FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
nationthailand

Magic grains from the deep

Magic grains from the deep

Spa Cenvaree's Songkran Sand treatment is ideal for soothing away the stress of a Bangkok summer

The Bangkok heat may have most of us scrambling for cool pursuits but Spa Cenvaree of Centara Grand at CentralWorld is choosing to celebrate the summer with a relaxing treatment centred on hot sand.

The two-and-a-half-hour Songkran Sand Magic therapy marks the arrival of the Thai New Year by adapting a tradition that’s as old as time. Thais have long believed that when they leave a temple, they take dust with them and thus by carrying sand back into temples during the Songkran period to build miniature stupas, they are atoning for what they have taken out. 
Spa Cenvaree has 14 multi-function therapy rooms all decorated simply but elegantly with wooden furniture.
There are rooms for singles and doubles as well as for those in search of a traditional massage or a hydrotherapy treatment with a Vichy rain shower. Spacious changing rooms with lockers for him and her, come equipped with an infrared sauna plus a whirlpool with pool beds. 
The Songkran Sand Magic treatment begins with a foot soak and a scrub with sea salt, fresh mint leaf and neem tea to wash away negative energy. Mam, my therapist, then gently applies virgin coconut oil to my legs and feet and uses her fingers, hands and elbows to apply firm pressure and relieve muscular aches. The pressure can be adjusted to meet individual comfort and I tell her that I suffer from shoulder strain and backache associated with deskwork so the pressure should be hard.
The deep massage with coconut oil on my arms and body proves effective in loosening tight muscles and reliving the aches in specific problem areas. Mam spends a full 60 minutes working on the stress points in my body and if there is any stress left by the time she’s finished, I certainly can’t feel it.
A poultice filled with heated sea sand, crushed sesame, grated ginger and warming black pepper is dipped in coconut oil and then pressed at strategic points on the whole body to improve circulation, relieve stiff muscles and alleviate stress. Hot steam from the sand poultice draws out toxins and brings relief to joint conditions while reducing water retention
I am then offered the choice between a sea sand body scrub and a body mask with din saw pong or traditional Thai white clay. I don’t relish the thought of being mummified, so I opt for exfoliation with the sea sand, which is surprisingly relaxing. I then wash off the sand with warm water and am asked if I want to complete my spa journey with a chakra balancing vichy shower to stimulate muscle tissue or a detoxifying herbal tea bath that will improve blood circulation. I opt for the 30-minute warm bath soak with green tea milk and Mam gives me a poultice filled with green tea leaves and oats to rub over my body. 
After another shower, Mam gently massages me from head to toe before applying a vanilla-scented body lotion that leaves my skin smooth and fragrant. The sand has worked its magic but much of the credit for my newly relaxed state must go to my therapist, who has looked after me with the same devotion as a mother offers to her child.
 
 
SANDY SENSATIONS
>> Songkran Sand Magic is priced at Bt3,450 per person for a two-and-a-half-hour treatment. It is available until April 30.
>> Cenvaree Spa is on the 26th floor of Centara Grand at Central World. Call (02) 100 1234 extension 6511 or 6516 or visit www.SpaCenvaree.com.
 
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