Beautiful and healthy ala spa

FEELING drained due to hard work that saps your mind and energy? Perhaps it's time to pamper yourself with a spa treatment.

Spa is an abbreviation of solus per aqua, which means health by or through water. However, it has developed to include massage and other salon and body care treatments.

While in 15th century Egypt the spa was part of the world of doctors and medicine, the modern spa is synonymous with the beauty parlor and provides body and health care in great comfort. Spas offer holistic treatments that cover body massages, body scrubs, whitening masks, aroma therapy, milk baths and music.

Spa treatments usually take between one and a half and two hours for massage, body scrub, bathing and soaking in refreshing spices. Spa treatments have a lot of benefi ts as they smoothen, tighten, whiten and nourish the skin, relax the muscles and detoxify the body.

The spa in modern times is an oasis for women and men who crave beauty and health. Spa treatments are not exclusively for high-income earners but are also coveted by many middle income earners, although most may fi nd them beyond their budget. Spa treatments have indeed become a new lifestyle.

Many spas have mushroomed in the country's major cities, including one established by the Martha Tilaar Group, which operate many branches through a subsidiary, PT Cantika Puspa Pesona (CPP). The company now owns 68 spa centers both in Indonesia and abroad, such as in Greece, Japan and Ukraine, franchised or owned by the company under the name Salon & Day Spa.

To appear beautiful, attractive and fresh is the dream of every woman and this is the platform on which Martha Tilaar's business is based. It is able to harmoniously unite physical and inner beauty using the ancient Javanese practice of combining physical treatment with meditation and bio energy, which encompasses aroma and other therapies.

The Martha Tilaar Group offers various spa treatments, such as body scrub malih warni (change of skin color), Dewi Sri Spa, Sekar Sari Spa and Dara Putih aromatic milk spa. "Apart from offering physical beauty, our spas also make the body fresh and more relaxed with aroma therapy," said one of the therapists.

Personalized service and a comfortable atmosphere are also offered by Reggia Spa Sanctuary, which is located in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta. It understands the unique and different needs of every individual and strives to meet their demands.

It specializes in the medical spa. It is very similar to most spas except that the therapists have basic medical knowledge. It is a solution for physical care using a non-surgical method and the world's premium brands, sophisticated technology and fi ve-star service to ensure customer satisfaction.

Unlike in the US and Europe, the medical spa concept is not very common in Indonesia. "Supervision by professional doctors is required to monitor a customer's condition during and after treatment to see the progress of the treatment and to provide solutions should there be problems," said one of the doctors at such a medical spa.

Beauty treatment ala salon and a la hospital is nowadays inseparable in some spas. It is part of today's lifestyle. This is also provided by Susan Waine, which specializes in obesity, which all women in the world fear.

Susan Waine provides the most effective service and solution for obesity. If you want to slim down in areas around the stomach, thighs and arms, Susan Waine has the solution. It has a sophisticated analyzing machine made in Italy that can precisely analyze the physical care required by a customer.

Supported by a computerized system and renowned French and Italian products, Susan Waine provides slimming solutions without pain, or drastic loss of excessive fat or fl uid. Clients do not have to live on excessive or rigid diets that can have a negative effect on their health.

A professional trainer will personally guide you during your fi tness hours using the latest equipment so that there is no risk of pain or sprain. Susan Waine also has various classes, such as aerobics, yoga, tai chi, Pilates, hip hop, salsa and gymnastics for pregnant women. After a class, a customer is pampered with sauna and steam facilities.

As a one-stop treatment center, Susan Waine provides the most complete services for customers in Jakarta. After a workout, clients do not have to go home with wet hair because Susan Waine has a beauty and hair salon as well. Through the hands of a professional therapist using renowned French brands, the customer is once again fresh and in high spirits. (Burhanuddin Abe)

The Jakarta Post , November 05, 2009

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/11/05/beautiful-and-healthy-ala-spa.html

Wine for Asia

WINE bukan hanya milik Prancis tentu saja. Juga bukan monopoli negara-negara penghasil wine yang lain, baik old world yang diwakili oleh Prancis, Italia, Spanyol, Portugal, Austria, dan Yunani, atau pun new world, seperti Amerika, Australia, Selandia Baru, Afrika Selatan, Chile, Argentina, Kanada, dan lain-lain.

Kawasan Asia yang selama ini dianggap jauh dari tradisi wine ternyata mempunyai fakta yang cukup mencengangkan. Dalam sebuah riset terungkap bahwa wine di Asia bisa tumbuh sekitar 10 – 20 persen per tahun. Kawasan tersebut diwakili oleh China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapura, dan Korea sebagai pemimpinnya. Nilai konsumsi di Asia (tidak termasuk Jepang) mempunyai potensi meningkat hingga dua kali lipat, mencapai US$17 miliar pada 2012 dan melonjak menjadi US$ 27 miliar pada 2017.

