At the outset, I must disclose that as an utter and complete
SoBo girl, anything beyond Haji Ali is considered “out of town” for me.
In early 2002, the JW Marriot opened its first property in
India on Mumbai’s Juhu Beach. It was quite a landmark occasion in the Indian hospitality
business. I distinctly remember the first time my entire family and I traversed
the cityscapes to the suburbs for the opening of the iconic Enigma nightclub at
the hotel. There was much excitement at home leading up to The Day of voyage.
Pulling into the impressive driveway, we arrived at the
hotel with as much enthusiasm as we would have when reaching an exotic, foreign
locale. It was wonderful to be on a beachfront property in the Maximum City. And
the wow factor continued with the rocking nightclub, restaurants and café, soon
becoming the preferred hotel of the Bollywood Brigade.
Over the years, my work life has taken me out of my
territorial comfort zone as I work in Lower Parel (or shall I call it Upper
Worli). Spending a lot of time in commuting and traveling around the country, I
do find the need to indulge in a soothing massage at my hotel spa every now and
then. When I go to Pune, I stay at the smashing JW Marriot Hotel there, and
always look forward to another pleasant stay in it. I have used the services of
Quan Spa a few times and always left it feeling rejuvenated, repaired and relaxed.
It was a Sunday evening and I was looking forward to my
first Quan Mumbai experience – it had been a hectic past few days and my body
was looking forward to the pampering. I had made a complete ‘day out’ of the
trip by attending a seminar at the hotel and indulging in a delicious and
healthy Sunday brunch at the hotel poolside, enjoying the view of the Arabian Sea
in front of me.
 | |
| a rather morbid installation |
“The word Quan means source of water in Chinese,” the Spa
Manager, Dr. Rashmi Ambastha , told me while welcoming me into the waiting
area. Perhaps she had noticed my peculiar expression trying to understand the
décor elements of the space. White pebble walkways, blue lighting, white
furniture, not to mention the pièce-de-resistance – a dry fish tank with a
full-sized human floating in it – lending a modern feel to the space. In
operation since 2005, the spa has never been renovated since, which explains
the current state of the tired reception area.
Dr.Ambastha advised me to try the 90-minute signature
treatment - an aromatic, light-medium pressure massage. Wonderful, I thought as
I filled in the mandatory sheet with the usual questions. I waited a short
while with a soothing ginger tea concoction and shortly after, I was introduced
to my therapist who ushered me towards my treatment room. I noticed that she
could not have had the chance to review my completed form, which I had
earnestly filled, mentioning certain problem areas to avoid and other areas to
focus on.
Moving from the stark modern feel of the reception into the
wood-toned spa area, I certainly found it more appealing and comforting. The
single therapy room that I was taken to had all the features of a reputable
spa, with an en-suite shower and changing room. I changed into my robe and
chatted with the cheerful and friendly therapist as
she proceeded to begin the treatment by cleaning my feet with water and
aromatic salts.
Let the zen times
roll….
I lay face down and let the therapist
work her magic on me, giving into the ambient music and heavy aroma of Rose and
Geranium infused oil. She was good. After all, she had been working at the spa
since 2006. The massage was fairly straightforward and old school. At the end of my 90 minutes, I was indeed more relaxed. I completed my experience
with a refreshing, hot shower. I would have liked the recommended steam, but I
didn’t feel up to walking out and making way to the common steam room, which
along with the sauna, ice pool and jacuzzi are shared by members of the health
club and spa clients.
I changed back into my clothes, wished my therapist
farewell and rushed back up to catch the last glimpse of the setting sun. Dusk
is always such a magical time, something is ending and something is beginning,
all at the same moment. It felt nice to savour this moment, smelling like a
fragrant garden!
As I made my way back to town, braving the Sunday traffic, I
wondered if I would ever go back to the spa? Probably not since it was too darn
far for me. Then I thought if I would tell my Burby friends (yes, I do have a
few!) to try it out. Perhaps I would let them know since most certainly it had not
disappointed. It is an obvious choice if you are a hotel or health club member
due to the convenience factor. As a five-star spa, it lacked that extra je ne sais quoi, just about meeting all
the expected norms. If one is paying five-star prices, then one should get
something more out of a luxury experience.
For now, I’ll take my Quan Spa in Pune any day…
Visit the luxury portal: http://www.luxuryfacts.com/
On
the outset, I must disclose that as an utter and complete SoBo girl,
anything beyond Haji Ali is considered “out of town” for me.
In early 2002, the JW Marriot opened its first property in India in
Mumbai’s Juhu Beach. It was quite a landmark occasion in the Indian
hospitality business. I distinctly remember the first time my entire
family and I traversed the cityscapes to the suburbs for the opening of
the iconic Enigma nightclub at the hotel. There was much excitement at
home leading up to The Day of voyage.
Pulling into the impressive driveway, we arrived at the hotel with
as much enthusiasm as we would have when reaching an exotic, foreign
locale. It was wonderful to be on a beachfront property in the Maximum
City. And the wow factor continued with the rocking nightclub,
restaurants and café, not to mention, soon becoming the preferred hotel
of the Bollywood Brigade.
Over the years, my work life has taken me out of my territorial
comfort zone as I work in Lower Parel (or shall I call it Upper Worli).
Spending a lot of time in commuting and traveling around the country, I
do find the need to indulge in a soothing massage at my hotel spa every
now and then. When I go to Pune, I stay at the smashing JW Marriot Hotel
there, and always look forward to another pleasant stay in it. I have
used the services of Quan Spa a few times and always left it feeling
rejuvenated, repaired and relaxed.
It was a Sunday evening and I was looking forward to my first Quan
Mumbai experience – it had been a hectic past few days and my body was
looking forward to the pampering. I had made a complete ‘day out’ of the
trip by attending a seminar at the hotel and indulging in a delicious
and healthy Sunday brunch at the hotel poolside, enjoying the view of
the Arabian Sea in front of me.
- See more at: http://www.luxuryfacts.com/index.php/sections/article/4339#sthash.5FkwpYA4.dpuf
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