Essential Oils

The following essential oils are traditional to southeast Asia. Best quality oils are extracted front plants (Usually the leaves, flowers, roots or berries) through a process of steam distillation. As French aromatherapist Danielle Ryman points out: "extraction is a painstaking process as the amount of oil present in plants is minute."
Before the process of distillation, which has remained virtually unchanged for hundreds of years, people used medicinal plants in their lives by eating them, rubbing them onto wounds or making them into teas, poultices, tinctures and ointments.

Plants, flowers and their essences have played an integral role in healing disciplines in
Asia and the rest of the world for thousands of years. “Aromatherapy', as we know it today — the art and science of treating illness and emotions with essential oils — was formalized by a French chemist, Dr R M Gattefosse is the early 20th century.

The powerful properties of essential oils are best absorbed through the skin or through inhalation. Their aroma can eliminate blocks and restore body balance. They are great companions for the emotions they can ignite and help they can bring in promoting
health and harmony in our modern lifestyles.
Clove
*This small evergreen tree originates from the coasts of the Moluccas in Indonesia but is now grown in most tropical climes. Its flowering buds turn into the familiar brown cloves when dried and these, along with the leaves, are distilled into the oil.
*A strong, woody base note with a sweet, spicy vanilla scent.
*Clove oil is an antiseptic and anaesthetic: a drop on a sore tooth will numb the ache. It is a general tonic for physical and intellectual weakness and is known to help overcome frigidity, claiming similar properties to opium. It is valued for its diges¬tive properties, so when massaged into the abdomen, it relieves pain and diarrhea. Suck a clove if you are feeling stressed or wish to give up smoking. Infused into the atmosphere, clove will brighten the spirits.

Ginger
*The oil is distilled from the tuberous, pungent root of the tropical plant which originated in India but is now grown in many countries.
*A warm and spicy fragrance with a stimulating, almost lemon top note.
*Ginger is well known for its aphrodisiac qualities best administered by mixing with a base oil for massage in the lower spine. It eases muscular aches and pains and is therefore good for menstrual cramps. It relieves flu symptoms and its warming qualities help sweat out fevers and colds and treat digestive disorders.

Thai Massage

It's the absence of oil and the addition of pyjamas that distinguishes Thai massage from all other massage therapies. Thai people claim that their skin is never dry enough, due to their country's hot climate, to need lubrication. They do, however, cover their bodies out of a sense of decorum in the face of some rather contorted positions! It is one of the ancient healing arts of traditional Thai medicine, the others being herbal medicine and spiritual meditation. It’s style developed during the period of King Rama II out of the stretching techniques of Indian Ayurveda and the traditional Chinese focus on the body's pressure points. As a result, experts claim that Thai massage works more deeply than the more surface-oriented Swedish technique. It has an ability to heal, relax and realign the body.

By pressing on the body's energy meridians as well as its veins and muscle tips, Thai massage releases the sluggish flow of blood and build-up of toxin that gather in tired or overworked muscles. In a sense, it invigorates and heals them with a physical workout. This is combined with a spectacular technique, which mindfully stretches the limbs into positions that the uninitiated could never believe possible. Close body contact allows the masseur to hold, for example, the ankle in two hands, easing it away from the hips while pressing deep with his foot into muscles in the inner thigh. Such postures stretch the tendons and ligaments while making the body more supple, realigning it and releasing tension.

If this sounds more acrobatic, than agreeable, be assured that good Thai masseurs, immersed in the `middle way' of Buddhism, take a calm, meditative (not just physical) approach to their work, sensing the energy patterns in a person's body. Skilled therapists always start by softly squeezing the limbs with the palm of their hands in order to warm up the body and listed to its needs.

Important Body Parts in Thai Massage

Feet

Masseurs always start with the feet as this is where the whole body weight rests. Awakening the reflex points prepares the rest of the body for the massage.

Scalp

While nothing penetrates beneath the skull, massage along the scalp lines increases blood flow to the head where much of the body's tension is stored.

Ears

Masseurs spend a lot of time stretching and pulling these reflexology sensors, releasing headaches and helping with balance.

Face

A gentle fingertip pressure, Thai style, will release tension to increase blood flow and prevent wrinkles, while excessive pummeling will create them.

Carrier Oils

Essential oils are too strong to be applied neat to the skin so when used in massage they should be mixed with a carrier or base oil, usually a cold pressed vegetable oil which has its own beneficial properties.

