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Hot Tip
Want to take your inner child - or your outer
adult - on a relaxing, holistic holiday? Try Thailand's Koh
Samui. Once renowned for its cheap bungalows, rock'n'roll
bars and coconut-picking monkeys, the island is rapidly becoming
a New Age mecca. The trend started a few years ago, when a
getaway on Lamai beach renamed itself The Spa Resort and introduced
herbal saunas, fasting and colonic irrigation. Media reports
of sun, sand and coffee enemas soon turned a fluke into a
fad, with the island's bigger hotels scurrying to raise their
health consciousness. Samui's version of Spa Wars has spawned
a legion of opulent options to help dedicated self-helpers
indulge in therapeutic relaxants like Reiki and reflexology
or more esoteric pursuits like vortex astrology and manual
lymphatic drainage. Poppies, Dusit Santiburi, Baan Taling
Ngam and, most recently, Central Samui Beach Resort have augmented
their spa services.
The era of sitting in a dank steam room waiting
for an itinerant moisture globule to fall from the ceiling
onto your head may be over, but it takes more than high-tech
gadgetry to achieve New Age bliss. One spa getting it right
is Tamarind Retreat, a secluded sanctuary which has been winning
accolades for its simplicity and conscientious treatments
since it opened last year. Guests reach the two-story Balinese-style
reception and massage area through a landscaped coconut grove.
Farther up a stone path lies the herbal sauna, tucked between
two huge boulders. Co-owner Shelley Poplak says the aim was
to create "an oasis for body and soul." Judging
from the glowing testimonials in Tamarind's guest book, they
certainly have. Spa/hotel packages are in the works, as well
as a new website at www.tamarindsprings.com. For details,
call 66-77-424436
Jennifer
Gampell |
