SPAS ASIA
SOURCE LOCAL INGREDIENTS
FOR NEW TREATMENTS
Any property worth its locally-sourced bath salt will
know that many guests crave a sense of place when
they are traveling. It’s a maxim that can be applied to
various elements ranging from architecture to F&B
offerings. Another area that many hotels are striving
to keep hyper-local is their spas. And this applies to
ingredients as well as the treatments themselves. Spa-
goers can make their own scrub from the famously
fragrant pepper grown on the island of Phu Quoc in
Vietnam, have their muscles loosened by poultices
made with fresh coconuts on the Thai island of Koh
Samui and let their face feel the benefits of Japanese
botanicals such as plum root, pine needles, and
magnolia bark.
BANYAN TREE LANG CO, LANG CO, VIETNAM
RECOMMENDED TREATMENT: CAJEPUT
HEALER
Vietnam is not short in premium regional products,
with artisans around the country producing everything
from fine silks to the world’s most sought after fish
sauce. A lesser-known -- but equally high-spec –
local specialty is the therapeutic oil teased from the
cajeput trees native to the forests around Lang Co in
Central Vietnam. Produced by slow cooking the leaves
of the trees along with water for five hours, the oil is
famed for its health benefits, which include pain relief,
detoxification, and skin care. This wonder of nature is
being harnessed to for customers at Banyan Tree Spa
Lang Co through its “Cajeput Healer” treatment. The
full body therapy uses a blend of local cajeput oil and
clarity oil to stimulate blood circulation, relieve joint
pain and soothe tense muscles.
92 ILHA