued to grow and prosper even though the concept has been copied by a myriad of smaller local event organizers, with the Thai Spa Association even hosting its own Thai Spa Day exhibition back in March, yet it was not until September of this year that a second international industry conference was held in the kingdom, but the event calendars for 2006 already promise at least three major events, thereby cementing the industry as a credible industry force.

The Thai Spa Association is proud to be part of this growth and has already been confirmed as a supporting sponsor for major international events as far ahead as mid 2007, so the outlook is bright for those that choose to become involved.

Entering a spa, you enter a world that will allow you to reassess a variety of issues that may or may not be affecting your body and its performance.  Is your body living up to your expectations of its presentation or performance?  If so, how can you maintain or further enhance this for as long as possible, or if not, how can you improve the situation?

Time in a spa is much, much more than just the feel good factor provided by relaxation and pampering, even though this may well be the primary reason that most people first enter a spa.  Your visit to the spa is very much focused on your body, and how it is (or anticipated to be) pampered and/or pummeled in order that the anticipated objective is achieved, and whether or not you realize it, time is a spa is an investment in your overall health and wellbeing.

You may well think that a spa visit is just a chance to be pampered, and while this may well be the case in a home spa environment where the bath is surrounded by a few candles and the waters are scented with flower petals and essential oils, it is much, much more in a dedicated spa environment, where you care is handled by a trained professional.  A successful spa operator will have taken into consideration a large number of factors to ensure that the therapy that your body receives is as beneficial as practical, given the amount of time that is available to them during your visit.  If it is a quick lunch time break massage, then there is limited opportunity or time to enable significant health benefits, but some is always better than none, and should you be able to afford to spend a longer time or, probably more importantly, be able to more frequently visit a spa, then the better able to achieve real and tangible long term health benefits.

So what can your body really expect to gain from its time in a spa?  As already noted above, this will be significantly dependant on how much time that you have available to spend in this environment, together with being dependant on how committed to the overall lifestyle that is association with it.  Are you in it for the feel good factor of pampering, “its trendy and all my friends do it”, to support your allopathic medical practitioners approach to recovery from an illness, to enjoy some personal time away from the family or out of the office, as a preventative measure towards long term health and anti-aging, or just because your computer has taken over your life and you seriously miss the nurturing elements of physical touch and interaction of another human being, or for one of a multitude of other reasons?

Spas can work on different levels of the body, and all of these need to be dealt with to ensure that the body is whole, rather that another victim of the much maligned and often abused or misunderstood ‘holistic’ approach to well being.  Wholistic and holistic are words that by definition encompass the whole of the body, and working on only a part of the body while ignoring the rest means that you are not acting in the best interests of the whole self, and that you definitely are not involving an approach to a genuine holistic level of health.  Equally, holistic health will also require the mind and spirit to be considered to as part of the package, and while these are covered in greater detail in other chapters of this book, must at least be alluded to here, as the body has many forms, including the spiritual, etherical and physical.

To start to understand this, you only have to look at the principles of chakra and chakra balancing, where physical contact may or may not be made with the body by the therapist, but the energy fields of the body are balanced, generally in conjunction with aromatherapy to maximize the therapy’s effects on the body, and may even be extended to include an aroma massage for maximum benefit.  Many would even tell you that for these to work fully the element of mind must also come into this as it is only for the true believers that this type of therapy will even work, however I would suggest that this applies only for the most skeptical, who need to review their total stress level before going further.  To maximize your results from a spa visit or a spa lifestyle, you have to be open minded to change and a different way of thinking – the more open minded the greater the chances of you being able to sift through the growing variety of treatments and therapies on offer on your spa menu to benefit your body accordingly.

As we move through the body’s outer layers, we move beyond the energy fields and reach the physical body.  It is from here that most people comprehend the body as real and will seek practical and tangible actions that will provide real or perceived results with the utilization of a large variety of creams, potions, elixirs, serums, cosmetics, cosmeceuticals, pharmaceuticals, diets, fitness regimes, allopathic and complementary medical sources in an effort to stay young, although all too often this is on a superficial level, that is not sustainable, rather than on a deeper and longer lasting level, with a committed approach to long term health, rather than the (all too often), quick fix approach to life.