To obtain the correct proportion for a massage blend add a number of drops of essential oil equivalent to half the number of milliliters of carried oil. For example, for an average body size, pour 10 mls of carrier oil (or combination) into a bowl that is not plastic and add five drops of essential oil (or a combination of up to three oils)

Store massage blends in blue or amber glass away from sunlight to keep essential oils fresh. Vegetable oils should be used within 6-8 months before they turn rancid. Otherwise blend them with wheatgerm. Here are some of the oils most commonly used in an Asian tropical spa:

Almond
This vaguely aromatic oil is gentle and rich in proteins and vitamins. It is nourishing, light and softening for dry hands, eczema and irritated skin. It is a good lubricant, so blends well with other oils as an excellent massage base.

Avocado
This is a rich, heavy oil with high vitamin content. It is often blended fo a velvet-like consistency. It is also contains a mild sunscreen.

Coconut
Traditionally, this was the main carrier oil in tropical Asia because of its abundance. It is a thick saturated oil with its own distinct smell. It is remains stable for a long period and is particularly nourishing in hair treatment.

Grapeseed
This is an extremely fine and pure oil, so light it absorbs immediately into the skin. It is good for helping the essential oils penetrate quickly. It leaves a satiny, not sticky, coating.

Jojoba
This is a natural fluid wax rather than an oil. It has a fine consistency (similar to collagen) which effectively penetrates the skin. It reputedly nourishes hair and prevents hair loss.

Macadamia
The acids in this oil are natural components of skin sebum. It has a rich nutty aroma and consistency. Its emollient qualities make it a good all round moisturizer, particularly for dry and mature skin.

Olive
Rich in proteins and vitamins, this oil is rapidly absorbed by the skin although it has a strong aroma and is often blended with other oils. It is a naturally warming oil, so it is good for massage in cold weather or in treatments for muscular pains.

Wheatgerm
This is arich, dark oil, high in vitamin E but sometimes thought too heavy and aromatic to use alone. It is an antioxidant. It stabilizes essential oils and other carrier oils, making them last longer. It is also benefits scarring.

Traditional Indonesian Massage

We are creatures designed for touch. It is certainly the most personally experienced of all sensations. And the Indonesian people understand this better than most. Low-touch Western society keeps tactile expression behind closed doors, while Indonesians touch all the time: walking hand in hand and arm in arm, and stroking each other as a way of life.

They carry compassion in their hands. This they pass on naturally through massage to all the family from birth to death. Without a working knowledge of anatomy, many Indonesian people have an in-built sensibility to congested, tight or hot areas in the body, which they carefully relieve with the power of their hands and the application of aromatic oils. It's interesting that Western culture, that has put so much faith in science for cures, and in medical practitioners for answers, is now turning, disillusioned, to touch therapies: kineisiology, cranial osteopathy, aromatherapy, reflexology, all variations on a cure practised for centuries by Asian peoples.

Indonesian massage puts touch back into your system. As well as an unconditional desire to please and an intuitive reaction to the body, here is what to expect:

*medium pressure.

*scented massage oil: coconut oil prepared with local flowers such as champak (tropical magnolia), akar wangi (vetiver) and pandanus leaf is the traditional preparation; however, coconut is a heavy oil not suited to everyone, and is not always used in spas. (Balinese people chew on the white flesh, ingest the juices, spit out the fibres and rub them onto their skins for nourishment).

*long sensual strokes, working the length of the muscle to relieve tension. All sequences finish with upward strokes toward the heart.

*rolling skin between thumb and forefinger to spark up the nerve endings and increase blood flow.

*circular thumb movements for the same.

*pressure on the points in the foot and hand reflex zones.

Rites of massage

The power of touch is part of being human; it is part of our earliest awareness of being alive as babies in our mothers' arms. However, most people live in cultures that leave them isolated from one another. They give themselves no time to enjoy the simple pleasures of physical contact- unless confined to the intimacy of the bedroom.

This is not the case in tropical Asia where massage is a part of everyday life from birth. Asian people understand that massage is all about sensual healing for the emotions as well as for the body, a simple and effective route to general wellbeing via our largest sensory organ our skin. Skin is equipped with thousands of touch receptors; reacting to external stimuli, they transmit messages and sensations through our nervous system.

