BEAN THERE BREWED THAT
The Serai, Chikmagalur
My skin distrusts city spas. Those hole-in-the-wall mirages that lull you into a brief cocoon of wellness only to thrust you back into the ugly vapidity of urban life. The key to a memorable spa experience is 360 degrees, uninterrupted R&R. This enlightenment dawns on me during an early morning walk through the coffee estates at The Serai, Chikmagalur. Our Mangalorean guide Savio hops between pepper vines and mahogany trees while educating us on identifying Arabica and Robusta and looking out for idling cobras. It rained last night, when I drove from Bengaluru to Chikmagalur, a vigorous summer shower that has left the earth wet and fragrant. Within a couple of days, says Savio, the 70-acre estate will burst into white coffee blossoms.

By noon, I’m fully and spiritually prepped for my session at Omã, The Serai’s signature spa. This, I deduce, is the way it should be done. Sipping filter coffee in my plush, glass-walled villa with its private swimming pool and heading off for a decadent lunch of lamb curry, rice and rasam, before wandering into Omã’s unpretentious reception area. The menu features the usual list of facials, body wraps and massages, with earthy ingredients like wild ginger, sesame, cinnamon, neem fennel and tamarind. But the Omã star is coffee, freshly ground from the estate. I whine about my dry and sensitive skin to the therapist, a soft-spoken Manipuri girl called Reena, who suggests that I opt for their Bliss Combination Therapy, a three-hour sugar-and-coffee body scrubbing, followed by a coffee oil massage, a break (for a cuppa at the restaurant and forty winks) ending with a luxury facial.

Omã – which means ‘life giver’ in Sanskrit – has staff that is professional and an ambience which is fuss-free. Within minutes, we’re done with the steam room, and I’m on my stomach eyeing the bowl of earthy brown goop in Reena’s hands. After 45 minutes of firm massaging, the coffee grounds begin melting into my skin. The scrubbing is followed by a coffee oil massage. Now, I’m not a caffeine addict, but there’s a reason this stuff once qualified as an illegal drug. The mild yet distinct fragrance and the particularly silken texture of the oil, seduces me into a state of scented bliss. The proof of the pudding pops up after the final shower. Reena’s massaging technique and the coffee grounds have buffed and softened to baby-bottom effect, some of the most notorious pockets of dead skin I have in places I’d rather not mention. Additionally, Reena has filled my head with talk of coffee’s cellulite-busting powers and I’m lost in the world of sculpted thighs and toned glutes, thrilled enough to sleep entirely through the second session of coffee facial.

“Are you here alone?” asks Reena, before I leave, showing off their couple’s room, lorded over by a Roman-size tub. The four-and-a-half-hour Romantic Indulgence package, plumped with milk, jasmine, citrus peel, patchouli and of course, coffee, is the ideal kick-off to a memorable honeymoon. I’m told the staff can further pamper love birds with a seven-course dinner under a 100-year-old banyan tree. And if you’re travelling solo, like self, you can walk under the stars and ask for your nth cup of coffee at the library, browsing black and white tomes on Malanad (that’s what this region is called) while the crickets outside strike up a delicate sunset symphony. This blessed-out state is the crux of the spa experience. Tomorrow’s another day. And a classic mani-pedi awaits.

THE BEAUTY BENEFITS OF CAFFEINE....
Applied to the skin, it operates in three ways – as an antioxidant, a diuretic and a vasoconstrictor (reducing puffy eyes).

Is a cellulite-buster. Caffeine energises and dehydrates fat cells, causing the sodium/potassium component of the cells to vacate. Consequently, water disappears as well and the skin becomes smoother.

Extracts from the coffee cherry have been discovered to have up to three times the antioxidant potential of green tea, which makes it a powerhouse of antioxidant activity. It ranks higher than even blueberries on the ORAC scale (used to measure antioxidant power).

A SLICE OF HEAVEN
The Kairali Ayurvedic Health Resort, Kerala
I don’t think I really fit into the healthy category. I eat junk, sleep late and take my liquid ‘poison’ very seriously. So visiting the Kairali Ayurvedic Health Resort, in Palakkad, Kerala, was definitely not on my scheme of things till it accidentally happened, and I decided to give it a shot. I had thought of indulging in some of their signature massages and digging into fish curry and appams that God’s Own Country is most famous for, but instead, I discovered myself getting up at 6 a.m. for yoga classes, eating fresh fruit, indulging in fat-free vegetarian fare and undergoing Ayurvedic massages and beauty therapies recommended by the in-house doctors. And at the end of those blissful three days all I wanted was to extend my stay – unconditionally!

