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The Bali Padma uses traditional stonecarving throughout the spa premises.

the tropical spa experience

'Spa' is the Millennium buzzword for health, beauty and relaxation; it is hip in holiday-speak and a mantra for the growing band of worshippers at the altar of self-preservation. Yet despite its current popularity in the lives of trendsetters, jet setters and health fanatics everywhere, the 'spa' is not a new stop on the road to wellbeing. It is a concept as old as the hills it springs from, rewritten for the contemporary scene.

In broad terms, this new image has developed to meet the prevailing mood for an holistic approach to life. In today's era of 'mindfulness', the pursuit of vanity and pampering is happily fused with a desire for inner health. Destination spas, mushrooming on every continent set out to offer some solutions for those who want to look good, feel good and rejuvenate their bodies as well as their souls.

This is an extension of the original spa concept which, although it has existed since Roman times, was only formalized in 17th-century Europe out of an understanding for the curative powers of water. The spa, such as the eponymous resort in Belgium or the historical Baden-Baden in Germany, originated as a clinical, get-well centre for curing all manner of diseases from arthritis to infertility. Rigorous routines, in often less than indulgent locations, involved drinking or bathing in the spring-fed spa waters or walking barefoot in the winter dew at dawn.

Today, the spa philosophy has moved on from the pain-is-gain approach and away from a curative emphasis towards a preventive one.

And while there are country by country variations in the spa experience (for example, the emphasis in the United States is not in any way self-indulgent), the cutting edge is the Orient with its focus on spiritual harmony and natural, not pharmaceutical or clinical, treatments. The irony is that a spa culture is not traditional to tropical Asia: yet the centuries-old health and beauty practices of this region are being picked up and repackaged for spa retreats from California to Kensington.

The tropical or southeast Asian health and beauty philosophy stands in stark contrast to traditional Western beliefs that put faith in the contents of a gold-topped tub or in the hands of white-coated laboratory technologists. Year after year, the bible for beauticians across Europe and America has preached skin deep remedies, from wrinkle-reduction creams to liposuction, for the ultimate in cover girl glamour It is, however, a relatively recent revelation that beauty from the outside in is back to the front Now it is more a case of a leg wax plus a dose of soul nourishment, please, for today's 'mindful' and rejuvenating treatment.

The Source at Begawan Giri Estate has taken the outdoor spa concept to its ultimate, natural conculsion.

"The mind and the body are like parallel universes. Anything that happens in the mental universe, must leave tracks in the physical one." Deepak Chopra

This worldwide vogue for spiritual and mental, as well as physical, fitness has been at the core of Asian beauty custom since the beginning of time. Lasting beauty comes from deep within the body and mind; how we feel about ourselves and the world around us directly affects our facial expression and outward appearance. Modern mind-body science has now shown that when we are relaxed and happy, the biochemical rhythms in our bodies are significantly different to those present when we are angry, tense or sad. In his best seller; Quantum Healing, celebrity physician and mind-body guru, Deepak Chopra, writes: "... the mind and the body are like parallel universes. Anything that happens in the mental universe, must leave tracks in the physical one."

In Indonesia, the birthplace of many tropical health and beauty secrets, there is an ancient Javanese expression: rupasampat wahya bhiantara, - which encapsulates exactly this notion. It roughly translates as 'the balance between inner and outer beauty, between that which is visible and that which lies within' and it is the parable by which women in this part of the world live without even thinking about it.

According to Dr Martha Tilaar, the founder and president of one of the country's foremost natural cosmetic groups, outer beauty involves a ritualistic process using natural products for skin, hair and body. This is balanced by a number of inner beauty techniques, which include taking jamu (traditional herbal tonics and medicines); practising Daya Putih, a spiritual form of exercise which unleashes inner power to maintain purity; fasting; and making more frequent giving, selfless gestures in our lives. "A sense of gratitude and taking care of others," she explains, "empowers us inside. This is not religious practice; it is all part of beauty ritual."

The outdoor shower, such as this one at Begawan Giri is synonymous with the Tropical Spa.

"To twist and... stretch is... a body holiday. There is the unexpected delight in meeting earth and sky at the same moment! Gravity." From Awakening the Spine -A New Way of Yoga by Yanda Scaravelli

The crème bath is a ubiquitous hair product in Asia. It contributes to the sleek shiny locks that women from this region are renowned for.

It is also part of the Asian ideology that says that a desire to be beautiful is valid; it is not the vacuous pursuit of vanity that tends to be associated with beauty practices in the West. In his treatise Daya Putih for the Inner Beauty, the Daya Putih foundation's leader, Sumadi Kertonegoro, makes the lofty claim that 'the path to beauty is the path towards consciousness and the origin and purpose of life'.