Fakta itulah yang menjadi keniscayaan bagi negara seperti Singapura untuk menjadi tuan rumah bagi sebuah event penting yang disebut “Wine for Asia” (WFA), yang tahun 2009 memasuki tahun ke tujuh. Acara yang bertempat di Suntec Singapura dan berlangsung pada 22-24 Oktober ini diselenggarakan oleh MP Wine Resources, gabungan kerjasama antara MP International dan Wine Resources.

WFA memamerkan wine internasional paling komprehensif di kawasan regional dan mampu menghadirkan exhibitor baik dari 350 perusahaan lokal maupun internasional. Sekitar 5.000 pengunjung berdatangan dari negara-negara Asia dan Pasifik bergabung dalam acara ini, termasuk dari Indonesia.

Menurut Chooi Yee Choong, Regional Director of ASEAN (Islands) and Oceania, Singapore Tourism Board, dalam beberapa tahun terakhir ini, industri wine di Asia telah tumbuh sangat cepat. “Event ini menawarkan one-stop platform untuk tetap berdampingan dengan penawaran-penawaran wine terbaru, melengkapi jumlah yang tak terhitung banyaknya di bisnis fisrt-class, edukasi, dan kesempatan networking serta pencinta gaya hidup,” katanya di Decanter, wine lounge yang berlokasi di Kuningan, Jakarta, beberapa waktu yang lalu.

Ini merupakan momentum yang sangat tepat bagi mereka yang ingin mengetahui lebih dalam mengenai wine. Apalagi, tidak hanya pameran, dalam WFA juga ada sesi edukasi bagaimana cara menikmati wine secara benar. Misalnya, bagaimana cara menikmati wine Bordeaux dari chateaux-chateaux terkemuka. Wine tasting bersama Penfolds Brand Ambassador, Jamie Sach, serta mengetahui mengapa Penfolds Grange adalah salah satu wine paling terkenal di dunia dalam cita rasa eksklusif.

Ada juga sesi bertopik bisnis yang membagikan pengalaman para pemain di industri wine, juga bagaimana kiat bertahan dan berkembang di masa resesi seperti saat ini. Dalam kelas yang disebut International Wine Importer Course, melengkapi kemampuan bisnis wine-related untuk memberikan mutu terbaik bagi bisnis wine. Pendeknya, apa saja yang berhubungan dengan wine – baik gaya hidup maupun bisnisnya ada di event ini, termasuk Southeast Asia Best Sommelier Competition 2009.

Asia sudah menjadi kawasan yang sangat potensial sebagai pasar wine dunia. Singapura agaknya telah memanfaatkan kesempatan ini, dan mengambil peluang bisnis dari pertumbuhan wine yang pesat ini di Asia. Bagaimana dengan Indonesia?

Memang belum ada data yang akurat tentang pertumbuhan industri wine di Indonesia. Namun, meski dengan segala kendala yang ada, mulai dari kuota, cukai yang masih tinggi, hingga tata niaga yang masih “amburadul”, nilai konsumsi wine di Indonesia terus meningkat dalam lima tahun belakangan ini. Terbukti, wine lounges terutama di kota-kota besar sebutlah Jakarta, terus bermunculan. Tidak hanya hanya melengkapi fasilitas hotel-hotel berbintang, tapi di mal-mal bahkan gedung perkantoran sudah gampang ditemui tempat minun wine.

Sayangnya event-event yang berkaitan dengan wine masih sedikit, bahkan masih bisa dihitung dengan jari. Festival wine baru terselenggara dua kali di Jakarta, yakni yang disebut sebagai Wine Fest, yang dimotori salah satu distributor wine, Danisa Textindo. Memang ada beberapa event yang berkaitan dengan wine, tapi hanya tambahan dari acara yang lebih besar, sebutlah festival wine yang menjadi bagian dari Jakarta Fashion & Food Festival yang diselenggarakan Summarecon Group di Kelapa Gading Jakarta.

Sementara kompetisi sommelier yang cukup representatif baru terselenggara tahun ini, oleh ISA (Indonesia Sommelier Association) – yang juga terbentuk tahun ini, bekerja sama dengan Sopexa, Ministere de l’Agriculture et de la Peche (Prancis), dan Wine for Asia (Singapura).

Sudah saatnya Indonesia wine society memikirkan terobosan-terobosan baru untuk membuat event-event wine yang lebih kreatif, kalau perlu bertaraf internasional. Tidak hanya untuk sosialisasi dan edukasi soal wine, tapi juga menumbuhkan dan menata sektor industri yang masih tergolong baru ini. Cheers! (Burhanuddin Abe)