Spa here, spa there… we are spoilt with indulgences. However, we all disagree on the origin of the word ‘spa’. Two main theories floating are that the word ‘spa’ is an acronym of Latin “Salu per Aquae” (health from water). The other theory traces the origin of the word spa from a small Belgium village with the same name. This village had hot mineral springs and Roman soldiers would flock this place to treat their aching muscles and wounds from the battles.
The spa benefits are too many to be distinctly special; be it health, wellness, anti-aging, or relaxation. Now, owing a spa is a cultural trend but packaged different from the prevailing concepts in the past as ancient as the Greeks and the Romans.
The earliest proponent of the spa for therapeutic purposes was Hippocrates (460-370 BC). Before that time bathing was used mainly for cleansing and hygienic reasons. However Hippocrates put forth the idea that the cause of all diseases centered on an imbalance of bodily fluids.
Roman citizens bathed daily in the now famous Roman Baths. During the reign of Caesar Augustus (27 B.C. to 14 A.D.), there were approximately 170 baths in Rome.
The spa traditions grew out of different cultures worldwide from Japanese “Ryoken” to theTurkish Hammam. The Ottomans were famous for their architecturally opulent mosaic hammam built in 1556.
The first truly popular spa was Saratoga Springs, which, by 1815, had two large, four-story, Greek revival hotels. It grew rapidly, and by 1821 it had at least five hundred rooms for accommodation. Saratoga Springs emerged as a fashionable retreat for luminaries.
The first day spa, Manhattan’s Red Door Salon, was introduced by Elizabeth Arden in 1910, offering manicures, facials and the signature “Arden Wax” (in addition to serving as a finishing school).
A second-generation American, Deborah Szekely, also created the first destination spa, Rancho La Puerta, located just south of the border in Baja California. In 1958, Szekely also opened the pioneering Golden Door spa in California, offering individualized weight loss and fitness programs.
Spa goes Mainstream
With the advent of these and other diverse spa offering, by the mid-20th century spa had become the domain of wealthy women looking to lose weight. With this purpose, the spas reclaimed their relevance by increasingly focusing on prevention, healthy lifestyles, fitness, spirituality and relaxation.
SPA-TRAVEL
One of the amusing things you’ll notice when traveling the world is that there is never a spa too far away and truly speaking they do tend to change, sometimes drastically, from place to place. Whether it be a soft touch and relaxing hour in Sweden or sweating profusely and having your body twisted in Turkey. No massage is alike and each has a different historical and cultural experience attached to it. Here are 8 different spa and massage places to try around the world:
Swedish Massage or Classic Massage
The Swedish massage did not originate in Sweden not is it created by a Swede. The Dutch practitioner Johan Georg Mezger (1838-1909) is credited with adopting the French names for basic strokes that were systemized in the massage that we know today as Swedish or classic.
This technique is s confused with Peter Ling’s, Swedish Movement System, giving the massage the wrong name. It’s only really referred to as a Swedish massage in the USA while across Europe and in the rest of the world it’s just a classic massage.
We recommend that you give it a try in the Netherlands and/or France. Remember to ask for a classic massage there.
African Rungu Massage
The roots of this massage is to be traced to the tribes of East Africa. The Rungu stick is a wooden throwing club or baton, bearing special symbolism and significance in East African Tribal Cultures. The key to this massage is using a Rungu stick to help penetrate deeper into the muscle for a more intense experience. This massage improves blood circulation and sensory nerve perception as well as increases lymphatic drainage and give people a deep sense of relaxation.
“The shaft of the stick is used for effleurages and circular movement on larger areas and the larger knob is used on bigger, muscles and the small knob is used to get into smaller spaces like the scapula,” she says. “If you like a deep tissue massage then this massage is great to relieve tension.”
She added that this Recommended try at The Oyster Box, South Africa and some spas in Europe.
Japanese Shiatsu
Shiatsu may be known as Japanese today, but its origins are in the Chinese medicine. This massage, along with acupuncture and herbalism, was an integral part of traditional Chinese medicine for centuries. It was introduced to Japan by a Buddhist monk in the 6th century. Shiatsu means “finger pressure” in Japanese and applying pressure to certain parts of the body is extremely important in this massage, but there are many variations of Shiatsu to fit a particular person and practitioner. Shiatsu also includes alternative techniques like acupuncture and cupping.
Try it at the Japan Shiatsu College. It has been approved by the country’s Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare. They offer courses as well as a treatment center.
Hot and Cold Stone Massage
Though several variations of this indigenous technique are seen all over the world, its roots are less known. Some trace it to Mary Nelson of Tucson, Arizona, the creator of LaStone Massage.
While some places only offer hot stone massages, the focus of this massage is in applying different temperatures to the body for affect. The goal is to use temperature to get the body to chemically respond and by alternating temperature to make the appropriate changes for the cleansing process
Visit the Southwest American LaStone practitioners for the most original stone massages.
