use less water. To this end the hydrotherm cocoon is often chosen over the Vichy shower in areas prone to drought and water restrictions. Hot stone massage is popular and more men are requesting facials and massage as therapy versus luxury.
It may be cold outside but the heated indoor pool at Lilianfels Blue Mountains Resort and Spa feels like sun-warmed rain.
Experiencing the Vichy shower in the Healing Waters Spa at Silky Oaks Lodge is the closest you may come to lying naked in a forest while being caressed by a warm gentle rain. This is truly fantasy-making stuff indeed.
THE TIME TO RELAX IS WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE TIME FOR IT
- SYDNEY J. HARRIS
It seems the older the knowledge incorporated into a treatment the better, and the more esoteric the tradition, the more impressed we are with it. As Australia's spa guru Kirien Withers explains, "We are steaming in Rasuls, healing on Aboriginal healing beds, awakening our third eye with ayurvedic shirodhara and releasing under native American hot rocks. Steam, massage and water therapies, along with herbs and natural ingredients are the common threads."
Australia is the world leader in incorporating organic, pure and natural ingredients into beauty products and many spas are using outstanding Australian-made spa products such as Sodashi, Li'Tya and MV Organic Skincare. The experience of being enveloped by traditional Australian healing rituals and the ethereal power of Australian bush flower essences is amazing.
There are four major types of spas in Australia-the retreat spa, the resort spa, the day spa and the salon or mini spa. Retreat spas such as the Golden Door Health Retreats in Queensland and New South Wales are havens tucked away from the world, in the country wilds or near the ocean. Here, you can literally retreat from your daily life to focus totally on your wellbeing-to completely refresh and renew, or address particular health and lifestyle concerns. Resort spas such as the Sun Spa at Hyatt Regency Coolum or The Spa and Total Living Centre at Couran Cove Resort on South Stradbroke Island are generally attached to a fu ll resort and offer lifestyle balancing and rejuvenating treatments. Day spas are the fastest growing sector of the industry, found either within a hotel like The Spa at the Mansion Hotel in Melbourne, or standing alone in an urban environment, like the Gillian Adams Salon and Spa in Sydney. They offer a range of pampering and therapeutic treatments along with self-care and lifestyle balancing education. Salon or mini spas offer spa-style treatments and service standards, such as waxing, manicures and facials, that are within a more traditional salon environment.
Four hands are far better than two when it comes to Auroral relaxing double massage
Indigenous ingredients and healing techniques inspired the natural spa products in the Li'Tya range.
SPAS WILL BE THE PERSONAL TRAINERS OF THIS NEW CENTURY
- SUZANNE DAWSON
A great spa should excite our senses and make us feel special, in both a physical and emotional way. Its luxurious pampering and healing treatments will be offered in a safe, nurturing environment and while it does not need to dazzle us with design and decor, it should be welcoming, sparkling clean, comfortable and inviting. Spas release you from the trappings of your ordinary image of yourself. A great spa will rub your mind, body and soul the right way.
The Australian spa is sophisticated yet down to earth, energised and vital, life enriching and yet still accessible. With the inspired guidance of skilled professionals and a heavenly spa environment designed to delight our senses and meet our every need, we have the blessed opportunity to experience the kind of pleasure, relaxation and renewal we may not have known existed. A sublime spa experience can unlock an energy deep within you and facilitate personal change and self-discovery. It can provide balance and unleash our body's natural ability to heal itself. A spa visit can give you the time and space to solve a previously intractable problem or soothe the effects of some of life's savagery. In this light the question becomes-can we afford not to visit a spa regularly? No wonder new spas, each individually wonderful and unique, are appearing faster than we can visit them. Happy spa-ing and remember, there will always be a new spa treatment to experience somewhere in Australia that is worth travelling to. Enjoy!
The Vichy shower bed at Daintree Eco Lodge, carved into the shape of a leaf from the ylang ylang tree that grows in the surrounding rainforest.
At the beach in Palm Cove outside Espa in Queensland.
RARE PLANTS THAT CAN ONLY SURVIVE IN HIGHLY OXYGENATED ENVIRONMENTS THRIVE HERE
Daintree Eco Lodge and Spa, Far North Queensland
With the world's oldest living rainforest providing a dramatic and spiritually charged backdrop, complete with natural special effects such as soft, filtered daylight and pure, oxygen-rich air, your spa experience here begins long before you peruse the treatment menu.
At the heart of this environmental miracle known as the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area-where jungle clad mountains really do touch the blue coral sea-is a 12-hectare property whose spa is designed to complement activities enjoyed in the region. A massage after bushwalking, a body wrap to hydrate and soothe after a day on the reef, or a tropical rain Vichy shower on the timber wetbed carved in the shape of an ylang ylang leaf, are offered by therapists. Although you'd be hard pressed to remain stressed for long in this soothing environment, this spa also does a lot of work in stress management.
Working closely with the local Aboriginal community, the Ku Ku Yalangi tribe, the lodge offers cultural and educational interaction through art, history, music and guided walks. Particularly special is a visit to a secluded waterfall, a sacred site where Aboriginal women were known to gather medicinal plants and bathe. Rare plants that can only survive in highly oxygenated environments thrive here. Not surprisingly, the site is said to be rich in healing energy. The signature treatment at this award-winning spa is called Walbui-Walbul, meaning "butterfly." An experience of contrasting sensations, it begins with a warm oil and desert salt exfoliation, followed by a red ochre mud wrap and Milkanga Kaday head treatment, finishing with the healing waters of the rain showers and a soothing massage to unite your spirit with the blue skies. They liken this treatment to the brilliant transition of a caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly. Silken skin, environment-induced euphoria and perhaps the whisper of an ancient mystery are also guaranteed.
Guest suites, resembling tree houses, are nestled within the rainforest canopy.
The environment and its restorative qualities are the inspiration behind Daintree Eco Lodge. Exotically remote but easily accessible, this family owned and managed lodge