Massage is probably the oldest and simplest form of health care. It is depicted in Egyptian tomb paintings and mentioned in ancient Chinese, Japanese and Indian texts. It is thought to have originated in the East as a method for unblocking the chi, the vital energy flowing through our bodies that tends to get. trapped due to emotional and physical upset, In Asia, massage has always been the backbone of health and wellbeing.

There is no mystery to the power of massage. The uncomplicated process of knead¬ing, stroking and pressing the body is proven to unleash countless therapeutic benefits from the general: helping heart rate, blood pressure, breathing and digestion, to the more specific: aiding diabetic children, pre¬mature babies and cancer and HIV.

Java Wrap

The Java Wrap is a global beauty phenomenon waiting to happen: an age-old process for a new-age answer to slimming. It started out as a 40-day ritual to rid the midriff from post birth bagginess and, even today, the Indonesian woman lovingly restores her body this way.

It is believed that the java Wrap helps flush out the bacteria which gather in the body after childbirth. It gets the lymphatic system going, reawakens the body's organs, and cleanses and heals.

New mothers can also benefit from the mineral and citrus paste that is smeared around the middle, then bound tight in a cotton corset. As the old saying goes: "you have to suffer for beauty". This figure-saving treatment is time-consuming rather than really uncomfortable, unless you visit the St Gregory Javana Spa in Singapore where all the work is done for you. The special paste recipe is fairly standard throughout Indonesia where it has been handed down from one generation to another, and administered woman to woman in the household. This treatment is best done by one friend to another.

Ingredients

Eucalyptus: strong antiseptic, benefits digestion

crushed sea stone/coral: calcium and other mineral content which warms and firms

fresh lime juice: an astringent which flushes toxins from the body

betel leaf : a leaf with antiseptic properties to cleanse womanly odour

massage oil: containing mint and eucalyptus essential oils for anti-viral and

decongestant properties, also cooling.

cotton cummerbund: 8-10 m long, 10-20 cm wide (8-10 yds long, 1 ft wide)

Steps

1. Mix enough ingredients to half-fill a cereal bowl with sufficient massage oil to give the paste a tacky texture that sticks to the body.

2. Rub the paste gently from above the tummy button to below the bottom.

3. Let it dry for 10 minutes, so that its healing properties start to soak into the skin.

4. Wrap the cummerbund neatly and tightly around the body starting under the bottom and weaving upward to the waist. The wrap physically constricts the body and helps to squeeze it back into shape!

5. Leave for 20 minutes, shower and moisturize with a gentle oil or lotion.

6. Post partum women in Indonesia also drink copious amounts of nourishing tonics such as turmeric, lime or betel leaf water.

Aloe and Lavender Wrap

Aloe is grown and used in abundance in Indonesia, its long, spiny leaves cut and squeezed to release a sticky juice, ideal to pacify upset skin, stimulate the scalp and add fullness and lustre to hair.

While aloe is a major ingredient in all kinds of sensitive skin products, there is nothing more seductive than a coating of aloe, lavender and banana leaves, offered in this wrap at the Spa at Jimbaran, Four Seasons Resort Bali.

Ingredients
1 tsp fresh aloe.To cover body aloe vera gel (store bought)
A few spritzeslavender essential oil mixed with distilled water
12 piecesbanana leaves (approximately 20 cm x 10 cm)
4 lemons or limes, cut in half
Few drops lavender essential oil
Generous amount lavender body lotion (or your favourite)

Steps
1. Stir the fresh aloe into the bought aloe gel and smear the mixture over the body, but first rub it between your palms to take off the chill. With a good gel, this feels wonderfully soft and slippery, rather than sticky on the skin.
2. Spritz the lavender essential oil in distilled water over your body for a heady fragrance.
3. Place the banana leaf patches over the top of your body and round your arms, so that all limbs are loosely covered. According to Balinese tradition you should not lie on top of banana leaves as this denotes part of the ritual that prepares a body for cremation . While banana leaves are not beneficial to the skin in themselves, they do help to take the heat from the body. They feel gentle arid soothing on the skin without feeling cold. A cotton sarong can be placed on top to keep the leaves in position. Lie still for 20 minutes.
4. As the wrap is conditioning arid relaxing the skin, this is the ideal moment for a head massage from a friend or loved one!
5. Remove leaves and shower; then douse your body with warm water infused with the juice of the lemons or limes and a few drops of lavender essential oil. Together these rinse and soothe the skin.
6. Finish with lavender body lotion.