Experiencing time in the hands of a skilled spa therapist, and the application of various products, fresh, natural or otherwise, should induce a state of calm that in itself will assist with the anti-aging process.  Even if lying on a massage bed for only 30 minutes, that is 30 minutes where your body will be relaxed, softening the wrinkles caused by modern city living, and when combined with any level of detoxification, be it through bathing, steaming, infrared saunas, scrubs or exfoliants, or through any of the myriad of products available in the market today, you will have taken a step on the anti-aging path, leaving the spa with a smile on your face, a spring in your step and “looking so much younger”!

However in our attempts to expand on this and maximize benefits even further we are using more and more spa products, all with a variety of claims as to their benefits, but there are a some basic issues that now need to be considered, as it is the quality of the products and not the quantity that we should be looking at.  In understanding the basics of seeking a longer life and the desire for the eternal fountain of youth, you have to consider the therapies that you are undertaking and the products that you are using to support the process.  In addition to this is your present skin condition.  The more damaged your skin, whether through maturity, weather conditions, disease or a number of other causes, the longer it will take to repair or counter balance these effects.  Ultimately it must be remembered that the longer it takes to react to the ravages of time on our body, the longer it will take and the less options that that are available to you to repair the damage that has been caused, irrespective of how it has been caused, and that your spa therapist is interested in your well being, and is not a magician.

“All things are not for all men” as the saying goes and this applies to the products that your therapist will select for use in your spa treatments, or that you purchase for home use.  Skin type, sensitivity, allergies to products, time available, anticipated results and general skin condition are all factors that will influence the type of products used irrespective on where on the body they are used.

In addition to the pampering element, the basis of spa therapies and treatments is detoxification or the process of removing toxins from the body, to promote well being and provide you with a healthier body.  Toxins or poisons produced by the body as a result of normal body processes as part of our daily living, together with those that are absorbed from the environment that we live in are detrimental to your overall sense of wellbeing, causing a myriad of health problems if not being regularly moved from the body or being allowed to build to high levels.

Whether it is their intentional removal or as a side benefit to your spa experience, the removal of toxins is the base process that underlies all spa therapies.  The results of a session in the sauna may be obvious, as are the results of a lymphatic drainage massage, as these are two spa therapies that will induce the loss of the bodies fluids laden with toxins from the body; but have you ever wondered why you were offered a glass of water after having enjoyed a Thai or Swedish massage?  This glass of water (or unsweetened herbal tea) that you were (or should be) offered, is to flush the toxins from your mouth that have built up during you treatment time.  It is not only the dryness in your mouth, but also the funny taste that highlights this fact, so the consumption of a glass of water is the quickest and easiest way to remove this taste and the toxins that cause it.  Consumption of several more glasses of water over the following few hours will further flush more toxins, released as a result of your therapy, from the system.  The obvious side benefit of this is to assist with the hydration of body as all too often we operate on fluid levels that are less than adequate, resulting in a unnecessary build up of toxins in the body.  Time and time again, you will read in newspapers and magazines, that the consumption of 6 – 12 glasses of water a day is essential to your well being.  Numbers vary, as the size of the glass is not always stipulated, and various health professionals around the world take into effect local culture and diets.  What they all agree upon is that we should be consuming more fluids that contain no sugars, additives or drugs of any kind (this means that sweetened carbonated beverages and similar commonly consumed liquids, loaded with these items cannot be included in your daily tally of fluids towards better health)

But it starts long before your treatment is over!  If your goal is to remove toxins, then any of the products applied to the body during your treatment should also be toxin free in as far as possible and as much as is practical, otherwise the detoxification process can become farcical with you trying to remove toxins, while at the same time, covering your body with them.  However, as with all things in life, there is an element of reality and balance must come into play, and while there is an increasing growth in the awareness of ingredients used in spa related products, not all products are labeled as natural contain all natural ingredients, and even go so far as to be organic.  Obviously 100% organic is the target, but we still have a long way to go, but fortunately, due to the demand fueled by an increasing knowledgeable spa consumer we are at least moving along this path.  After all, if you are seeking the best approach to benefiting from the removal of toxins, the utilization of product or products that are made without the use of chemicals, growth hormones, additives and preservatives, means that is application will result in minimal application of additional toxins to the body.  However economics and the scale of production, together with issues of product shelf life and volatility of the beneficial qualities in product still have to be faced and answers sought, either by the manufacturer or the way that we look at products and our expectations from them.

