Gaya Spa
Banyan Tree Spa KL: The Sophisticated Sanctuar y Te x t b y S H A H I DA S A K ER I | I m a g e s b y B A N YA N T R E E S PA K L
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On one busy afternoon in the middle of the city centre, I found myself a tranquil oasis tucked away behind the Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, in the form of Banyan Tree Spa, located on level 53 of the highly anticipated Banyan Tree Kuala Lumpur hotel that promises “sensorial treats ideal for the urban souls” to its patrons. Well, since I wasn’t sure whether I would fall into the urban soul category, one thing for sure: my body was aching, and it would thank me after some pampering ASAP. I made my way from the hotel’s gorgeous lobby to the spa reception area, where I was greeted by a friendly and knowledgeable staff who offered me a refreshing welcome drink and a lovely-scented cold towel, which I learned was soaked in real jasmine flowers. I took time to browse through some of the many enticing treatments available, and realised how easily it was to be overwhelmed by the choices. If you were to find yourself in a similar situation and couldn’t decide whether to treat yourself to a facial or a massage, then I suggest that you go for the treatment that I had called the ‘Sense of Place – Malaysian Bliss’, which is a signature wonderment that combines turmeric honey cleansing scrub, Nusantara (Malay archipelago) massage, a goat milk facial, a scalp massage and a jasmine green tea bath. Yes, told you I was off to a serious pampering session. Once I decided on the treatment, I filled out a form, followed by a brief consultation with my masseuse, the sweet Nui. She then brought me to my treatment suite, the Kasturi, in which to my surprise is a
delightfully spacious inner sanctum, richly furnished and softly lighted with unobstructed views of the city’s skyline, including the majestic KLCC towers in all their glory. This is easily one of the best spa treatment spaces I have even been to in Klang Valley. The suite comprises a therapy room with two massage beds, a room with the city view where the foot soak takes place, a natural-lit bathtub room, and private en-suite steam room, toilet, lockers and large rain shower. Nui suggested that I sit in the steam room for 10 minutes to prep me for the following treatments, in which I gladly obeyed – after just a few minutes in the room, my muscles relaxed and my mind started to slip into a state of respite. She then guided me to a plush massage bed and got to work by starting off with a gentle body scrub on my skin using the fresh in-house blend of ingredients such as turmeric powder, honey, tamarind juice and white sesame seed. Turmeric is said to be efficacious in bringing out the skin’s natural glow, and the honey scent smelled