Thai Herbal Heat Revival

This heated muslin parcel of aromatic herbs and spices is a heavenly health treatment in the raw; it is unchanged since Thailand's Ayutthaya period (14th —I 8th century) when a fragrant hot-pack was administered to war-weary soldiers returning home with muscle aches and bruises.

Today the poultice is still used to alleviate pain or inflammation (especially good Post partum) by opening the pores and bringing a medicinal heat to the muscles to induce relaxation.

The Thai herbal pack is excellent at The Oriental Spa, Bangkok and Banyan Tree Spa Pbuket. For an authentic steamy session, to soothe sore muscles and relax, combine the herb pack with a massage at the ThaiMassage School, located in the corner of the beautiful Wat Po temple in Bangkok. Watch out for some real heat here and some temporary yellow skin staining (from the turmeric), but leave feeling better than believed possible!

Fill the parcel with a random mixture of the following straight from the kitchen

of The Oriental Spa, Bangkok:

Ingredients

prai : (common Thai herb) for relief of sore muscles and tired joints

turmeric: an anti-bacterial skin freshener

lemon grass: an astringent for skin blemishes

Kaffir lime: for toning mature skin and for boosting circulation

Camphor: for cleansing minorinfections

Steps

1. Packed tight the parcel should be pomelo size, weighing roughly 400 gms (3/4 lb).

2. The pack should be heated over a steamer or hot pot. It can be left steaming until needed, at least five minutes.

3. The poultice can be placed anywhere on the body for 30 seconds to one minute in each place. It should not be used on the face or genital area. It is good for slimming.

Honey Treats

The humectant properties of honey nourish and moisturize the skin. You can use honey on both face and body. In Thailand, where it is produced under royal patronage in the north of the country, honey has traditionally been used to cover open wounds in order to soften scar tissue and encourage the growth of new skin.

Face
1. Massage runny honey – with a squeeze of lime for astringent purposes or some ground oatmeal if you like a coarser texture – into damp skin for is minutes.
2. Rinse your face with warm water to leave it feeling soft and peeled.

Body
1.Cover body with honey and sit in the steam room.
2 Shower.

Such a gentle treatment can be used two or three times a week for normal to dry skin.

Oriental Body Glow

For the invigorating rather than relaxing route to soft skin, this traditional Thai body scrub IS the way forward. It is on the menu at the The Oriental Spa, Bangkok and the Banyan Tree Spa Phuket.

Ingredients:

1 cup runny honey

1/2 cup sesame seeds

sprinkling dried herbs: lavender leaf, mint (which makes the mixture turn dark)

Steps:

1. Mix the ingredients together and rub the thick, sticky paste over your body.

Take your time so that the skin properly exfoliates and make the most of the sweet aroma reminiscent of that childhood smell of cooking caramel.

2. Shower .The whole process takes about half an hour.

Bali Kopi Scrub

If you swoon when you pass a city coffee bar, imagine that smell for a full 45 minutes while the most fragrant of blends is smothered all over your body. Admittedly this coffee body scrub was only recently invented to cater for our addiction to the aroma of freshly ground beans. In Indonesia, where this scrub is offered, people stick to drinking the stuff, less as an excuse to sit and chat and more to give them energy while they work.

This scrub, rougher than some and ideal for male skin, is offered at all Mandara Spas (at The Chedi, lbah, Bali Padma and Nikko in Bali), the Novotel in Lombok and Malaysia's The Datai) according to this recipe.

Ingredients
200 gms (6 oz) Balinese coffee beans, ground
40 gms (3 tbsp) kaolin clay (or cosmetic clay available at health shops)
pinch ground pumice stone (optional)
1/4 kilo (1/2 lb carrots, grated or blended
10 gms (1 tsp) gelatin, already set (optional)

Steps
1. Balinese coffee is the most fragrant of all Indonesian varieties, but you can substitute this for your favourite blend. Crush the dried beans quite finely and mix with the kaolin clay and ground pumice. Add a splash of water.
2. Rub over the entire body, later rubbing more vigorously so that the mixture sloughs off.
3. Rub the carrot, which can be mixed with the gelatin for easier application, into your body to replenish any lost moisture during the exfoliation process.
4. Shower and moisturize.

Papaya Body Polish

This erotic-sounding elixir has become synonymous with TheOriental Spa in Bangkok. Around the world people talk with titillation about their pureed papaya, smeared into all the body crevices which are left to sweat under a plastic sheet. Papaya contains certain enzymes, biochemically known as papain (it is used as a meat tenderizer) which soften and revitalize the skin when absorbed. The papain also settles the stomach, making it one of the best things to eat for all upset tummy. It is also perfect as baby food.

