Signature cardamom and cocoa ritual

Detoxify your body and soothe your senses with this holistic treatment

By Manisha Almadi Midha

Where: Keiken Spa, New Delhi
Duration: 90 minutes
How much: Rs 3700 all inclusive 

Keiken spa recently opened in the posh GK-1, M block market, New Delhi. A flight of stairs lead you to the reception on level one. What strikes me about the spa, are the aromas as I settle down. I feel some sunlight and windows would have opened up this place as it looks a bit dark.  

I am offered a pair of bamboo slippers, as mine is tucked away. My therapist escorts me to the second floor where the therapy rooms are located. Though the spa is a little small, the massage rooms are fine and very beautifully done. Mine opens with a lovely sight of fresh flowers, there are red carnations on the massage bed, lilies in one corner and a bowl of rose petals under the bed.

I change into the disposables and am advised to take the sauna (which I usually take after the treatment). The sauna is arranged in the small shower enclosure within the room. My detoxifying ritual begins with a cereal and brown sugar body scrub to cleanse the skin. The scrub (sugar) is a little rough on the skin and scratches it. Is that how a body scrub is supposed to be? I am advised to shower after the scrub. Have I not been showering all this while after the session, to step out afresh sans any sticky oils on my skin? The therapist gives a cold cardamom and cocoa body wash, its divine and I really enjoy it. 

The natural music is soothing, but the honking of the traffic, as the spa is located on the main road, is a distraction. I lie upside down for the hot stone massage with cardamom and cocoa body serum and oil, and then turn over. The hot stone massage balances the chakras while the serum and oil stimulate circulation and penetrate deep into the muscles to relax and relieve you of muscle aches.

Now I am given a body wrap (I am covered in a plastic sheet) to help generate body heat while cardamom softens the skin and improves skin texture, and cocoa acts as an antioxidant and keeps the skin young. The body wrap (plastic) causes, continuous irritation to the skin and I am relieved when it’s taken off. The therapist advises against a shower, in order for the treatment to be more effective, and wipes off the oil and serum with hot towel.

I head back to the reception to chat with the director of the spa, Bandana Narain who has been waiting for me. Did I enjoy my session? “Yes, absolutely” I say, sipping on my hot herbal tea. This ritual combines three treatments in one — a body scrub to cleanse the skin, a hot stone massage to relax it, and a body wrap to leave the skin soft and moisturised. What more could I ask for?

But it does come at a price! Narain maintains that their prices are quite affordable as they would like their clients to come every week to experience massages ranging from Thai to ayurvedic, and other treatments, I feel the spa is a bit expensive. Though Keiken uses French spa products, and I absolutely loved showering with the body wash and the hint of cocoa in the scrub, I would still think twice about spending so much. Narain says that Keiken is a Japanese word, meaning “experience” and we want everyone to come and experience life as it should be!