More and more of us are in search of wellness and serenity. To cater to this burgeoning market of stressed-out urbanites, a host of wellness destinations now offer the Robinson Crusoe experience — with frills. Their mission statement is to provide the ultimate in the 21st Century — R&R (rest and relaxation). The more secluded and barefoot the experience, the more expensive it will be.
In case passports and visa procedures put you off, there is Goa, whose golden sands had their moment of glory during the hippy invasion. Goa, a stop on the hippie trail in the 1960s, then a winter destination for discount charter jets filled with Europeans, still attracts about 10 per cent of the 2.5 million people who visit our country annually. But now, in a new twist for a land long associated with sin and sand, this coconut tree dotted state on India's southwest coast is becoming a well-behaved family destination, attracting India's expanding middle class, now increasingly talking about spa experiences.
Swaying palms and uninterrupted tracts of sun-kissed beaches are the images that come to mind when one thinks of Arossim Beach, South Goa, where Park Hyatt has just opened an oceanfront resort and spa, sitting on 45 acres along the coast and with a breathtaking nearness to the Arabian Sea. Located 15 kilometres south of Dabolim airport, the resort looks like an Indo-Portuguese-Spanish village, complete with gardens that keep its restaurants stocked with organic produce. It even sports a chapel, library, cinema, food plaza, wine bar and India's largest lagoon style swimming pool leading to the Sereno Spa, the resort's pampering outlet. A considerable number of Goan artifacts decorate the nooks and corners. "Miranda", the main bar is named after Goa's well-known artist, Mario Miranda.
Getting down to spa basics, you'll feel like you're in somewhere far more exotic than Goa as you're massaged in an intimate all glass cabana just a few feet away from the waves. The clientele: Bollywood types who love the spacious buffet spread and wine lounge, and parents who are wowed by Hyatt's kids' club, with its endless array of activities — even separate screens for children's movies, away from the parents! Oh, my. For spa freaks, the signature therapy is (not surprisingly) the 90-minute Yoga Massage. It's also worth checking out the relaxing and detoxifying 45-minute Marine-Mud wrap, the lymphatic drainage — great to get right upon arrival, because it helps reduce urban stress — and the 60-minute Marma facial, during which vital energy points of the body and face are stimulated, affecting the mind and soul to bring about inner transformation, going way beyond a conventional facial. Later you can head up to the sun deck in your robe for a spa brunch and an ocean view.
People on a wellness binge have serious health goals, but the cuisine at Park Hyatt Goa is not exactly spartan — check out the Rava Fried Kingfish and the Bebinca, traditionally layered Goan dessert made with coconut milk and served with vanilla ice cream. While gorging on seafood and Goan delicacies, remember to acknowledge that it's ridiculous to think one can "get healthy" on a spa getaway ... we all know that good health results from a well-balanced diet, regular exercise and a big dose of luck, not from the things you do (or don't) for one week or weekend a year.
Which is not to say there are no good reasons to visit a spa. At its best, a spa getaway can remind you about the part of your body located below your collarbone. It can open your pores and release sweat and toxins. You can eat food you don't have to lie about. If you work at it, you can make any excess disappear completely ... .
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