At home use ready-to-eat rather than unripe papaya (as the acid is too strong), puree it and spread it everywhere, without rubbing. Allow your body to sweat by rolling yourself up in a plastic for 20 minutes. Wash off and feel the results!

Just as Cleopatra used to bathe in sour milk to keep her skin smooth, tropical Asian women daub mashed, ripe around their eyes to keep their wrinkles at bay. Due to the fruit’s mild exfoliating properties, the skin loses a layer and wrinkles appear less noticeable. The enzyme contained in papaya works like an alpha hydroxy acid (a natural fruit acid that acts to remove the flaking cells on the skin's surface) without the tendency to cause skin irritation.

Coconut Body Glow for Sensitive Skin

Some 60-70 percent of women believe they have sensitive skin; if you fall into this category, try one of nature's treats: freshly shredded young coconut (rich in nutrients but not over-abrasive). The Mandara Spa at The Chedi in Bali offers this scrub using nutritious coconuts from Sulawesi.

Ingredients
half young coconut, freshly grated
1/4 tsp turmeric powder (or 1 cm tumeric root,grated)
1/4 kilo (1/2 lb) carrots, grated or blended
2 tbsp gelatin, already set

Steps
1. Mix the freshly grated coconut with the turmeric (the latter is used for its cleansing properties and high vitamin C content).
2. Gently rub the mixture all over your body.
3. Leave for- five minutes and wipe off with a wet, warm cloth.
4. Mix the carrot and gelatin and apply to the skin. This adds conditioning nutrients to the skin after the exfoliating process.

Mandi Kemiri for Mature Skin

If your skin tends to be a bit rough and leathery, you'll go nuts for a Mandi Kemiri, which literally leaves it glowing and feeling like silk. The pale, round keimiri or candlenut oozes so much oil that when crushed, it both exfoliates and deeply moisturizes the body. This luxuriant skin scrub is exclusively offered at jamu Body Treatments in Jakarta and Jamu Traditional Spa, Kuta, Bali.

Ingredients

10 pieces peeled candlenuts

a few shavings galangal (can substitute with ginger or omit)

Steps

1. Grind the nuts coarsely in a pestle and mortar and add the white ginger so that the mixture looks and smells vaguely like crunchy peanut butter.

2. Rub gently over the entire body and then rub harder with the palm of your hand. The nut oil extracts dirt from the skin's pores so that when the scrub sloughs off with rubbing, the granules, which started out as a taupe colour, have turned dark with dirt.

3. Rinse under the shower. If you like the oily feeling on the skin, which is neither heavy nor clogging, don't use soap. Enjoy the lingering nutty aroma.

Thai Herbal Wrap

Enjoy this soft and aromatic body wrap only in 'Thailand where the healing properties of the country's mineral-rich mud remain both a mystery and a secret. For a particularly seductive herbal wrap, which looks and smells more suitable for the dinner table than the body, visit The Oriental Spa, Bangkok. Here the hotel chef mixes a closely guarded recipe of white Thai mud, milk and turmeric, herbs and sesame oil which smells divine and feels soft and silky when applied to the skin.

Your body is wrapped in a plastic sheet, topped with towels while the creamy Thai mud concoction draws out any infection and impurities from the body and heals blemishes on the skin's surface. After perspiring gently for 20 minutes, take a shower, pat dry and feel the smooth, satin texture of your skin. There is no need to moisturize.

Alternatively the magic mud mixture used for the wrap at Chiva-Som (opposite) is dark and viscous like treacle. It feels warm and velvety on the skin and likewise is applied over the entire body, which is wrapped in a plastic sheet and covered with towels. This mud comes from the north of the country and is mixed with turmeric, marjoram and natural spring water.

Cucumber Wrap for Sunburnt Skin

Feel the heat seep out of your sunburnt body using cucumber and essential oils. The best Cucumber Cooling Wrap is offered at the spa at bali hyatt. here's their recipe.

Ingredients

2 kilos (4 lb) cucumbers, plus skin and pips, whizzed in a blender

2 drops lavender oil

2 drops tea tree oil

2 drops camomile oil

Steps

1. Cover your body with the cucumber mixed with the essential oils.

2. Wrap the body in a gauze or cotton sheet; leave for 30 minutes.

The cucumber feels cool on tender skin and you can sense the heat being drawn out of your body.