Equally this applies to the food that we eat before or after our spa visit, or in the larger spas, during our visit.  If the side benefit (or focus) of our visit to a spa is detoxification, then it makes no sense to be drinking caffeine laden coffee before our visit to the spa.  This argument can apply to many and varied foods, so if you are going to be serious about it all, then just approach life with a level of moderation.  For clarification; those that think I am advocating the consumption of decaffeinated coffee over regular coffee, decaffeinated coffee is washed with chemicals to remove the caffeine, a natural chemical and so which would you rather have, a natural chemical, or an artificially created one?

Your approach to your body and the food or fuel that you place into it, can drastically effect your enjoyment of your spa therapies, and equally their long term benefits.  We all know that spa treatments is a little like swimming, your mother always told you that you should not go swimming for one to two hours after eating, and the same applies to your spa visit.  Allow your food to digest before you commence you therapies, will make you much more comfortable.

And then afterwards, where is the sense of filling your body with excessive toxic and toxin laden foods that are completely counter productive to your spa therapies.  Are we all so rich that we do not have to think about the realities of our bodies and what we do with them, as we can always employ someone to fix the problem?  There are few that have this luxury in life and ultimately, it is not a healthy way to approach life anyway, as if you take a little care of yourself as you go about your daily routine and or adjust your routine to suit a healthier lifestyle you would be much better off, save money, live longer and be able to enjoy life more fully.

The food portion of this is simple.  The basic principle of the specialist cuisine that has developed from the growth of the spa industry is simplicity and while the title is Spa Cuisine, it is nothing complicated or difficult to prepare.  Everyone can cook this style of food at home, provided it is approached with an open mind and with a little forethought, as it is just a simple healthy way to approach your food preparation and consumption, where we eat according to our modern lifestyle rather than the more physically intensive lifestyle of our forefathers.  Low fat, low salt, low sugar; simple and uncomplicated.

Nutritionists and dieticians have been telling us for many years about the problems associated with the ever increasing girth of society, where the size of your waistline is an indication of your wealth, while we continue to ignore the impact that it has on our health.  Now we are paying the price, with spiraling medical costs relating to an unhealthy society.  Government initiatives can only go so far and it is we the consumers that have to make changes, and the spa lifestyle is a near perfect way in which to approach this.

Next time you sit down to a meal, take a few moments to reflect on the contents of what you are about to consume.  How much visible fats and oils are there to be seen, and do they really need to be there, or is it just a comfort factor.  Fats and oils are the major flavour carriers in the foods we eat and our bodies require some of these for healthy function, but do we really need to have as much as we consume today?  What happened before Fast Foods became part of our daily living?  These have resulted in a significant increase in the amount of fats that we consume, as it is the amount of fat that they contain that helps to give them the flavour, besides which many of us were brought up on a visit to a Fast Food outlet being a special occasion or reward so there is also the comfort food syndrome to be taken into consideration.  This apparent need for lots of fat has spilled over into our regular diet, with considerable negative health benefits.

Do you have to add extra seasoning, through the addition of salt, soy sauce or fish sauce, and if so – why?  Is it force of habit, or is it genuinely required?  Our forefathers, used to have salted foods as this was a means of necessity derived from salt being a means of preservation for foods in the years before we had refrigeration.  This is obviously not the case today, so why do we persevere with this out dated and archaic practice?

Sugar, equally has a lot to answer for.  Today we take highly refined sugar and add it to nearly every thing that we eat, from desserts to savoury dishes, noodles, stir-fried dishes and most processed foods.  We are often told that our diet must have a balance of salty, sweet, sour and bitter to be real Thai, but the element of sweet is being taken to the extreme.  If we resorted to natural unrefined sugar in any form, we would be consuming less as this at least would be providing us with some other nutritional benefits, including essential minerals and perhaps even a little fibre, but refined sugar has virtually all of these stripped from the end product that is being consumed in apparently ever increasing quantities.  So while it provides an element of energy, there is limited other nutritional value, so you would be much healthier to source your energy hits from other foods that would provide more than just energy, but real and tangible health benefits.  Do you really need to have add that spoon of sugar to your noodles, or that two, three or even four teaspoons of sugar in our morning coffee?

The next logical step, in this process is to look at the amount of physical activity that we are performing each day.  As already stated, the holistic approach to health means applying it to the whole of the body, and this includes the way we use it.  This equally should have highlighted the fact that everything in life is interrelated, although through the principles of yin and yang and quotes such as “for every action there is a reaction”, we should have been fully aware of this already.