Snuggled in the midst of almost nowhere, the plush property spreads across 50 acres with 30 Vaastu-inspired cottages, soothing water bodies and organic gardens that supply most of their produce to the resort kitchen. Open decks outside the cottages – each of which have a distinctive exterior and interior design and are named after the various zodiac signs – make for relaxed settings to comfortably lounge around with coconut water or freshly squeezed fruit juices, after the numerous morning and evening spa sessions.

In the first of its kind, the resort combines health orientation with a living experience that can be clearly described as a ‘Return to Nature’. No matter where you are – poolside, restaurant, study, yoga hall or the therapy rooms – there is quietude, peace and Mother Nature everywhere which makes a luxe recipe for sound healing and complete rejuvenation.

The resort aims at bringing the benefits of the Ayurvedic health system that have been around for over 5,000 years. Specific oil treatments, medicinal massages, bespoke diets and yoga sessions are exclusively designed to treat modern day maladies like stress, respiratory problems, eye ailments and skin diseases. In fact, the resort also offers one, two and three week tailor-made packages – according to the guests’ health conditions – to treat serious diseases like arthritis, facial paralysis, infertility, obesity and nervous debility among others. And the special beauty therapies take care of blemishes, wrinkles, acne, sagging skin and falling hair.

The focal point of the resort is the multi-cuisine restaurant in neutral tones that serves healthy wholesome food at specific hours. A qualified dietician helps the guests to choose the right kind of food, as per their ailments and dietary requirements. Almost everything served – fruits, salads, juices, curries – is grown in the 10-acre organic garden outside. Breakfast includes low-cal idlis, uttapams, a mix of sprouts, fruits and juices. If you are lucky to have no dietary restrictions, the milky express filter coffee is highly recommended. Lunch and dinners are equally simple affairs with soups, a big bowl of salad, vegetables and lentils. And a sweet dish only if the soft-spoken yet hawk-eyed doctors allow you one!

Gluttony, as much as it is banned in the resort, is the heated discussion of most of the conversations I have with the eclectic mix of ladies visiting Kairali. A mother-daughter duo from the UK has been staying here for the past three weeks and plans on making this their annual ‘girl-alone’ holiday time, a jet-setting chirpy golfer from Kenya is a regular at the resort and swears by their health programmes while a Hyderabadi homemaker, who has left the cosy comforts of her house for the first time, likes it here but “can’t wait to go back to my bacchas” in the next three days. They love to eat with me just so they can see all the food they can’t have because of the restrictions on them. But their skin glows marvellously.

And the answer is simple – Kairali’s age-old therapies and massages. A personal favourite is the Shirodhara where after a liberal application of medicated oil on the head and body, one is made to lie down even as a stream of medicated oil mixed with herbs and milk is made to drop gently on the forehead. Even as the CD plays the quiet strum of a sitar in the background, my body is given a languorous massage as I drift off to slumber-land, only to be awakened an hour later feeling rejuvenated and lightheaded.

Another speciality is Navarakizhi – where small linen bags filled with Navara rice cooked in cow’s milk are used to ‘pound’ the body after a liberal application of medicated oil. The treatment is particularly effective for rheumatism and joint and muscle pains in addition to leaving your skin soft and supple.

The number of treatments for various ailments are many, if you have enough time. Days seem to rush, as I try out one therapy after another according to my body and skin type. The ‘in-between therapy time’ passes just as easily with umpteen yoga sessions, swimming, walking around the organic garden or simply lazing with a book in the shade.

I save the best for the last – the Royal Make Over. The most exclusive of all their treatments, it starts by welcoming the guest with a prayer. A traditional foot massage is followed by a soothing head massage. As I slowly drift to snooze-land, magical hands give me Kerala’s famous synchronised rub with aromatic oils. A thorough scrub follows to ensure removal of any dead cells from my almost spotless skin. The body is then wrapped in a cooling pack called Kaya Lepam till it dries and is followed by a steam bath. At the end of those exhausting three hours, I feel pampered and completely in-sync with the cosmos as I sip my herbal tea watching the dying rays of the sun in a blissful corner. I know I have to leave early next morning, but for now, I am really in paradise.