3. Cucumber leaves the skin soft, so moisturizing afterwards is optional.

Volcanic Clay Body Scrub for Cellulite

Sadly there is no quick fix for beating that orange peel look that decorates the thighs of 95 percent of women. Improved diet, drinking water, dry skin brushing, swimming and yoga all help. And luckily the volcanic island of Bali is home to mineral-rich clays, which seep into the skin to break down those fat cells that are packed in a mattress effect underneath.

25 gms (2 tbsp) Balinese clay (or any clay with purifying properties)
30 gms (2 tbsp) sea salt
water

Steps
1. Mix ingredients together, adding a little water to make a light paste.
2. Wipe cursorily over entire body. It leaves a thin, white film and feels prickly as it penetrates the skin.
3. Once the paste is dry, rub the skin so that it is sloughed away.
4. Shower and massage. The best essential oils for cellulite are nutmeg and rose. Add a few drops to a carrier oil or your favourite body cream, and apply liberally.

Traditional Lulur

The queen of treatments literally, this spice and yoghurt exfoliation and body polishing process has been practised in the palaces of Central Java since the 17th century. There, the pursuit of beauty has long been a daily ritual and the Javanese Lulur an integral step, leaving skin soft, supple and shining. Today, the Javanese Lulur (lulur is Javanese for ‘coating the skin') is more usually administered each day during the week prior to one's wedding day. This stems from the belief that a bride should be at her most clean and pampered in preparation for child bearing — her first and foremost duty as a married woman.

This lulur is on the menu at all Indonesian spas offering 'traditional' treatments; it includes a massage, a spice-wrapped and yoghurt-coated body blitz, and a blossom-filled bath. It is an aromatic experience and lovely for all skins, although, if you're having difficulty choosing a body treatment, this one responds best to younger skins. The turmeric content can turn skins temporarily yellow, but generally this is a favourite, all round body treat.

For a traditional lulur that really makes you feel like a princess, the Pita Maha Private Villa Spa in ubud, Bali, offers an hour and a half treatment using this recipe:

Ingredients

small bowl a favourite body oil

30 gms (2 tbsp) rice powder (finely ground rice)

10 gins (2 tsp) turmeric

5 gms (1 tsp) sandalwood

3 drops jasmine oil

splash water

500 gms (2 cups) natural yoghurt

handful a selection of fragrant flowers like rose, jasmine, ylang-ylang, frangipani... or whatever you like.

The rice powder, turmeric and sandalwood are ground together in a pestle and mortar or bought packaged as a powder.

Steps

1. Massage your body with your favourite oil.

2. Pulverize the spicy ingredients into a brown, granular paste, with a splash of water, and smear onto your body.

3. Once dry ,gently rub the paste off the body in order to exfoliate and polish the skin.

4. Rinse your body under the shower.

5. Splatter your body with natural yoghurt using your hand to cover all crevices. Yoghurt contains a form of lactic acid that restores the natural pH to your skill and moisturizes it.

6. After rinsing, soak in a warm, flower-filled bath. Petals float over your body and the scent envelops you in a floral haze.

Balinese Boreh

If you reach for the Vicks pot at a hint of a chesty Cough, this body scrub is for you. Out of all the oriental treatments the Balinese Boreh offers the most potent sensation an all-over deep heat experience. The scrub is purely and simply a herb and spice mix: It is a centuries-old village recipe using spices we more readily associate with curry, and is prepared to warm the body at the first sign of windy weather.

As a tropical people, the Balinese live in fear of the cold and the health problems it can bring, so the whole family has boreh both as a curative and preventative treatment.It feels really hot; it's good for fever, headaches, muscle aches, arthritis and chills. It increases the blood circulation and its exfoliating ingredients — cloves and rice — soften the skin.

The boreh is not recommended for pregnant women as the penetrative ingredients direct the heat away from the womb area to the body's extremities.

While most Balinese spas offer the boreh, this recipe comes from the Nusa Dua Spa
Ingredients:

20 gms (4 tsp) sandalwood

10 gms (2 tsp) whole cloves
10 gms (2 tsp) ginger
5 gms (1 tsp) cinnamon
10 gms (1 tsp) coriander seeds
10 grass (1 –2 tsp) rice powder (finely ground rice)
5 gms (I tsp) turmeric
10 gms (1 tsp) nutmeg
10 gms (1 tsp) lesser galangal water or spice-blended oil
3 large carrots, grated
The first eight ingredients are ground together in a pestle and mortar or bought prepared in powder form or dried in balls.