How often have you heard of the highly specialised diets that are required by our nation’s athletes to enable them to perform at peak efficiency?  The food we eat affects the way our bodies function and the way our bodies function affects the foods that we eat.  With our bodies now functioning better as a result of our increasing involvement in and commitment to the spa lifestyle, the door to other opportunities is starting to open and our horizons are expanding.  We realize that life does require balance, and we need to balance our engine intake with our engines output, so physical activity of some kind must be part of our routine.  If you are one of the fortunate members of society that is physically active as a result of where you live and the type of work that is entailed then you do not require making a conscious effort to add the element of physical activity to your life.  Unfortunately for a growing number of people living in polluted cities, the option of physical exercise is no longer something that can be overlooked, and while we still have some city parks and gardens that allow us be at one with nature for an hour or two and conduct our exercise in an apparently healthy environment, the air in our cities is increasingly and all too often, laden with chemicals and toxins that are less than conducive with our overall health, so we are forced to take our physical activities indoors to avoid other health related issues that will arise as a result of consuming these chemicals and toxins in high doses as a result of our exertion from physical activity.

Computers, originally intended to make life easier for us all are taking their toll with a variety of side issues now to be addressed, including eye strain, wrist injuries, lack of core stability caused by long hours at the desk, and more.  Use of good nutrition and involvement in regular exercise can address many of these issues, but our lack of interaction on a physical level is increasing the demand on the nurturing environment that can be provided by a spa.  After all, our bodies are the product of our environment and the fuel that we energize them with, but they are much, much more than this, as this applies only to our bodies on the physical level.

Treat your body to a regular spa therapy, and enjoy the experience for what it is, while accepting there is a deeper and much more meaningful approach to it that will ensure that you achieve benefits far above and beyond your expectations.  Take a more serious look through an open mind, into what your body is made of, how it functions and what influences it and with a little thought, consideration and implementation of them into your life, you should be able to make significant strides towards a genuine levels of wellbeing that your body with thank you for, for a long, long time.