CALMING RETREAT
The Leela Kempinski, Kovalam
In 1930, the consort of the Regent Maharani of erstwhile Travancore built a stone mansion on a rock promontory overlooking the Arabian Sea as a summer retreat. It was called Halycon Castle. The granite structure still exists, mysterious in melancholic ruin, with a sole government motorcycle parked outside its fragmented windows, deterring visitors from straying too close. Around it though, is the lush, sprawling vista of the Leela Kempinski, luring us into its pampering enclave. The 184-room resort tucked between two palm-fringed coves of Kovalam in Kerala is spread over 44 acres, with a spectacular view of the sweeping coastline. Designed by Charles Correa in the late ‘60s, the property fits neatly into its southern origins with the use of natural building materials and foliage drawn from the immediate precincts.

The Club Rooms offer the closest experience to ‘being at sea’, perched as they are almost at the cliff’s edge, where frothy waves dance in synchronised splendour. At eight, we seat ourselves at a table near the infinity pool that overlooks the ocean and wait for the chef to make good his promise of a meal that will surprise and delight. The seven-course dinner truly astonishes and satiates. Pineapple rasam, calamari stuffed with shrimps, an authentic Travancore fish biryani, the local karimeen encased in banana leaf, payasam with a dollop of ice cream…. All this feasting to the sounds of the surf gently lashing the rocks and muted conversations against softly glowing lamps.

In the morning, following an overwhelming breakfast of appams, stew and a variety of finger licking southern specialities, topped by a bout of soap, shells and spice shopping, we direct our golf carts to the Divya Spa, centre of mind and body coddling. My companion and I opt for traditional favourites, Shirodhara and Abhyanga. Ideally, the latter massage, for maximum benefits, (to clarify and stimulate the mind) is best carried out in the early hours but we are on holiday and revelling in the soporific state. While scented candles cast flickering shadows in the cool confines of the spa, warm, sesame-enriched herbal oil is poured onto my back till it soaks into the skin. Two masseuses then proceed to wring the toxins out of my body in rhythmic strokes till I feel myself drifting off....This massage differs from many western treatments in that it is not a deep tissue one, but one that nourishes the body and promotes healthy circulation. The masseuses mainly use the palms of their hands which makes the skin glistening smooth. Though it is said that Abhyanga increases vitality and stamina, I have to be prodded an hour later to move my limbs and take a shower with a freshly prepared moong dal scrub.

In another aromatic sanctuary, my companion, reluctantly locking away her BlackBerry, submerges herself in an experience that leaves her snoring gently, text messages and BBMs quite forgotten. Cocooned in thick towels on a wooden platform, eyes shut under a cooling poultice, she surrenders herself to a soothing, continuous drizzle of warm oil from a revolving copper pot on her forehead, specifically on the ‘third eye’, the chakra point just above and between the eyebrows, believed to be the seat of human consciousness. While one masseuse rubs her head in quick, light strokes, allowing the oil to flow into the scalp, the other kneads her body into mush. This is the famed Shirodhara treatment,best experienced in the land where it was born. Later, calm and relaxed, we sip on a delicious, warm brew, doubting our ability to climb the lighthouse steps on the promenade and weigh the odds of returning for a rejuvenating Pizhichil massage or the body firming Udvarthanam the following day.

Kovalam, meaning ‘coconut groves’, a tiny village port, is 15 km from capital city Thiruvananthapuram. It was a hippie retreat in the ‘60s and ‘70s and gained a certain notoriety when one of the beaches, Hawa Beach, became a voyeur’s dream come true with its topless white bathers. Today, the beaches are overrun with visitors, mainly from northern India and are famed for their rows of delectable little cafes, boasting the catch of the day. Apple-cheeked Kashmiri boys sell exquisite carpets and gems, traditionally textured handicrafts beg for attention, football games abound on the damp sand and children race towards the waves for swimming competitions. And at the periphery of this typical tourist chaos, in its prime location, stands the Leela Kempinski, like a well polished rock rising out of the sea.

POWERFUL THERAPIES
Meta Wellness, an innovative New York-based healthcare company focussing on treating lifestyle based chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and obesity have launched India’s first clinically proven, intensive lifestyle-change programmes for heart disease reversal and prevention, in association with the Leela Group, beginning with the Kovalam and Mumbai properties. Meta Wellness uses advanced technologies including cardiac telemetry, motion sensors and online systems to track progress towards heart disease prevention and to manage reversal. Powerful monitoring tools are used to ensure medical safety and create a personalised programme for each individual. The company’s unique approach combines the latest preventive and rehabilitative science with new models of care delivery to support sustainable, clinically relevant lifestyle change.

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