Steps:
1. Add a little water or- spice-blended oil to the herb and spice mix to make a thick paste. For those who cannot tolerate a strong heat sensation, mix a greater proportion of ground rice powder to reduce intensity.
2. Cover your body; leave for five to ten minutes; feel the heat!
3. Rub the skin vigorously so that the mixture flakes away.
4. Gently rub the grated carrot into the skin. This replenishes moisture after exfoliating.
5. Shower and moisturize.

Aromatherapy Bath

The bath is a perfect place to enjoy the sensual pleasures of aromatherapy oils. Simply drop one or a combination of essential oils into warm water and spuddle. Some of the oils' properties are absorbed into the skin while the rest evaporate into the atmosphere for inhaling, simultaneously soothing muscles and mind.

For calming use camomile, lavender, rose.

For detoxifying use ginger, sage, rosemary.

For passion use ylang-ylang, geranium, sandalwood.

For brain boosting use grapefruit, lemon, mandarin, peppermint, pine.

Floral Bath

For those of us born outside tropical Asia, the floral bath is the nub of the 'tropical spa experience. We can hardly believe our eyes when a bucket of vivid blooms is tossed into the water purely for our pleasure. It is a sybaritic moment when the velvety petals tickle our bare skin. Flowers —jasmine, gardenia, tropical magnolia, hibiscus, frangipani, bougainvillea, poinciana, rose, globe amaranth, alamanda and ylang-ylang — are chosen both for their fragrance and rich colours.

In line with tropical mores, Asians believe flowers are the tangible link to the forces of the spiritual world, representing a symbolic purge of our earthly impurities. In Asian spas, the Floral Bath is not Usually offered as a treatment on its own. It is often used as the finale to one of the many tropical body treatments on the menu. It becomes an opportunity to savour the cleansing, experience and relax for a further 20 minutes or so.

Ocean Bath

This bath focuses on the healing properties of unrefined sea salt harvested on the east coast of Bali. Although not strictly thalassotherapy, this bath relies on the nutrients in the salt to draw out toxins from the body. The benefit of sea salt is based on the premise that sea-water has practically the same chemical make-up as human plasma allowing the body to easily absorb its healing properties.

The Ocean Bath at The spa at jimbaran, Four Seasons Resort, Bali is altogether a more exotic affair. Not only are the pure sea salts mixed with Bali Sunset Oil containing coconut, vanilla and citrus blends to uplift the senses, this hour-long treatment kicks off with a scalp, neck, shoulder and back massage. As if that were not enough, it takes place in the privacy of your own villa, where the bath tubs have earned ail International reputation for their depth, size and comfort.

Mandi Susu

The tale of Queen Cleopatra and her milk baths is well known, yet do you know anyone who pours a few pints into the tub before climbing in? Trust the Indonesian people within their deep grasp of the good of the natural, to have their own form of milk bath. Known as Mandi Susu, it has soaked Javanese princesses for centuries as ail elixir of eternal youth. Milk, from a goat, sheep or cow, makes skin radically soft and pure to the touch.

Modern formulations of this popular ritual have eliminated the taste and shell of milk while maintaining its nutrients with softening proteins. The Mandi Susu is a sought-after bathing ritual at the St Gregory Javana Spa in Singapore where therapists leave you soaking in a cloudy white tub for 20 minutes and advise you not to rinse afterwards. At home, you can pour fresh or powdered milk in with the bath water. Or for superior baby-soft skin, try natural yoghurt or buttermilk, but be ready to hold your nose!

Body conscious

Long limbs and vital statistics are minor contributors to the beautiful body. Much more important is the state of mind that sits on top. While there is barely a woman alive who is content with her natural shape, every woman can improve her body by upping, the respect that she pays to it. This is achieved by taking time for herself – a vital part of life that most of us ignore.

The Asian approach to achieving and maintaining a healthy and beautiful body is a sensible one. For a start, it has no time for fad diets and punishing stomach crunches! Traditional body treatments from the tropics outstrip those from everywhere else in the world in number and variety and all of them rely on nature's own pharmacopoeia to produce results. Certainly not skin deep, they not only cleanse and soften our skin, but also draw out impurities from within. Their ritual of application (especially at the hands of dedicated therapists in a spa context) relaxes us, empties our minds and soothes our souls in an atmosphere of peace.

