Bathing Rituals

Tanah Lot Bali

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 with 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 proncesses for centuries as an 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 smell of milk while maintaining its nutrients with softening proteins. The Mandi Susu is sought-after bathing ritual at the St Gregory Javana Spa in Singapore where therapists leave you soaking in cloudy white tub for 20 minutes and advise you not to rinse afterwards. At home, you can pour fresh pr powdered milk in with the bath water. Or for superior baby-soft-skin, try natural yogurt or buttermilk, but be ready to hold your nose (hey, lady..who care!).

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 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.

Tips : The Ocean Bath at The Spa at Jimbaran, Four Seasons Resort Bali is altogther a more exotic affair. Not only are the pure sea salts mixed woth 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, its take place in the privacy of your own villa, where the bath tubs have earned an international reputation for their depth, size and comfort.

Jayn : Never been to Bali? Need ground handling? we can assist you - with competitive price. Just email me at : jayn_ss@yahoo.com for more details.

FLORAL BATH

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

In line with tropical mores, Asian 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 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 experiance and relax for a further 20 minutes or so.

AROMATHERAPHY BATH

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

Jayn Tips:

(use up to ten drops of these essential oils either together or separately)

For calming - camomile, lavender, rose

For detoxifying - ginger, sage, rosemary

For passion - ylang-ylang, geranium, sandalwood

For brain boosting - grapefruit, lemon, mandarin, peppermint, pine

Wait for my next posting. More on mandi-mandi.