Just as nature intended

THOUGH FAMED for its beaches, Hua Hin is also surrounded by stunning mountains, and up in those hills is the Aka Resort, which has a spa that makes every trek worth the climb.

The treatment room, all wood, especially bamboo, has a clean, cool natural breeze coming in from all sides – no air conditioning necessary. The music isn’t piped in, either. Instead you have the wonderful sound of real birds chirping and cooing out in the woods. No oils sputter on a smoky burner. Rather, you get the perfume of fresh green grass. 

This is what you can really call “naturally relaxing”, and it’s simply divine.

It’s always a good idea to start a treatment with a scrub to prep your skin. Recommended is the 60-minutes Unpolished Rice Body Scrub, which uses a mix of organic brown rice, yoghurt, raw honey and sweet almond oil. This sweetly fragrant mixture is the best simple “food” for your skin: Each component contains basic yet highly beneficial qualities. 

The yoghurt helps cleanse, reduce inflammatory agents in the skin and moisturises, while the honey is one of nature’s most amazing “beauty solutions”, packed with antiseptic and anti-microbe properties, so it’s great for healing cuts and burns. It has gluconic acid as well, a mild alpha-hydroxic acid that brightens the complexion, evens out skin tone, and lightens scars and age spots, easing acne and eczema to boot.

The moisturising almond oil is ideal for dry skin. Rich in vitamins E, A, B1, B2 and B6, it effectively balances out the moisture in dry and irritated skin. It’s easily absorbed and doesn’t leave the skin sticky. The rice does the exfoliating and adds more vitamins that make the skin feel suppler, cleaner and more radiant. 

The therapist slowly rubs this slightly coarse and sensually sweet, soothing, nourishing elixir into your skin well enough to make sure it penetrates so it can work its wonders. After an hour you’ll be glowing. The treatment costs Bt1,500. 

This small spa has a comprehensive list of treatments that cater every need – pampering, relaxing, or easing muscular problems. I picked the Aka Signature Massage, which also includes an herbal compress. It combines Thai, Swedish and deep-tissue massages and is terrific for energising, relieving stress and easing tension.

What I particularly liked was that the therapist shifted between kneading and applying the compress throughout the session. At most spas they finish the massage before the compress goes on. This way assures that the blood circulation gets a boost at the same time your sore muscle and tension are being eased out. The mushroom-shaped compress contains lemongrass, camphor, sea salt, kaffir lime peel, turmeric and plai (Bengal root). 

A 90-minute treatment costs Bt2,500, and it’s a Bt1,000 more for an extra 30 minutes.

 

 

INTO THE TREES

>>Reservations are recommended at the Aka Resort’s AKA Spa. Call (032) 618 900 or visit www.AkaResorts.com.