While Kertonegoro's path to beauty and life's purpose is through the spiritual patterns of Daya Putih, which claims that the Hindu gods dwell in our body's organs and must be assuaged through mindful movement, there are other more familiar routes such as the soft exercise techniques of yoga, meditation, tai chi and qi gong. In practising these oriental art forms, which concentrate our attention on breathing and body rhythms, we can go a long way toward clearing our minds from daily dross and becoming aware of our mind-body interdependence.

What this enlightened subterfuge means in plain English is that these forms of gentle exercise do as much for easing tension as treatments themselves. And a relaxed state of mind enables clarity of thought, which in turn, enhances beauty. Again, Deepak Chopra stresses the importance of meditation:"To make the right choices in life, you have to get in touch with your soul. To do this you need to experience solitude, which most people are afraid of because in the silence you hear the truth and know the solution. Ultimately the only solution to all problems are spiritual."

"Women today are losing their vital force. Even their posture says, 'I don't feel great any more.' We help them get back in touch with their sensuality." - Nazli Anwari

Besides meditation and yogic exercise the ritual of body care is another route to spiritual growth. Trained aromatherapist Nazli Anwari says, "Women today are losing their vital force. Even their posture says, 'I don't feel great any more.'" In her Asmara Spas on Bintan island, Anwari focuses on helping women get back in touch with their spirituality. A hushed atmosphere, doors painted in bright, primary colours and decorative, brocaded saris floating from wooden hangers, set the inviting scene at their flagship Bintan spa. In the sound belief that there is an alchemist in us all, spa guests are encouraged to understand the process of mixing of herbs and spices to make body scrubs, of blending floral oils and herbal tea infusions. It is their belief that this helps people get back in touch with nature and so with their spiritual souls, which have little role in day to day urban existence. And as Anwari's partner Cheyenne Goh adds, "We believe that spas are places where you can feel relaxed and spiritually at ease."

Mindful exercise is integral to the Asian spa philosophy. Even though it is in the heart of Bangkok, The Oriental Spa is an outpost of serenity, ideal for some meditative moments.

The Spa at Jmbaran is the only tropical spa where you can take a shower lying down. These jets replicate rainfall to send you into a relaxed state.

All of this could be described as humanizing herbs and spices. But whatever guise you choose, the focus on nature's store cupboard and her rich aromas is giving Asian beauty worldwide appeal. Leaf shampoos, crushed nut conditioners and coconut body scrubs fall in line with the new mood for 'eco-chic', where eco-consciousness and style are no longer mutually exclusive.

While a deepening commitment to a kind of environmental consumerism now grips people in the West, it has been the mainstay of Asian culture until recent economic development. In the realm of health and beauty, answers to radiant skin, shiny hair and even more critical issues such as cures for cancer have been found in the region's vast botanical heritage. On the Indonesian island of Java alone, 6,500 species of plant, 4,500 of which are native to Java, have been recorded. Malaysia lays claim to 3,600 species of tree, and other tracts of rain forest in the region still wait to be discovered.

An entity unto itself! The Spa at Hotel Tugu is truly 'traditional', with barely a hint of 20th-century trappings.

Many of the natural treatments that are now commonly used throughout tropical Asian countries trace their origins to the palaces of Central Java. From the 17th century until today, princesses from the keratons of Solo, Yogyakarta and Surakarta experimented with natural potions and lotions, concocted by themselves. Some secret remedies are still kept under wraps behind palace walls; others, such as the Javanese Lulur, have found their way around the region, even around the world. This famous body scrub of rice, spices and splashes of natural yoghurt is a skin softening elixir set to beat the best designer bubbles and moisturizing body creams money can buy.

"Whosoever offers me with devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water, that offering of love, of the pure heart, I accept." From the 'Mahabharata'; the god Krishna explains what God expects of an offering.

This little shrine is the focal point of the low-lit 'Quiet Room' at the exclusive Spa at Jimboron. Four Seasons Resort Boil.

Ibu Mooryati Soedibyo is a princess-turned-business woman who has adapted much of the royal heritage she learnt in the keraton as a child into one of Indonesia's biggest beauty businesses manufacturing traditional cosmetics under the Mustika Ratu name. Soedibyo remembers her disciplined Javanese upbringing, which taught her how to weave her hair with pandanus leaves as a young girl and how to make a ukel (outsized hairpiece) from her own locks. She made her own shampoo, by burning rice stalks and soaking them in water until they turned into a sticky ash paste, and her own face powder by personally grinding bengkuang and turmeric roots with rice. Now in her seventies, her 60-year relationship with a natural pharmacopoeia has done her visibly proud.

