The strong aroma of lemongrass mixed with fruity fragrances spread all across made for a heady concoction inducing slumber. “Relax. Be at ease. Close your eyes and allow your senses to calm down,” said a lady who joined me in a room lit with fragrant candles, soon after I was out of a 15-minute steam bath ritual that is recommended to those going for any spa treatment at NeoVeda Spa, The Metropolitan Hotel & Spa. “Some ayurvedic treatments and massages suggest that one should take a steam bath after the procedure or a treatment is over but we recommend it before we begin so that every pore in the body is open to let the impurities out and absorb the goodness of ingredients that we apply,” the lady told me, easily giving away how proficient she was at her job.
The NeoVeda Spa has a long list of summer therapies to choose from. Each treatment uses ingredients that are known for their cooling properties, like cucumber, coconut, yoghurt and honey. Yoghurt and turmeric skin smoother is a 30-minute treatment offering a whole body massage with an exfoliating scrub of rice powder, yoghurt, turmeric, sandalwood and aromatherapy oil. It is best for the removal of dead skin. Honey and sesame body glow massage is recommended for skin healing with honey providing the skin adequate amount of moisture. With cooling properties of cucumber, the cucumber wrap is the treatment for sun burns and tanning. Almond, honey and aloe vera body wrap comes with goodness of vitamin E, natural wax, antioxidants and phyto-chemicals to make the skin beautiful, smooth and supple.
Papaya wrap is another option for this summer. Papaya pulp contains enzymes known as papain which softens and revitalises the skin. NeoVeda signature massage is the sum total of all the above and is a perfect summer package. After briefing me about various summer therapies, the lady suggested that I should go for their signature summer therapy to experience the best. “This treatment provides complete relaxation to body, mind and soul. It stimulates regeneration process of cells and tissues and promotes secretion of hormones. It combats the muscle stiffness while relaxing the lymphatic system. It also exfoliates the dead layer of your skin and rejuvenates it with goodness of fresh coconut. It enriches body with electrolytes and gives new life to cells,” she told me.
Before beginning the treatment, she directed me to soak my feet for a couple of minutes in warm water. She gently moved her fingers around the toe and kept massaging the feet for a couple of minutes. After a relaxing foot massage, she prepared a bowl of coconut mix. It was crushed coconut that acted as a scrub, mixed with coconut oil that was the perfect moisturiser. With long but gentle strokes she applied the mix on the entire body. I was informed that coconut has some of the best skin healing properties.
The presence of cytokinins in coconut water has anti-ageing properties. Coconut water can be used as a moisturiser in all seasons. It is ideal for people with oily skin as it helps in reducing the oiliness of the skin. After over 30 minutes of massage with coconut scrub, the lady suggested a hot water shower, “only if you want it and if you have an oily skin. To people with dry skin, we do not suggest a shower post scrub for a long-lasting moisturising effect.” Next was time for cucumber wrap. It was a full body massage with the mix of cucumber and eucalyptus oil.
“Cucumber is rich in silica, which is an essential component that aids in developing strong and healthy connective tissues in the muscles, ligaments, tendons, cartilage and bone. The extract of cucumber is used for treating various types of skin ailments. Ascorbic acid and caffeic acid are the two vital compounds in cucumber that prevent water loss from the body. It is said that regular use of cucumber extract on skin improves complexion. Eucalyptus oil is used commonly in aromatherapy. The aroma of the sweet scented oil calms the mind.
If you add a few drops of essential oil to the hot water and take bath with it, you will notice the difference. It is also a very good oil for head massage as it can prevent hair fall,” she told me as she wrapped the body in white sheet after applying the cucumber mix for a few minutes and gave me a head massage. She shared that head massage with the mix of eucalyptus and olive oil stimulates the blood flow into the hair roots. After a hot water shower for the second time during the treatment, it was time for full body massage of over 90 minutes. “This helps in getting rid of muscle stiffness,” she said as she stroked the joints with gentle hand movements to relieve one of any pain.
I ended the session with a cup of jasmine tea. “Beauty in summer is more about eating right and drinking lots of water. So we make sure that we provide our guests a complete package that will help them cope with heat better,” shared the spa manager.