With an emphasis on natural produce, cuisine is becoming key to the Vietnamese spa experience
Vietnamese cuisine is naturally healthy. While rice forms the staple, vegetables and herbs accompany virtually every meal.
Fertile soil in the Mekong Delta means an abundant supply of fruit, vegetables and herbs, and certain areas such as the central highlands of Dalat remain faithful to the organic concept of fresh produce.
While the tourism industry in Vietnam is booming, the spa industry is still in its infancy, and spa cuisine is barely beyond the conception stage.
Nevertheless the potential offered by the country's indigenous and organically produced herbs, plants, flowers and fruit has been noted and, as the industry grows, spa cuisine looks set to become an integral part of the experience.
One of the initiators of spa cuisine in recent years is the Six Senses Spa group. Its philosophy is to nurture the five senses and elevate them - to the sixth sense.
Six Senses Spa treatments build on the foundation of sight, sound and touch through design, location and the skill of the therapists. The sense of smell is teased with the aroma of fresh herbs used in the spa area, and spa menus at its established properties list juices and teas that alter the body's qi (energy).
