Simply Spatacular!

What can be more soothing and rejuvenating than a visit to the spa to ease away tension and stress? Now with the year nearing a close, how about giving your body and mind a well-deserved pampering? Natural Health takes a look at some leading spas in the country to help rebalance, regenerate and renew yourself.

Angsana Spa (Crowne Plaza, KL)

Angsana Spa, is an award winning contemporary Asian spa founded by the multiple award-winning Banyan Tree Spa with branches in Africa, Maldives, Australia, China, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Guam and Indonesia to name a few. Last year it walked away with the platinum award for the “Best Spa” category in the Middle East & North Africa Travel Awards 2009.

Occupying 22-room city spa located at Crowne Plaza in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, Angsana Spa offers the perfect respite from a busy day of shopping, sightseeing and business meetings. Get ready to be pampered with holistic massages, beauty wraps and tropical scrubs that use fresh botanicals based on the ancient art of aromatherapy and fusion of techniques from East and West to refresh and invigorate your mind, body and spirit.

Its signature Bamboo Massage is designed to soothe tensed muscles. Another spa experience you should not miss is the Coconut Milk Pouch where linen pouch is dipped in warm coconut milk with golden honey and glided over the body to provide nourishment to the skin and to lighten blemishes. A range of new polishes like the Oatmeal Tamarind, Peanut Honey Milk and Zesty Fruit Scrub are also available as fresh and nutritious treats for your body.

The Spa at The Datai (Langkawi)

Located on the north western tip of the lush tropical island of Langkawi off the coast of West Malaysia, The Datai is truly an oasis of relaxation and tranquility surrounded by centuries‐old virgin rainforest. The Spa at The Datai opens the door to an intimate world dedicated to the restoration of strength, beauty and balance of the body, mind and soul following ancient healing traditions of the East. See, hear and feel nature at its best as footpaths take you through centuries-old virgin rainforest to its spa village comprising four open-air spa villas. Guests can avail to experience stimulating body polishes, nurturing envelopment, romantic bath ceremonies, rejuvenating beauty rituals and therapeutic massages. The Spa is designed to pamper and restore vitality.

At The Spa you can choose from an extensive variety of health and beauty enhancing rituals based on the holistic principles of Aromatherapy, Ayurveda and Herbalism combining ancient wisdom with modern expertise. Embracing Eastern philosophy, Spa Rituals at The Datai originate from the healing traditions of far away places like exotic Bali, spiritual India and the sacred land of Tibet.

Revise your sense and satisfy your soul with a nurturing spa ritual in the total privacy of The Datai exclusive Spa Villas featuring private facilities for the ultimate spa experience. At The Spa you can create your own personalised spa ritual by combining treatments from a tantalizing selection of Holistic Beauty and Body Elixirs.

Borneo Spa – Nexus Resort & Spa (Karambunai, Kota Kinabalu)

The Nexus Resort & Spa Karambunai lies on 3,335 acres of unrivalled natural and landscaped surroundings on the spectacular Karambunai Peninsula. A 6 km pristine white sandy beach and million-year old tropical rainforest poise as the majestic margin and backdrop.

The exclusive Borneo Spa offers a tranquil haven for the senses with its private blends of essential oils and signature treatments. The latest development at the spa is the introduction of Ayurveda treatments that aims to bring this age-old ‘science of life’ to guests at the resort. Facilities at Borneo Spa include fourteen private therapy rooms, a health bar that serves delicious herbal blends, teas, juices and health snacks, separate male and female jacuzzi, sauna and steam bath for a wondrous tranquil respite from the outside world. Rustic cabanas on the resort’s beach front offer an alternative alfresco massage environment, adding the element of the sea to your massage experience.

Its signature treatments include the Borneo Massage, a combination of massage techniques with lymphatic accupressure, designed to improve blood circulation and digestion whilst draining toxins via the lymphatic system. The other is Borneo Detox, to exfoliate dead skin cells, stimulate blood circulation with a sea salt scrub rich in minerals and infused with lemon and fennel essential oils.

Heavenly Spa – The Westin Langkawi Resort & Spa (Langkawi)

The Westin Langkawi Resort & Spa is a sanctuary of peace, relaxation and exotic surrounds. Exquisitely decorated in the style of the region, the spa menu is abundant with wellness offerings, with many treatments deriving from Malay, Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Turkish, Swedish and Indonesian modalities. There are also anti ageing facials, body exfoliations, foot and bathing rituals and an extensive choice of global massages.

However, it is the collection of ‘Langka Spa Journeys’ that are most memorable. Each of these signature treatments reflects the essence of Langkawi with local ingredients including Black Rice, Aloe Vera, Coconut Milk, Herbs and Spices. The ‘Mystical Mahsuri’, for example, honours the legend of the birth of Mahsuri and is made with luxurious oils.

For the ultimate experience, take the ‘Mahsuri & Darus Romance’ in one of the treatment rooms that is a private beachfront property specially reserved for couples. The three-hour experience includes a vigorous soap scrub that is given upon a stunning outdoor heated marble plinth inspired by the Turkish Hamam tradition. Included are sensual soaks made with fragrant flowers of Water Lily and Hibiscus and the Mahsuri Massage that is a strong yet soothing warrior style massage that comprises traditional martial arts techniques.

Spa Village – The Ritz-Carlton (KL)

An urban oasis of calm awaits in the vibrant heart of Malaysia’s capital city. Spa Village Kuala Lumpur is a doorway to the kaleidoscope of healing traditions available in the region. Spa Village Kuala Lumpur reflects the true nature of the nation’s capital, unveiling the city as a point of convergence between cultures. Signature therapies, Chinese Peranakan and Traditional Royal Malay Treatment, encapsulate the heritage of a city that constantly evolves.

The Sensory Room at Spa Village Kuala Lumpur, the first of its kind in the region, provides healing vibrations to the senses, a combination of multiple sensations that both soothe and heighten awareness.

Dedicated to healing and designed for rejuvenation, the spa contains eight spacious treatment suites that feature outdoor showers and sunken baths surrounded by a tranquil paradise of lush greenery. Massage treatments are available in the spa’s outdoor cabanas with curtains for privacy and a 22-metre lap pool, hot spa and cool dipping pool are set within its landscaped gardens.