Spa treatments have become increasingly popular in Indonesia where the spa tradition has been driven largely by the island of Bali. Indonesian spas often blend with the natural setting and become one with nature using natural local materials from the vast botanical diversity of Indonesia's more then 6,500 species. Balinese massage is a supremely relaxing deep muscle massage while some of the beauty treatments that are in use today were once guarded secrets of the Central Javanese royal family and have just recently been made available to the public.
The Mandi Susu is a traditional bath used by the royal princesses as it was believed to be an elixir of youth. The bath makes the skin radiant, soft and pure to the touch due to the use of goat, sheep or cow milk cleaned and purified by ancient techniques that take out the taste and smell of the milk but maintains its softening properties. The Mandi Luhur is an exfoliating treatment carried out in many beauty salons and spas across Indonesia. Luhus means coating the skin in Javanese and the process involves a paste made up of turmeric, sandalwood, jasmine oil and rice powder. The paste is massaged on to the entire body and left for 20-30 minutes to dry before it is washed or showered off.
Posted by Wayne Hue