Sensational Thailand

Rejuvenating the Body and Mind

Opened in February 2004 the Body and Mind day spa in Karon Beach offers a setting and service comparable to a five-star resort for only half the price. Founder of the spa Khun Araya Limpanudom chose the Karon Beach area because, "the Karon area is densely populated with hotels and resorts but there are no other day spas." With a stroke of inspiration Khun Araya took her family's abandoned hotel building and converted it into a lavish day spa.

Although the Body and Mind spa has only been open for one year, it has seen considerable success and Khun Araya has already made enough profit to expand her operations into the upper level of the building. The lower level houses the reception, a gift shop with very interesting and reasonably priced items, there are sections especially for foot massage and Thai massage and a number of private treatment rooms. These treatment rooms are very nicely decorated and could be mistaken for high-class hotel accommodations. Each has two treatment beds, a deep whirlpool bath big enough for two and separate shower. The rooms upstairs will all be for individual or couples sessions. There will be different rooms for different treatments for example Thai herbal compress treatments will be secluded to one room for as Khun Araya confessed, 'some people do not like the smell of these compresses". Sessions with steam therapy will be in yet another suite which is being built with a contained steam room.

The Body and Mind menu is not exhaustive but presents a good selection of massages, skin treatments and facials. All the sessions are well timed, lasting for at least an hour except for a 30-minute neck and shoulder massage designed for people with little time to spare. Khun Araya explained, "as most of our clientele are tourists they want to try a Thai treatment. We do have other international treatments on our menu but they really aren't as popular. Thai people like to try something a little different so I also offer aromatherapy, Swedish and Sports massage."

Body treatments include wraps and scrubs. The scrubs that Body and Mind present look wonderful; sesame and honey, jasmine rice, fresh coconut, yoghurt and oatmeal; each has its own set of exfoliating agents and moisturizing qualities. The body wrap also sounds good. I have never had a body wrap and am fascinated by the sounds of a Thai white mud wrap which is hailed to clear rashes, reduce fever and stimulate circulation. The green tea wrap helps clean away toxins, performing deep cleansing and the milk and honey just sounds delicious regardless of the fact that this combination moisturizes, improves the generation of new skin cells and softens the skin.

Facial treatments include a traditional honey and cucumber facial, Asian herbs facial which employs husky herbs to exfoliate dead cells then a mud mask is applied to brighten and tighten the face. There is also a Dermalogica facial which uses this well known product line. Khun Araya explained, "I get many customers from Korea and Japan and these people like to use brand name products. Western clientele usually opt for the natural fruit and vegetable treatments and the Asians go for the Dermalogica treatments."

The best value for money is represented by the eight different Body and Mind special packages that offer between 90-minutes and 3-hours of pure indulgence. During my visit I experienced the 'Secret Jasmine Rice' package. The 3-hour session begins with a nice warm cup of bael-fruit tea in the beautifully appointed treatment room before a quick shower to rinse the Karon beach sand from the therapist's canvas, my body. As I lay down staring through the hole in the table my therapist Khun Koong applied the jasmine rice body scrub to my back, buttocks, legs and feet. Jasmine rice is rich in vitamin E, antioxidants and acts as a natural sun protection material. I could feel the rice granules wearing away at bumpy sections of skin, the sensation wasn't uncomfortable but the mixture was coarse. After flipping over and having my front smeared with the milky white scrub it was time for another quick shower. Washing away the sticky mixture, my skin took on a new satiny feeling; the dry patches on my elbows and ankles gone.

The next step was a full-body aromatherapy massage and as this was the Secret Jasmine Rice package, the aroma that would soothe my senses was that of jasmine. I love the fragrance of jasmine but often find it too strong in a body oil. At the Body and Mind spa I was relieved to find that the oil was not overpowering, rather the heady scent was subtle enough to induce a very relaxed state. I told the therapist to use a medium amount of pressure and well trained as she was she softly enquired if the pressure was to my liking a couple of times during the session. The 60-minute massage was great, the therapist, using long deep strokes combined with faster figure-8's and fanning movements, worked my already relaxed muscles to jelly.

The massage ended as I lay face up, swaying between vague consciousness and slumber. Khun Koong now went to work on my face. I enjoy facials but must admit that the 60-minute session proposed by this package was a little too long for me. I would have preferred an extra 30-minutes massage and a shorter facial treatment. Mostly it's the lying still that bothers me. Yes, I was relaxed and almost asleep but during a facial you have to keep your eyes and mouth closed and it can be a little uncomfortable. However it is during a facial that I actually feel the good work being done. The therapist's hands were warm and slick with luscious goo and as she flitted around my cheeks and jaw with practiced dexterity I could feel the mixture sinking into my skin.

The strangest part of any facial is waiting for a face mask to dry and harden; you can actually feel it tightening your face. Originally, as I lay there, I pictured a new firm face without any fine lines or wrinkles but as time progressed and the face got tighter and tighter, harder and harder I envisioned some kind of cartoon caricature with shiny tight skin and I hoped it was nearly time to wash it off. Thankfully just as my mind started to become too active she came back and washed it off. It's an amazing feeling; after removing the mask the skin retains its tightness without any of the discomfort. As I got changed back into my clothes I couldn't help pushing my finger into my cheeks just to see if they would move.

This session was wonderful and actually because I did fall asleep in parts, it seemed longer than 3 hours and that is always a good thing. The service at the Body and Mind day spa was excellent and comparable to any five-star experience I have had, yet the prices that Khun Araya attaches to each treatment are very reasonable.
"There are so many spas now that what we need to concentrate on is the service level. I want to offer each guest personalized, top quality service. I try to train my staff to be as good as a 5-star resort experience."

I was so impressed with this spa that I returned a week later with my Mother who was visiting me from Australia. We had a body scrub, a wrap and an aromatherapy massage and I am pleased to say that the service and quality was again of five star standard. Top quality at low prices, you can't go wrong at the Body and Mind Day Spa at Karon Beach.

 Benjarong Magazine - April 2005, Volume 8 Issue 4