All this emphasizes the oriental philosophy that regards beauty as a holistic concept embracing both the inner and outer self. For example, there are everyday words in Indonesian language that are part of the more specific lexicon of body care which have no real equivalent in English. Indonesian women talk about having a lulur or mangir or mandi susu as readily as westerners talk of taking a shower. This chapter reveals some of the more exotic body treatments, be they scrubs, baths, wraps, heat treat­ments and polishes, for glowing skin... and improved self-esteem!

The elements of the asian spa

Whether you go halfway around the world to relax or create the experiences at home, you'll draw on the same basic elements water; air, fire, and earth.

Water fresh or saline- hot, warm or cool... water is restorative and purgative. Water has been the essence of a traditional spa since ancient times. lmmersion is the sum and substance of ritual purification in most religions, for water is the most powerful yet soothing element on earth. According to Hindu legend, tirtha or holy water is carried from the sea by a beautiful goddess and drunk to obtain immortality, Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of good fortune rose from the foam, and as she did, so the rivers changed course to flow to¬ward her. The Chinese Kuan-Yin, known is Kannon in Japan, is goddess of water and the moon; she is often depicted sitting on a lotus blossom, a pure, water-rooted flower that symbolizes enlightenment. Lakshmi and Kuan Yin are undoubtedly related to the Yoruba goddess Yemaya, ruler of the rivers and seas, and Aphrodite or venus, the Greco-Roman deity who was born of the ocean. In Botticelli's famous painting, the birth of venus, she rises up fully formed on a shell. After a long spa. soak, you may rise from the tub feeling something like that yourself.

Scenting the air is the easiest way to create a spa mood at home, for a fragranced atmosphere – whether from burning oil or incense – enhances your sense of well-being at the first moment you inhale. But taking a few moments to breathe consciously will allow you to really center and thus benefit more deeply from your spa experience. Conscious breathing is different from normal breathing. The latter comes instinctively. To breathe consciously you become aware of your rhythm: lungs fill¬ing with air, ribcage expanding, body filling with the energy of that inhalation; then the reverse, letting go but without losing that energy.

In Oriental philosophy, breath is synonymous with inspiration from the gods, so it is no wonder that mind-body activities such as yoga and meditation focus on conscious breathing. Air is breath, and breath is life. From yoga to tai-chi to chanting, conscious breathing helps us relax Into calmness as still as a lake or, conversely, helps us tap into the rushing rivers of energy. The chi of tai chi means "vital breath", as does the ki of aikido and the qi of qi gong. In yogic philosophy, it is prana, the life energy that unites us with one another and with the whole universe.

Fire is another of the primal elements and its benefits have been used in many different cultures for purification purposes. While roaring flames don’t figure into the spa experience, the pinpoint of light emitted by a burning candle provides a most effective means of centering yourself. More dramati¬cally, an array of candles in a darkened room can transform familiar surroundings, an effect heightened by the burning of fragrance. Don't forget the heat sensation from a poultice, such as the Thai Herbal Heat Revival, or even the warm comfort produced by the friction of skin against skin in massage.

Radiant skin and shiny halt- have been created from Asia's vast botanical heritage. On the Indonesian island of java alone 6,500 species of plant have been recorded. Malaysia lays claim to 3,600 species of tree, and other tracts of rainforest still wait to be discovered.

Many of the natural treatments that are now commonly used throughout tropical Asian countries trace their origins to the palaces of Central Java. From the 17th century until today, princesses from Solo,Yogyakarta and Surakarta have experimented with natural potions of their own making. Some remedies remain safely hidden behind palace walls. Others, such as the Javanese lulur, have found their way around the region, and even the world, This famous body scrub of rice, spices and splashes of natural yoghurt is a skin-softening elixir that eclipses the best commercially available body creams. In this book we also include treat¬ments composed from clay, mud and salt.

Then there are flowers. For all Asian people, flowers are part of everyday life, right down to ablutions. If a. rose-petal bath is impossible (and unfortunately urban plumbing may prohibit such a sublime sensation) you have essential flower oils to recreate the fragrance and luxury of a floral bath. Consider the blossom-based treatments of Balinese culture, and then rec¬reate them for yourself using the recipes in this book: a floral foot soak at the start of each treatment, a massage with flower-based essential oils, an aromatherapy scalp treatment, and finally live blossoms woven into the hair. Is there anything headier?