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Spa-re
yourself
Last
week, we brought you into the cosy interiors of St Gregory Marine
Spa. In this issue of our spa series, we turn our attention to its
sister spa, the St. Gregory Java Spa.
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By Angelene
Wong
[eastciti.com,
October 20]
Themed
parties and restaurants, to me, are often nothing more than just
a poor imitation of the authentic. Throw in some animal-prints and
a couple of leopard-skin clad servers and they call it a Safari
party. So, when I was invited to an Indonesian-themed spa, I can't
help being a little skeptical. I mean, for skyscraper-infested Singapore,
how back-to-nature can one get if the only mountain in Singapore
is Mount Faber? But St Gregory Javana Spa is quite an experience.
On
Arrival
 The
Indonesian-inspired spa is located in Plaza Parkroyal at Beach Road.
To lend greater presence to the spa, the hotel's fitness club, previously
known as Plaza Club Fitness, was renamed Plaza Club Fitness and
Spa; the idea is to make the hotel a one-stop place for all lifestyle
needs, says Ms Vivien Goh, Assistant Public Relations Manager of
Hotel Plaza Limited (The company manages the Plaza Group of hotels,
restaurants and both the St Gregory Javana Spa and its sister spa,
the St Gregory Marine Spa)
  Located
near the swimming pool on the 3rd level of the hotel, the Singapore
Gold Circle St Gregory Javana Spa exudes a rustic charm with its
warm teak woods and specially flown-in Indonesian artifacts gracing
its walls. Little effort is spared in instilling the right ambience
with its décor and lighting. Every corner and turn, there is an
interesting wooden handicraft, sculpture that beckons you to take
a closer look. (I stopped countless times during my tour!) From
the intricately wooden carvings on the doors to the seashell-speckled
ground that I walked on, there is always something to feast my eyes
on. Interestingly, the plant-named therapy rooms (aloe vera, sea
grass, bamboo) have different colour schemes for male and female:
rich burgundy for female rooms and blue for male rooms.
 Out
of the 7 therapy rooms, 5 are reserved for the ladies who have their
own private rooms. The other 2 rooms include one private therapy
room and a common therapy room, both for men. Some of the rooms,
like the one that I was in, open out to the garden where natural
light seep into the crevices of the wooden doors. It was as though
I was in a village, far away from the stresses of city life. Or
if you like to watch people splashing around in the pool while you're
having a massage, facial or manicure, choose to bask in one of their
outdoor therapy areas - tropical style huts that come with sheer
curtains for more privacy.
 Male
patrons make up 20% of its clientele but the number is on the rise,
with more men realizing the importance of personal grooming and
wellness. "Besides men are more vain now!" says Vivien. Locals make
up the bulk of the clientele with young executives and tai-tais
(rich women of leisure) as frequent visitors.
The
spa offers a good blend of modern spa and beauty services from manicures,
pedicures, swedish and aromatic massages, hand and feet paraffin
treatments, seaweed wraps to traditional, age-old Indonesian therapies
and massages. To protect the authenticity and because of the difficulty
of training, only specially trained and flown-in Indonesian therapists
could perform the treatments. Sought-after treatments include the
sinfully luxurious Mandi Susu(Indonesian version of Cleopatra's
Milk Bath) which will leave your skin silky smooth and the Mandi
Kepala or the Indonesian Hair Crème Bath which involves a one hour
(short hair) or a one and a half hour (long hair) shampoo cum massage
using a secret, ancient recipe using au-naturale ingredients like
aloe vera, avocado, ginseng, celery to pamper your crowning glory.
Even the most troubled hair would find this treatment a bliss!
Tried
& Tested
Erawati,
my Balanese therapist dressed in a sarong, greeted me with her hands
clasped together. I returned the Indonesian hospitality in the same
way, but more awkwardly. My treatment faces a garden. I took my
time to shower while basking in the unhurried tranquility of my
surroundings. The invigorating treatment I was about to have is
the Volcanic Clay Body Masque, which is the unique volcanic clay
body masque using earth clay from the mountains of Java. The entire
90 minutes treatment includes an exfoliating sea salt body scrub,
the clay body masque and finally, a relaxing anti-stress massage.
S
is for Salt & Scrub
Using pure sea salt (yes, it can be eaten!) from the coast of Bali,
Erawati massaged my back, rough areas of my elbow, my arms, legs
and all over my body. Rougher than normal scrubs, the salt however
was not harsh as aromatic oil was also used. I felt a 'biting' sensation
(like ant bites) on some areas of my body where I had sores or rashes.
Erawati said that salt, being a natural antiseptic was working its
effects. While bathing it off in the shower, my skin, well, didn't
feel like my skin at all. It was so smooth, warm and tingly to the
touch!
Clay
Now for the interesting and best part of the treatment: the clay
masque. I watch Erawati mix the clay powder with some warm water,
making it into a paste. The clay paste glided onto my body like
whipped cream and it wasn't sticky or uncomfortable at all. After
smearing the last of the clay onto my body, she wrapped me up carefully
with a plastic sheet, layering with a bath towel and placed a soothing
lavender eye pack over my eyes. Ooh...my…total bliss!
After
a brief but deeply relaxing10-minute nap, it was time to shower
off the clay. I know I've said it before but I have to say it again:
My skin's so smooth and tender to the touch!
Relaxing
Massage
Pijat stands for massage in Indonesian and for generations, the
Indonesians believe that the sense of touch (rubbing) can be used
to heal the body. Erawati herself shared with me that the essence
of Pijat lies in using massage to 'unblock' tight, congested areas
in the body and help with circulation (blood & air).
Using
the Eucalyptus aromatic oil which I chose (to ease my digestive
problems), Erawati gave me a very thorough head, neck, back and
shoulder massage. Kneading and rolling with her fingers and her
palms or just quick pinches, the massage was just right - not too
painful nor was it too mild. I felt the tightness lessened considerably
in my neck and shoulder areas especially.
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