Malay, Chinese, Indian and Thai traditions, along with Ayurvedic techniques, are the focus of this Asian resort’s spa treatments.
From the corner of a drowsy eye, one can sight a hornbill, a peacock, even an occasional harmless Princess Tree snake or two as one’s warm, oiled body is massaged with pockets of soft rice heated in an herbal milk broth. A visitor who can instantly conjure this image has already enjoyed the Navarakizhi treatment at Spa Village, the four-acre indoor and alfresco sanctuary to the healing arts located on the private island of Pangkor Laut, three miles off the western coast of Malaysia.
Spa Village is part of the 300-acre island’s only habitable area, Pangkor Laut Resort, which is otherwise entirely surrounded by one of the world’s last remaining unspoiled rainforests and, farther out, by the Straits of Malacca. Lumut, the mainland city across from Pangkor Laut, offers regular ferry rides to the island. Visitors can berth either at the Lumut International Yacht Club, a full-service base with 40 berths and repair service, or at moorings two miles upriver from the yacht club.
Navarakizhi, one of five healing programs that the spa offers for a minimum of seven days, has been used in Malaysia for centuries to promote long life. Each of the courses is reputed to relieve insomnia, migraines and arthritis with the use of hot herbal oils, massage and such soothers as buttermilk.
The spa relies mainly on techniques from Malay, Chinese, Indian and Thai traditions, with an emphasis on Ayurvedic (Indian), which focuses on ridding the body of toxins and negative energy, and on Chinese, which promotes harmony and balancing of Yin and Yang. There are specialists in both of these techniques who will consult with you beforehand to create a personalized regimen. Mian Bu Hu Liao, for example, a Chinese facial, begins with an offering of a secret, traditional herbal snuff used to clear the passages and awaken the senses.
Depending on the signature spa treatment and tradition agreed upon with the consultant, spa goers will experience such scents and sensations as the feel of fresh yogurt poured over the skin and the smell of some combination of steamed lemongrass, ginger, camphor, pandan leaves, turmeric, papaya or wild ginger. A spa goer might have negative energy smoked from him with an incense of acorus roots, or have her circulation improved with the application of bamboo suction cups placed at strategic points. One treatment involves immersion in milk, another in Malaysian flower petals.
A typical treatment begins with a footbath and the Chinese Foot Pounding once only enjoyed by decadently luxuriating courtesans. This is followed by a Malay circulating bath in one of the private bathhouse whirlpools, using a Japanese exfoliating goshi-goshi cloth. After a soak in the heated pool, men will enjoy a second exfoliation with the Shanghai Scrub. A calming cup of herbal tea will then prepare the visitor for an individual full-day, half-day or single treatment course.
Treatments are given in deluxe, seafront, private pavilions dispersed throughout the village, where lotus ponds, bath houses and gazebos flourish along with a swimming pool, an herb garden and a reflexology path. There are specially set aside huts for Ayurvedic, Malay and Chinese treatments. Twenty-two of the resort’s 148 rooms are the luxurious and easily accessible Spa Villas, which feature hardwood floors, hand-carved furniture, oversize bathtubs and private balconies, as well as the last word in modern amenities, including CD players, refrigerators, electronic safes and air conditioning.
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