1. CHI NEI TSANG
Why it’s special: It involves working the energy of the internal organs, and is based on the premise that just like food, emotions need to be processed or digested. Repressed emotions can impact the functioning of the gut, which is responsible for our overall well-being. It helps you get closer to your inner consciousness or ‘gut-feeling’, and clears your complexion. The process: Be warned, this gut massage is unlike any other. Using gentle palming strokes, oil is applied across the abdomen, with a gradual increase in pressure. It also requires the receiver to work on their breath under the guidance of the therapist. You may squirm in discomfort as blockages are released. In the Tao system, it is believed that anger impacts the liver, fear disturbs the kidney, whereas anxiety gets stored in the stomach. When massaged intentionally, these lower emotions can be eliminated. The treatment ends with a light pressing of the legs, arms and the face, ensuring you walk out feeling lighter in your body and mind. For best results, do not to eat anything at least three hours before your session.
Try it at: Atmantan Wellness Resort (Pune, India) and Chiva Som (Thailand).
What’s that: A ritual inspired by Halotherapy, a natural healing practice rooted in Europe, especially the salt caves in Poland. New age salt spa caves are constructed mostly with Himalayan or Polish salt that lines the walls, ceilings and floor.
Why it’s special: The inhalation of negative ions of mineral-rich rock salt is supposed to cure a common cold, reduce
susceptibility to allergies, detoxify lymphatic systems, calm the mind and significantly reduce inflammation by drawing out toxins and impurities from the body.
The process: From the moment you enter the room, you literally walk and breathe salt. The special salt is more potent than table salt as it’s a storehouse of minerals. The cave is dimly lit by salt lamps; their purpose is more than aesthetic as the heat from their bulbs encourages salt microparticles to release into the air. Though some fancy spas also offer a relaxing massage, in most cases all you have to do is sit back and relax on the zero-gravity reclining chairs. Some also guide you to practice yoga, meditation, reiki and chakra healing as the vibration of the place is supposed to be most conducive for healing.
Try it at: Spa Eden-Roc by La Prairie, (French Riviera) and Jiva Spa, Taj Palace (New Delhi, India).
3. IBUSUKI SAND BATH
What’s that: A Japanese ritual where you get buried under the volcanic sands of Ibusuki, which promises to alleviate joint
pain, reduces inflammation and improves circulation. For an authentic experience, you either have to fly to Ibusuki or find a place that has imported tons of this sand.
Why it’s special: This 300-yearold healing system originates from the southernmost tip of the Satsuma Peninsula, which is a hotbed of geothermal activity. Besides treating infertility, diabetes, anaemia and asthma, it is also a wonderful fat-burner.
The process: How ritualistic can be lying supine, cocooned in the sand, with your face poking out? Very, with some precise steps. To begin with, you have to lay down straight (with arms by your side) in the volcanic sand and place your head on a wooden block. Then the sandmen, as they are called, entomb till the neck in gallons of sand, which weighs down hot and dense on you. Volcanic sand’s high mineral content makes it higher in pH levels, reducing inflammation and promoting deep purification through the pores as you sweat the toxins out.
Try it at: Sojo Spa Club Edgewater (New Jersey, USA) and Ibusuki Beach, (Satsuma, Japan).
This article was first published in Grazia
