10/10/2010

Are Spas going organic?


Spas are rethinking their offer. Today, the trend is for a more natural approach, a balance with the rhythm of the sun and/or moon. Organic products have also found a niche here, with sometimes unusual results. The ultimate goal? Authentic well-being.

Everybody seems to be talking about it. Today, the idea of going organic is a topic that concerns everyone. Eating, drinking and living in a healthy manner. The word crops up time and again like a leitmotiv. In the world of spas, the same is true. No exception to the rule, these high temples of wellness offer formulas that are supposed to be in perfect harmony with nature. But after all, shouldn’t this be expected? In places where we are taking care of our bodies, isn’t it logical to take this philosophy to the extreme?

Shouldn’t it be obvious that the products, setting and everything involved in the spa concept should obey a healthy, ecological, organic approach? In any case, this is the trend that has been booming lately. Although the sale of organic creams has only grown 2% in the past few years, cosmetics brands are putting maximum focus on these lines. Even hotels are building up their organic product ranges. Right now, although an organic brand is often there just to supplement a more traditional or better known brand, the market share of organic treatments is growing steadily.

The high priestess, Mother Nature

In France, the movement is taking off while in other countries around the globe, it has already reached cruising speed. Sometimes these concepts have been particularly successful. The Evason Hua Hin in Thailand, owned by Six Senses is the perfect example. Its Earth Spa feels like a world apart.

A universe dedicated to water, earth, air and fire where the principles of Feng Shui reign. Here you live in close contact with nature. Energy flows circulate. For treatments, the spa offers Skin Food, a remarkable concept which entails slathering the skin with coconut, papaya, lime and leaves of pandanus, ginger, Indian verbena and aloe vera. Usually used in cooking to flavour a dish, these spices, fruits and plants sooth and nourish skin that has lost its vitality from city living.

Advocating authenticity, the Earth Spa focuses on natural treatments. The massages include jasmine, cinnamon, milk and flower petals; the scrubs employ papaya, while facials involve honey, lime and cucumber. Also in Thailand, but this time at the Four Seasons of Koh Samui, it is the moon that imposes its rhythm. Based on the earth’s interaction with the ocean, sun, air and moon, treatments are personally adapted to each individual.

All of this in a holistic approach that blends therapeutic techniques from Thai culture and other Asian traditions. In the midst of a coco palm grove, the spa revolves around the lunar calendar. During a waxing moon, the emphasis is on nourishing treatments, because the skin needs moisture and vitamins, so they offer a wrap made up of mango butter, honey and warm orange flower oil. During a waning moon, though, the body needs to eliminate toxins.

A sea-salt scrub followed by a lemon and algae bath is prescribed. When there is a new moon, it is time to start slimming down. A full moon, however, wakes up body and mind. This is thus the best time for a Thai Sen massage which combines pressure on the body’s strategic points, gentle stretching and new breathing techniques. While these two examples show extensive thought and preparation, two others prove that it is possible to go even farther.

One in Australia, in Queensland to be exact. There the Mahoey family has created an astonishing eco-spa. In the heart of a 40 million year-old tropical forest, on the lands of the ancient aboriginal Ku Ku Ylanj tribe. Respectful of this land and its history, the spa at Daintree Eco-Lodge has come up with a range of treatments that refer to ancestral remedies from the aborigines combined with aromatherapy and chromotherapy techniques. Pushing the concept even further is the idea developed in Sri Lanka. For just four months, Ulpotha opens to customers seeking the absolute and the unique.

Tucked away in the heart of the jungle, this place gives customers a chance to really get back to nature. No schedules or appointments, you only do what you want. If a masseur is available, you get a massage, otherwise you might have to wait. In terms of treatments, the owners did extensive research to find very ancient practices dating back to even before Ayurveda. One example: the sandalwood treatment.

Covered entirely in a sandalwood paste, you relax on a mat hung over hot water infused with herbs. For the body’s well-being, guests eat only vegetarian meals and live according to the sun’s rhythm. Although rustic, this spa nevertheless has devout fans and is fully booked during the four months it is open. An extreme case, Ulpotha is the perfect illustration of this desire to get back to a certain harmony with the earth’s natural elements.

Organic made in Europe

Europe has not remained indifferent to all these ideas. In Lapland, the spa at the Harriniva resort researched traditions from the Sami people who live around the polar circle, to return to massage techniques and herbs used in the 19th century. Spas located in the mountains also offer treatments that stick close to home and the natural environment. In France, the first experiment of this kind was at the Fermes de Marie in Megève where creams were concocted using mountain plants and natural assets.

In Austria then Switzerland and in the Tyrol, other similar experiments were carried out. Inaugurated this past winter in Val-D’Isère, the Avenue Lodge features a brand developed in 2005 by a company in Lyon, Clef des Champs (the keys to the country) created around a seasonal concept. The founders, Céline Claret-Coquet and Frédéric Saulnier were inspired by traditional Chinese medicine. “Each season corresponds to an organ, the condition of your skin and an emotional state. Thus, in the spring, a time of awakening or arousal, we focus our treatments more on the liver’s energy, the Tui Na massage, the purifying spring serum, and a wrap of prairie clover.

In the winter, the skin needs toning, and the kidney’s energy is weakened. For that we use ingredients that penetrate, boost and fight fatigue such as the precious oil from prickly pear and essential Damask rose oil. In summer, breathing accelerates, the body is fully active. It thus needs soothing and hydration. In the autumn, we treat the weakened energies of the lung and large intestine. For beautiful skin, some of the treatments include essential rockrose and Helichrysum italicum oil”, explains Frédéric Saulnier. Completely at one with client expectations, this philosophy of listening to the body is gaining ground. The hotel Majestic in Paris has already signed on, in an exclusive partnership with the brand.

Henceforth in the very sophisticated setting of this beautiful Parisian hotel, it is possible to have an acupuncture “face-lift”, a non-invasive method which stimulates the facial muscles without causing side effects for the skin. “Today, mentalities have changed and customers are no longer satisfied with spas that address solely physical well-being. The therapeutic aspect is essential. Men and women want to experience beneficial well-being during and after the treatment, we truly believe that this is the future. This approach respects both humans and their environment (organic farming).

A return to the natural and to organic is not just a flash in the pan fashion, but an indispensible lifestyle choice for living healthily. In this respect, we set up a laboratory in the basement of our establishment where we concoct made-to-order, fresh preparations. This means no preservatives and is much healthier”, continues Frédéric Saulnier. Healthy… the Six Senses group is also attuned to this idea. On the rue de Castiglione in Paris, this establishment which defines itself as an urban sanctuary, combines local natural and organic elements in a harmony that brings together earth, sky and wood.

Its motto, the slow life, advocates reducing CO2 emissions, avoiding chemical products, etc. for better well-being. Their actions speak louder than words: this is a spa that does not have any water treatments in order to avoid waste. The algae-based products are also recycled and used as fertiliser for the roses in the Tuileries park.

There is also a facial using honey produced on the roofs of Paris. A clever solution that protects the environment and also has the bonus of providing the spa’s customers with the antioxidants in honey which fight the damage from pollution and the sun’s rays. Because that is also perhaps the future of spas. Living in osmosis with one’s environment and turning to local, natural resources for the best kind of well-being.

By Valérie Ferrer