Spa special

Exotic spa treatments in your home is the new mantra to unwind and get a taste of exclusivity, Kirti Mehta tells more.

The spa has always lured people with its exotic, relaxing treatments and the promise of rejuvenation. In India, the spa has been around since the time of Mahabharata and Ramayana. Remember Draupadi getting an ayurvedic massage from her dasis and Sita’s herbal packs?

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Well, things have changed somewhat since then: the range of treatments has expanded vastly, but the basic principle of a spa visit remains the same—recharging the body and mind. And now the spa comes home. Your old malishwallah (local masseur) is still around, but you also have the option of mobile spas that bring rejuvenation to your doorstep.

Cyril Sevillbebois, director, LSA homecare, started the trend as his nine-to-five job at a French designing firm left him exhausted at the end of the long, tiring day. Rasika Bhatia had a similar reason for setting up her business, Spa Transformation. “My job was really tiring and to go and unwind at a spa would take too much time. So, I would usually not bother,” says Bhatia. Then, a few months ago, she had a brainwave. If you can’t go to the spa, why not make the spa come to you? “I realised how one can save both time and energy by simply calling a masseur home,” she says.

Time machine
Spas of all kinds—from Swedish to Japanese and Ayurvedic to Thai—have mushroomed in the city. But it’s the mobile spa that seems to have become the most popular. Why? “Time constraint,” is Bhatia’s simple reply. Then there’s the comfort of being pampered in very familiar surroundings.

Shiv Singh, a regular patron of LSA homecare, says, “These spas give a personal touch. to the whole treatment.” No worries about a post-treatment mess left inside your house. Sevillbebois says, “The clients make a call and we ask them a few questions about what treatment they would like, and then make an appointment. After that, a team of masseurs will transform your room into a spa. Afterwards, they’ll leave your home as it was. Our timings are 9 am to 7 pm.”

Spa Transformation also runs on the same line, but it is only for girls and is run by girls. The spa team will even come to your office with a relaxing massaging chair.

Price wise
When at a spa, people usually go for Jacuzzi and steam after the treatments. Can mobile spas have these, too? Why not, says Bhatia. “We have a steam tepee (a tent), which is set up in the room. After the treatment is over, we make the clients sit in it and give them a complete spa feel.” But the Jacuzzi is a problem, as they cannot carry it along with them.

The treatment does not cost a bomb. A normal massage comes for Rs 2,000 and the fee goes up to Rs 20,000 for a 10-day bridal spa package in Spa Transformation. At LSA Homecare, again it starts at Rs 2,000 and goes up depending on the type of massage you want. The clientele is mostly corporate executives and the upper crust, but even students who can afford the price do not mind trying it.

As time becomes our master and we increasingly become its slave, a mobile spa seems like a good idea to unwind without breaking a sweat.

Your own home spa
Switch off your mobile and let your family and friends know that you don’t want to be disturbed
Choose gentle music with natural sounds
Purify the air around you by burning incense sticks or incense oil
Create your own aesthetic displays with homegrown flowers for maximum relaxation