Spas have become renowned for the massages that they offer and while industry surveys may indicate 85% of therapies experienced at the spa are your basic massages (Swedish, Aromatherapy, Thai etc.), there is much, much more that you could enjoy.
The main services of a Spa may well be based on massage but the element of water, which defines what a spa is, is essential.  S.P.A. – Sanus Par Aqua / health through water.  This water element can be varied, from simple steam, sauna and showers to soaks and baths – all of which can enhanced with chromotherapy, music and/or aromas to create a truly luxury experience.  Other spa services can include exercise, nutritional therapy, dietary programs, mind therapies, herbal medicine or even traditional and complementary medicine.  The content and diversity of the offering will vary, depending upon the spas concept.
Your spa experience may begin with a body scrub or wrap and be followed by Acupressure, Hot Stone, Sport and Four Hand Massage or even Lymphatic Drainage, Shiatsu or Tui Na, but there is a myriad of lesser known options for you to consider.
Abhyanga - Ayurvedic massage to improve hydration and relaxation without targeting specific areas.
Chi Nei Tsang – Internal organ massage – to improve general well being and can assist digestive blockages
Craniosacral Therapy - Massage therapy focusing on the head and neck areas.
Oleation - Ayurvedic treatment using friction massage with blended essential oils.
Panchakarma - Ayurvedic cleansing and purification treatments using essential oils, massage and meditation techniques.
Trager Massage - Massage technique of gentle rhythmic rocking movements to induce relaxation and relieve tension.
Polarity Massage - Through gently rocking, holding and massaging this technique with stimulate relaxation, restore energy flow and encourage revitalization.
Rolfing - Deep muscular manipulation for the relief of rigid muscles, bones and joints, to improve energy flow and relieve stress often related to emotional trauma. Can be painful!
Rasul - A specific body treatment, which begins with a shower, followed by a Moroccan mud application. After this is rinsed off the treatment is concluded with an herbal steam bath. Detoxifies, exfoliates and improves circulation.
Enzyme Bath - Wooden tub filled with fibrous material (such as wood chips) and plant enzymes, which naturally ferment creating a heated substance in which you are submerged to sweat out toxins; aids relaxation, improves circulation & metabolism.
Flotation Tank - A tank filled with enough salt water so a person can float in it; lights are either dimmed or turned off. Music & light therapies are often combined with this.
Hamam - Turkish/Middle Eastern communal bathhouse.
Mandi Susu - Indonesian bathing ritual using regular milk or buttermilk, sometimes yogurt.
Roman Bath - In ancient Rom numerous baths were used alternately hot, warm and cold. The varying temperatures aided in stimulating the circulatory system.
Swiss Shower - A water therapy treatment combining the use of stationary water jets (12 to 16) which are aimed at pressure areas of the body; the water alternates between hot/cold. Stimulates circulation and relieves tension.
Watsu - A massage treatment where the client and therapist are immersed in a pool of warm water. Treatment consists of pressure point massage, and rhythmic movements and stretches.
Gommage - Various creams applied in long massage-like strokes to the body and used on the face with short, quick strokes to cleanse and rehydrate the skin.
Inhalation Therapy - Treatments involving the inhalation of steam vapor, which may have been treated with medicine or natural herbal or contain curative mineral substances.
Shiro Dhara - Ayurvedic treatment of warmed oil slowly pouring over the ‘third eye’ in middle of one’s forehead to induce total relaxation.
Spa therapies may also include ones that more commonly associated with ‘alternative therapies’, lifestyle classes or even gymnasiums such as Aerobics, Body Composition Analysis, Life Coach Counseling, Tai Chi, Pilates, Physiotherapy or Yoga, but can also include those that are less common, such as;
Alexandar Technique - a method that works to change movement habits. It is a simple and practical method for improving ease and freedom of movement, balance, support and co-ordination by releasing unnecessary tension.
Bowen Technique - Holistic bodywork therapy developed by Tom Bowen in Australia in the mid-1950s.  It is a therapeutic soft-tissue manipulation technique that is applied to the muscles, tendons and ligaments of the body very gently and with minimal pressure.
Feldenkrais Method - developed by Russian Doctor, Moshe Feldenkrais (1904 - 1984) to help you understand your body and explore the way you move so that you can correct yourself - aids mobility and flexibility and treats conditions such as sport injuries.
Labyrinth – a version of walking meditation
Mind Coach Counseling – concentrates on the state of mind rather than the body – a form of mild psychotherapy.
Qigong - Oriental discipline, incorporating body movements with specific patterned breathing and mental concentration. Believed to improve overall health, circulation and body movement fluidity.
Then there is those therapies that are more medically inclined, be they traditional or complementary;
Acupuncture - Oriental technique inserting needles into specific points on the body to stimulate healing and balance.
Bach Flower Therapies - the use of certain flower essences to treat emotional problems. The method has been used since the 1930’s, when Dr. Edward Bach observed that personality types had a close relation to certain patterns of illness.
Cell Therapy - This therapy involves the injection of lamb embryonic cells - believed to regenerate cell growth and reverse the aging process. Not FDA approved in many parts of the world.
Chelation Therapy  - preventative or curative cleaning of the arteries by way of an intravenous fluid.
Colonic Hydrotherapy  - Irrigation of the colon for the purpose of cleansing trapped debris.
Crystal Therapy - works in a similar way to colour therapy with similar results.
Ear Candling – lighted wax cones used to gently extra ear wax and improve hearing
Harmonic Resonance Therapy - encourages our body cells’ own frequency to be amplified by running a small, electromagnetic current through the palm of the hand or the ball of the foot. Its effect is an increase in energy and mental clarity.
Magnet Therapy - the specialized use of magnets to improve blood flow and oxygen supply to the red blood cells, increasing energy levels and accelerating healing.
Rebirthing - Rebirthing is a healing process that engages with the mind, the body and the spirit to cleanse away toxic patterns of being and facilitate new, healthy and fulfilling goals and choices. The core practice of Rebirthing is a breathing technique.
Stress Management – generally counseling sessions with a specialist experienced in stress related problems.
To finish you have the head & toe therapies, commonly associated with Beauty Salons or similar establishments, but a logical conclusion to your spa experience.  These can be everything from a basic Manicure, Pedicure or Shampoo Blow Dry to the more luxurious Hand Scrubs, French Manicures, Foot Baths, Paraffin, Waxing and Hair Masques.
If you have been following a tried and true ritual by just booking a massage, why not explore other options and enquire of about different therapies which may be available at your spa – ones to complement your massage, your lifestyle and give balance to your mind, body and soul – for a truly whole-istic experience.

The current trend for Hotel Chains is to move away from the ‘outsourcing’ of spas to the development of their own unique brand.  This has come about as a result of increased knowledge by hotel operators as to the requirements of how a spa works; the increased pool of experienced spa managers and the general desire to provide a ‘unique’ product that is suitably linked to their own branding image.  Probably more importantly, they are now realizing the profit potential of well run spas, and the fact that spas are not a ‘fad’ and are here to stay.

