Connecting Massage Techniques

a royal flush - two for one

Essence

01 a royal flush

the look

DaLa Spa is classic opulence at its best, a flowing blend of Victorian luxury –think plush red velvet, gilded ornaments and trimmings, billowing curtains, and crystal chandeliers – and traditional Javanese accents. Lying facedown on the massage bed, you will see inspirational quotes fixed in a gilded frame and floating on a bowl of red rose petals, each bed keeping secret a different quote. The massage bed I was assigned to happened to bear Elbert Hubbard’s famous quote, “life in abundance comes only through great love,” a quote that illustrates DaLa Spa’s setting very aptly. The mood of the treatment room is set with an arrangement of uplifting music that plays in sync to the rhythm of the treatments.

the touch

The Palace Ritual is a two-and-ahalf hour treatment that boasts traditional and all natural remedies used in the ancient era of the Sriwijaya kingdom. A foot cleansing ceremony starts off the treatment using water that is infused with betel leaves and lime slices. A coat of limestone is applied to the nails, a ritual that was reserved for the privileged few back in the day. The journey continues with a lingga yoni reiki ritual, which is an ancient Buddhist tradition that balances the alignment of energy between the crown and heart chakras. Tibetan singing bowls are sounded in intervals throughout the treatment to induce a sedated state of relaxation. A lavish asam payo body scrub and polish follow suit before topping the experience off with a luxurious soak in a lemongrass and tuberose bath.

02 two for one

the look

Malkoha Spa boasts a simple yet elegant waiting area that accommodates guests in a cool and clean fashion. The treatment room is a completely enclosed space, perfect for those sweltering days that the tropics are known for. Storing your goods, changing, and showering are all provided in the same room eliminating the need to awkwardly walk from room to room in nothing but a kimono and disposable underwear.

the feel

I got hooked up with the Jiivala Massage treatment. To summarise the treatment, it was one body getting expertly massaged by four skilled hands. Let me expand on that. No, they don’t have an Indian deity massaging their customers, although that would be pretty cool. The folks at Malkoha figured out an ingenious way to work around the impossibility of summoning or genetically engineering a four-armed masseuse. They provide you with two. It just makes mathematical sense, two (therapists) time two (hands) equals four. Groundbreaking. This two-on-one massage was absolutely blissful. In a conventional two-hand massage, you tend to focus and fixate on whatever part of your body is being worked on, which means you are thinking. In most situations, thinking is probably considered a good thing, but not when you’re getting a massage. Now the beauty of getting a quadruple contact massage is that with four hands rubbing out the demons from your soul, it becomes a sort of soothing sensory overload. Too much feel is transmitted to the nerve centres of the brain and it then begins to shut off and that’s exactly where you want your brain to be. I don’t remember too much after that point where I reached cerebral nirvana. Suffice to say, I awoke feeling very satisfied. It was like being reborn again. I was completely ready to tackle whatever the rest of the day had in store for me.

 Happy New year 2011