Heal thyself
(and pamper)
Spas used to be about massages and mud baths. Now they embrace alternative medicine and exotic therapies from around the globe. Turkish goat’s milk poultice, anyone? By Heidi Kyser
Swedish massages? Sooo last century. The modernday spa specializes in Qi balancing, Shirodhara, Hammam, Rhassoul and other stuff that’s hard to pronounce. Translation: Today’s spa embraces a holistic approach to wellness that treats mind and body — while mixing in therapies from around the world. And, ironically enough, our city built on distraction and instant gratification also hosts some of the world’s most unusual and obscure wellness techniques. “People don’t take enough time to turn inside. They need to simply sit down and listen to their breath,” says Chrystal King, director of Qua Baths & Spa at Caesars Palace, explaining why she added guided meditation classes led by a swami to the spa’s menu. Jennifer Lynn, director of the Spa at Mandarin Oriental, chose obelisk-like crystals to cast a specific spell on each area where one is placed. “Here, you slow down, you remember to look around you, to smell, to listen,” she says. “It’s about being in your body completely.” Whether they offer Turkish goat’s milk poultices or Indian hot oil baptisms, here are some of the most exotic options for healing (and pampering) thyself at spas in the valley.
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