LF Says: ★★★★.5
Summer can really have a draining effect on your body, especially if you have been travelling for the better part of the season. Come monsoon and the humid weather has you craving to restore the body moisture balance, get rid of that inconsistent tan and have the glow back. However, there is nothing that a good spa cannot fix.
I’d be lying if I said I’d had a spa-less vacation. Chasing monsoon in south India came with its own perks. Ayurveda is religion there and it would be foolish to let go of any opportunity to restore the balance in the body. And yet, when I got back to the city, the toll of the travel had begun to show. Unquestionably, I needed a good spa. Pronto.
Going through the spa menu of Spazzo, the wellness centre of Crowne Plaza Today New Delhi Okhla, I was struck by a very interesting line up of therapies designed to hit the common seasonal woes. In short, rejuvenate the body mechanism and maintain its immunity and strength. The suggested use of natural and seasonal ingredients such as coffee scrub, mud wrap, papaya polish, oil therapy had me absolutely sold.
No time was wasted in getting a booking done and there I was, at Spazzo, deep in discussion with the spa manager, figuring out the therapy that would suit my specific needs. The spa has curated some interesting and weather effective therapies to pull one out of the monsoon blues.
Call it the south India hangover or instinct at play, the therapy I chose from the Monsoon selection, was called Monsoon Pleasure and offered a body massage followed by Thai Coffee scrub and Mud wrap to seal the goodness of moisture that was rubbed in.
My therapist, Barna, who hailed from Meghalaya, instantly put me at ease with her gentle demeanour. The spa began with a foot soak and cleanse followed by a steam bath for 10 minutes to prod open the clogged pores. The simple, neutral décor, along with the slight scent of citrusy lemongrass around the spa, aided in relaxing me.
Barna followed up the bath with a gentle massage using invigourating oils, gently easing the knots open. I have to confess, as I felt the discomfort leave my body, I made a small note to finish my next travel with a good spa before I threw myself back into city life.
The coffee scrub was next. Spazzo likes to prepare its ingredients the natural way. Granulated coffee beans infused with natural oils slid smoothly on my body, scrubbing away dead skin cells and acne marks that there may be. The scrub, I was told, also works wonders to remove tan and infuse a healthy glow. The aroma of freshly ground coffee was divine and heady, and instantly put my senses on deep relaxation mode.
I was transported back to one such session in Coorg where I first got introduced to a freshly ground coffee and coconut body scrub made with beans that grew on the estate. Enthused with the fresh feel, I’d even put together the pack once or twice after I got back home. And then, laziness got better of me. “Time to reintroduce it in my routine,” I told myself.
Barna continued to work on my knots, almost lulling me into sleep. Next, she followed it up with a full body mud wrap. Like wet mud that regains its moisture and character post-rain, the pack worked to seal in the moisture infused via oil massage, and worked to tighten the pores. It was at this stage that I drifted into a gentle slumber. The pampering was complete.
Almost two hours later, as I washed off the mask, I realised the power of natural and weather appropriate ingredients to healing the body. It always is a good idea to listen to our body and pamper it a bit so it can cure itself, before it is ready to take on a new adventure. Even if that is an adventure called life!
Other than this two hour long therapy that I opted for, Spazzo offers two more therapies in this special menu — Singing in the rain (that comes with a gentle massage, Papaya Polish and foot pampering session) and Rain Refresher (that is an Ayurvedic Abhayanga massage followed by a mud wrap) for detoxification of the body. The special therapies are available at the spa till September 30. Must try if you happen to be living in Delhi or are visiting it during this period.
LF Says: ★★★★.5
Coordinates: Spazzo, Crowne Plaza Today New Delhi Okhla, Plot No.1, Community Centre, Okhla Phase – l, New Delhi, India
For Booking, contact: +91-11-46462000
