Be it scuttling behind a bus, gulping your breakfast or striding past a busy road… in the process of meeting deadlines, setting goals and achieving them, from dawn to dusk people these days are in constant race against time. “Life forever seems to be in the fast lane” – is the general refrain.
But being on this 24x7 ‘hurry up’ mode constantly increases the risk of a wrecked muscle and a weary soul. The need to change and recharge always lingers.
Given the scenario, spa-servicing the could be a good option, for it indeed helps you to sit back and push the pause button in your life and live some moments truly to the fullest! Tucked inside the canopy of ‘The Fortune Pandiyan Hotel’, is the ‘Orchids’ spa, a new comer to the city. Set apart by it’s essentially ‘Thai’ feel the spa offers some of the most exclusive and authentic therapeutic massages, that mend the mind and body.
If you are not a regular spa visitor and are on a maiden-venture, then a nagging fear can lurk in you that you do not belong there. You may end up inviting strange gazes. But believe me, once you step inside the classy ambience and are surrounded by a cordial crew, you will gather your wits and confidence to let yourself loose. And once the pious pampering starts, it will really become difficult not to ‘wow’ on the services.
Choices aplenty
Glancing through the package and rate card actually renders decision making difficult. With a wide range of exotic sounding curative packages, it can actually lead to confusion, particularly to a first timer. Obviously then, the price tag works as a rescuer.
Find your way out to the best one with either brewing yourself with the ‘Mocha exotica’, the ‘Coffee scrub cream’ for Rs. 1,700. If you are already roasted enough in this season’s heat, the ‘Sunburn body wrap’ for Rs. 2,200 may help heal the skin with its Aloe Vera gel. Or, in a hydrating plastic wrap, you may end up looking like a masala-dosa parcel! In case you are on the ‘fairness’ run, go for the ‘Silky Orchid body whitening treatment’, that comes with a fruit scrub, body massage and a sandal wood body mask, all for Rs. 5,100.
Or else, you can even choose to cool down your body with the ‘Mango butter cream massage’ for the same price. It includes a fruit scrub plus hydrating body mask. And if you are on the lookout for a purely organic package, then venture out the ‘Special Orchid body treatment’, immersing yourself in uninterrupted 150 minutes of sheer luxury including a herbal scrub and body massage followed by clay body mask. All this again at the same rate.
If you are not inclined to clay-play, try out the ‘Lovely Orchid body nourishing treatment’ or simply zero down on the traditional Thai massage, which is a signature service of the spa.
Once you finally decide and sign up for a massage, there are stepwise rituals to follow. The first is to leave your footwear and slip into a straw-made Thai flip flop, that makes it easy to waddle your way through the beautifully candle lit pebble path. Next is to head for the sauna to steam yourself and you cannot avoid feeling like an over-cooked ‘Idli’ for a couple of minutes. But, the steam bath has its significance. “Before a massage, steam bath is essential as it opens the pores on your skin and hence facilitates easy absorption of oil,” briefs, Ms. Ning, the spa manager.
Traditional ‘Thai’ massage
The simplest yet an effective curative massage is the traditional Thai massage. As this massage doesn’t include any applications, it may cause disappointment to your pre-notions of aromatic oils, flower-pool bath and other stereotype spa dreams, but the results might impress you. “This is a traditional therapeutic method to release your knotted muscles, relax the nerve endings and it enhances blood circulation. The technique is applying pressure by the thumb, elbows and feet to make the muscles more flexible. It is a strong massage type and more like an exercise”, explains, Ms. Ning.
Well you can happily skip being steamed, as the Thai massage doesn’t need one. The very first step of wearing the knee-length loose Capri and a slit-knot top made of cotton, a pan Oriental massage suit will put you at ease. The soothing music, warm and dim lit yellow ambience, cane baskets and a low-lying beds are sure to beguile your senses. The massage that starts smooth and soft would engage you in a short nap and wouldn’t let you know that it prepares your body for the best-rest of it. And then… Only when you wake up to it, you may feel the ‘thumps’ and ‘Thuds’ of being beaten up like a ‘parotta’, kneaded like dough and pounded like the clay… you might also undergo a washing machine drive or a trapeze ride swinging to and fro…and towards the end you may wonder if the masseur has any old grudges against you, walking and dancing on your back.
This jumpy-bumpy session will be followed by a smooth face massage and a short head massage that might improve your breathing. Finally, a foot press and you will be out with your bolts and nuts screwed up and set right in place. The massage repairs the worn-out body and refills the drained down soul. You are sure to emerge a new you, brisk to the brim for Rs. 2200 in 60 minutes. If you think, your body needs more punching, indulge for 90 minutes at Rs. 2700.
If this article arouses you to a ‘try out’ mood, don’t hesitate to call 4356789/4361020 for an appointment.