Hammam or Turkish Bath
The Ottomans were interested in building baths in Constantinople. Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan, designed several bath structures around the city, (in the present day Istanbul). Some are still in operation today, like Cemberlitas Hamami, giving spa-goers a truly unique chance to take part in an old world activity, in the same way as it’s been happening for centuries.
Visiting a Hammam in Turkey involves several steps leading up to a massage like, changing into a pestemal or traditional cotton body wrap, heating up the body in their camekan (a sauna with a heated marble platform at the center and having your body scrubbed down and washed by an attendant). Then you receive a massage.Of course to the old world experience of Cemberlitas Hamami.
Thai Massage
Thai massages, also called yoga massages, have been taught from generation to generation orally, leaving little documentation about its history. Some link is traced to the natural medicine doctor, Jivaka, contemporary of the Buddha and personal physician to Bimbisara, King of North India from 543-491 BC, as the creator of the foundation for the modern day Thai massage.
A Thai massage requires a deep tissue kneading and rubbing, with the masseuse moving your body parts in certain ways and applying pressure to enable deep stretches. The evidence that the masseuse is doing it right will be heard from the crackling of your bones.
Wat Pho in Bangkok, is a world-renowned massage school. Students there offer their services to the public, so it’s a nice place to stop during a day of touring in the city.
Ayurveda head massage
This massage technique spawns from a 5,000 year system of healing in India. For the head massage, practitioners use certain oils while kneading and stoking a person’s head, moving to their hair, but focusing on the temples. Then they move on to your shoulders and the hands. This massage supports the nervous system by alleviating stress
Ayurveda Yoga Villa in Kerala offers wonderful spa services.
Laos Massage
Now for the massage that started this piece. It’s hard to find direct reference about a Laos massage, but you can trace its similarity to the Thai massage. Though the origins are similar, the technique is slightly different. In Laos massage pressure is applied to certain points of the body in a repetitive flow. There will be a bit of foot reflexology and it’s somewhat softer than a Thai massage. One new addition to this massage is the herbal steam room.
For a truly unique massage experience you’ll have to go off the beaten path of less than a 30-minute bike ride from Vientiane (the capital city of Laos), and head to Wat Sok Pa Luang. The massage house at this religious area is in the forest so you’ll have to look for signs.
FUNFACTS:
– The oldest Roman spa is still in existence today and is located in Merano, Italy.
– The Swedish massage is neither from Sweden not created by a Swede!
– Some massages have their roots in India way back from the 543-491 BC.
– Of interesting mention is the first rolling bathing machines for bathers in 1735. They were carried around like chariots on wheels.
2.What do you call furniture designers, filmmakers, artists, textile and graphic designers and even toy and puzzle makers, all rolled into one? Well, these are what Charles Eames and Ray Eames were. A true visionary, this husband-wife duo ushered in modernism in design with an inherent happy and adventurous outlook to everything they created. This Rare shell rocking chair is a testimony to their ideas that have a mention in design history.
3.A rare modernist drawer is a superb design by Paul Frankl of Vienna. This cabinet with highly unusual and sophisticated design consist of six drawers. Paul Frankl’s designs with Asian influence (Japan and China) were a hot hit with the movie stars. Frankl became one of the first designers to incorporate free-form shapes in his work. He is also well known for his use of novel upholstery fabrics such as denim and nubby wool.
5.Italian panache and effortless elegance is the hallmark of Gio Ponti’s style. An architect, furniture and industrial designer and editor, Gio Ponti was arguably the most influential figure in 20th-century Italian Modernism leading people to embrace Italian panache for their lifestyle homes. Ponti designed thousands of products — from cabinets to ceramics and even coffeemakers. This custom-made long bench draped in tufted teal velvet makes a long standing impression with brass stiletto legs.
6.Architect, designer, and writer – all 3 rolled in 1; George Nelson was a central figure in the American modernist design movement. Interestingly his thoughts and designs continue to influence our furniture ideas even today and altered completely the way we live now. This rare George Nelson desk in walnut wood with a steel base was designed in 1946. Note the clever and ergonomic design hinting at enhancing productivity.
7.One of the greatest architect of the United States, Frank Lloyd Wright’s philosophy centered on “organic architecture” —buildings that exist in harmony with their natural surroundings. The Guggenheim Museum in New York is one such example apart from his own home. Wright designed products whenever he got the time to do it. This Rare ‘Johnson ‘ Desk (originally designed in 1936) has three cherry wood tops positioned at different heights and painted ‘brick red’ tubular steel frame. It has two drawers and a removable waste basket and two storage racks with polished brass accents.
8.An architect, industrial designer, philosopher and provocateur, Ettore Sottsass was a revolutionary in technology and aesthetics. Not liking the staid, black and brown “corporate” look of furniture; Sottsass brought in bold, brass and colorful furniture designs. Though quirky, the designs were kept minimal. This is evident in this Casablanca Storage unit designed by Ettote Sottsass in 1981, Italy.
Randomized Me 