Spas by nature provide a very personal experience and while this may have been more the reality from smaller boutique hotels in the past, the larger hotels and chains are now realizing that they too can provide a very personal experience even thought they may be dealing with a much larger market segmentation, and the significance of having an ‘own brand’ spa is no small part of this.  Added to this, Hotels must regularly undergo a review and refurbishment of their operations and outlets and the hotel Spas are now falling into this requirement also.

This need to refurbish and update, reflecting the demands of the hotels (real or perceived) clientele, providing a more appropriate image for an ever more educated and sophisticated spa going public is also becoming obvious in terms of market positioning.  The Shangri-La has developed the Chi Spa, the ‘W’ brand hotels joined with Bliss, the Hilton are in the early stages of developing their spas and then there is smaller hotel chain operators such as the Banyan Tree with spas of a standard to which many spa operators and hotels still aspire.

The few companies with Asian experience, such as Banyan Tree, Mandara and Six Senses have all begun re-branding, and or development of other brands to try geared to different spa market sectors, so as to maintain their market position.  Having said this, there is still plenty of opportunity for other hotel chains to re-brand themselves in terms of their spa offering, and to differentiate themselves from the ‘rest of the crowd’, creating a genuinely unique product in keeping with their market positioning.

Employment of a spa consultant to assist with this re-branding is not only a financially sound one, but more importantly a common sense approach as other hotels chains found out.  Despite the increasing understanding of Spa operations by hotel operators, Spas remain a unique product that cannot be operated with the same ‘bottom line’ dollar driven focus that a hotel is run with, and must focus on the individual – something which may hotel operators find difficult to fathom.  To work with independent thinking industry professionals that are not linked to any other specific brand, yet are experienced in spa development, enables fresh ideas without the blinker approach resulting from an ‘internal’ re-brand, especially in the early development stages, to be brought to the table.  Operationally it will ensure good work flow, and the opportunity to maximize profit potential, while retaining the most cutting edge end product that is custom designed from start to finish to suite the client and its market position; a customized offering, not just a ‘copy’ offering.

Horwath Spa Consulting Co., Ltd. an independent franchisee under the Horwath International umbrella of companies, has the professional credibility of being part of Horwath International, one of the worlds leading Hotel & Leisure management consultancy firms, and whose independent franchise members have a lengthy client list including most if not all of the major hotel companies of the world.  Horwath Spa Consulting may be a relatively young company, having only been established since early 2002, but the extensive experience that the team has gained in the hospitality industry (collectively over more than 70 years, of which almost 40 years has been in the spa sector), has proven to be a winning combination, with spas in Thailand, India, China, Turkey, Vietnam and Singapore to our name, either independently during our working careers or under the banner of Horwath Spa Consulting.
Asian therapies provide by Asian therapists who have a natural caring nature, using Asian products with centuries of healing tradition, have to be experienced to be believed.  Many have tried to copy the intricacies that are offered, but it is only those with their heart in Asia that have a true understanding of it all.

With a diverse range of projects to our portfolio, from cruise ships to day spas, hotel and resort spas to destination spas, each of which offers its own unique challenges to ensure that they are set up to maximize profit potential and achieve market share, has been a challenge, but one to which we feel proud to say that we have achieved.  This is further underscored with the number of spas who are now extending contracts and signing Horwath Spa Consulting to management consultancy contract.

Being based in Asia, the heart and soul of the Spa industry is also seen as a key to this growth and development.  The ‘west’ is now looking to the ‘east’ to learn more about nurturing, holistic health based on many centuries of practical experience, but all too often to which there is no ‘real’ understanding.  The recent explosion of interest in Thai, Aryuvedic and Chinese products, techniques and therapies has a long way to go before appetites will be sated.

Depending on the size and type of spa, a consultancy set up period can be as little as four months, but this time frame is rarely set by the consultant, as it is generally the construction teams that define this issue.  As a consultant, our work does not cost the client any more if it is for a longer period of time, as we work on a set project fee, payable over the life of the project, so the earlier that we are employed, the lower our monthly payments will be.  Other than the Training Fee, which can only be established once the spa menu is finalised, our fee is a one of fee that will take you from concept through to operational opening.  A separate contract will be required should on going management be required, but whether or not this is required, we will still set up the spa to the same standards as if we were not the management consultant.