Spa me the verbiage
What's in a name? The secluded, relaxing nature of a spa is part of its appeal. But feeling like you are in a foreign land can go a bit further than planned, especially when it seems like you need to learn a new language to get along there. Who, other than science students, knows what endermologie means? Can you define the Ama releasing Abhayanga, the Tao of Detox, or moxibustion? Cappuccino Awakening Wrap with Jacuzzi Lemongrass Bath sounds like a delicious start to the morning, if it actually comes with a hot cup of coffee.
Women readers, I assure you that I'm a strong believer in the sisterhood and I appreciate the unique strength of women. But it appears that sometimes we are suckers for simple marketing. A quick flick through the spa menus from Hong Kong's many wonderful in-town spas can offer hours of entertainment: Yang Soother, Pitt Pacifier Was my Pitt upset? I didn't even notice. Maybe it's angry because it was charged HK$900 for a softly spoken woman to place volcanic rocks on it.
A glance at the men's menu offers the yang to the women's menus expressive and descriptive yin: skin soothing facial; deep-cleansing back massage, and so on. These treatment names are straightforward and plain. They require neither foreign dictionaries for translation nor a degree in science.
Perhaps men don't have angry Pitts that require pacifying. Maybe they're not as smart as us, and don't know how to decipher the complicated language of holistic health. They don't have the secret handshake down yet.
Or, perhaps, we women - once we've slipped into the soft slippers and fuzzy robe, and begin drinking the warm honeyed ginger tea and having been addressed in whispers while pan flutes play through the sound system - are willing to try anything, if it sounds sufficiently exotic and relaxing.
It is universal. We are certainly not alone in this soft spot for fancy pampering. And, thankfully, we're in Asia, where the trend is towards treatments grounded in custom, tradition and culture. Chinese, Indian, Thai, Balinese - these are the spices added to traditional spa treatments that create our unique local flavour.
Asian-style treatments are coming into vogue in Britain and the United States, but each location has its own trends in treatment names. Brightening, firming and boosting are action words that sound a bit boisterous rather than relaxing, to our ears at least, but the clients at revered London institution The Sanctuary seem convinced. The Americans have their own quirky spa language founded on word play. The trend towards puns is best exemplified by the extremely popular Bliss spas and products, such as Quadruple Thighpass, an anti-cellulite treatment for those 'with thigh anxiety', or the Shrink Wrap slimming body wrap.
Sometimes the complicated names make me giggle. And sometimes they make me groan. But that really won't stop me from calling to make an appointment.