It is the fairytale quality of experiences such as those of lbu Mooryati that have lent the Asian beauty boom its allure and mystique. One of its most important aspects which has long been exported to other cultures, is its concentration on the healing and soothing powers of massage. The tactile sense is an unquestioned part of life in many paris of Asia; people carry compassion in their hands, which they transmit as a matter of course. "It is like being nurtured by our mothers," says spa consultant Dorinda Rose Berry. "People need that unconditional love in their lives which are so full of gadgets and computers. We no longer need material things, we just need love."

At the same spa, hang here at the juice and jamu bar before, during or after treatments.

"Thai massage is a healing experience for the giver as well as the receiver and intrinsic life energy will flow between the two." Khun Sutthichai Teimeesak, chief massage therapist at the Oriental Spa, Bangkok

These ching (chimes) are used in Thai folk dance and music festivals. At Banyan Tree Spa Phuket, their delicate sound is often heard wafting through the silence.

The tropical spa experience is based on unconditional love as much as, if not more than, anything else. The notion that weary souls can receive compassionate care and attention without payback goes a long way to explaining why they are so popular. Spa therapists make their clients feel special which, coming from their fast-paced situations at home, is exactly what they crave They also want time out, but they want more than the standard two weeks of poolside lounging. Serenity, soul-soothing and stress-busting is what they're after and the tropical spa knows how to provide it, some argue, better than any other type of spa retreat.

At the tropical spa there is nothing of the continental preference for municipal buildings and matronly Fraus in white coats; none of the fading chintz and timid teenage therapists of the British country house-turned-spa; and no evidence of the seriousness and self-flagellation of the Stateside spa regime. Nor does the tropical spa display any of the glitz and kitsch of those bandwagon spa resorts that are floundering to find their meaning in the world of wellbeing.

As resort companies begin to realize the value of the region's traditions, they are opening an increasing number of tropical spas in the destinations of our dreams. These venues uplift our spirits before we even put one foot into the treatment room. An arduous journey from the Indonesian capital of Jakarta immediately becomes worthwhile on arrival at Javana Spa which is set in the foothills of mountainous rain forest, gushing with waterfalls and ringing with the cries of monkeys and birds. The tropical setting with its healing, spring-fed dipping pools, is part of the restorative experience at Begawan Giri Estate, Bali. And at the Novatel Corolia in Lombok, lie in your own pavilion on an isolated patch of white-sand beach while sea breezes and healing hands stroke your body in time with the sound of the waves on the empty, turquoise sea.

Outdoor massage, such as here at Ciliva-Som. Thailand, is high on the Tropical Spa agenda.

"If you want skin that is irresistible to the touch, the secret is to touch yourself," Pratima Raichur, Ayurvedic physician

'Spice Islands' oils from Esens are rich in aromatic scents and pretty in their coloured glass bottles. They are available at Bali's Nusa Duo Spa.

It is this ability to commune with abundant nature that puts tropical spas in a league of their own. Treatment rooms in all the better spas effortlessly fuse indoor and outdoor space so that it feels quite normal to be doused with water or rubbed with yoghurt while standing naked under the stars. It is somehow liberating to sit naked in a hot Jacuzzi pool which teeters on the lip of a dramatic river gorge while, at the same time, listening to frogs and being tickled by ferns that catch the breeze. And it is a rare bucolic pleasure to lie in an outdoor bath and splatter your body with handfuls of flower heads that float alongside in the water.

The tropical treatment processes themselves unravel yet more exotic sensations. A trickle of cucumber pulp between the toes beats rubbing cream in your heels. The heat of cloves and ginger smeared over your shoulder or the pungent smell of coffee bean wafting up from your cleavage elicits a giggle of decadent delight. Nature's store cupboard, is feeding your body, but hey, this is also fun!

While the tropical spa experience falls in line with the current vogue for 'back-to-basics' living, the irony is that these spas, on the whole, are chambers of ethnic chic. They give designers the opportunity to blend the best raw materials -textured teakwood, carved stone, cool ceramic, terrazzo, bamboo and along-along- in indigenous styles with gratuitous design indulgence.

The holistic approach to life at the tropical spa is where it's at. But most us don't find time to go to the dry cleaners let alone to chant or meditate. We may yearn for a two-hour massage in the increasing number of Day Spas but reality is more like ten minutes in the bathroom with a tub of alternative cosmetic cream called something like 'Peace of Mind'. The tropical spa is the only place that offers the real thing. The Banyan Tree Spa Phuket speaks for all its cousins in describing itself as a 'sanctuary of the senses'- a buffer from the outside world that people everywhere increasingly want and need.

The Nikko stands proud like a castle on the southern tip of Bali's Nusa Dua peninsula. The resort's spa is mapped out like a village street, with courtyard houses as treatment rooms. It lies just behind the beach.