If we talk of luxury treatments in the wellness and grooming industry today, we are not referring only to the costs involved for high-end products or services. It is also not about celebrities who use or endorse such products. In fact, awareness is so high nowadays that it is mainly about the ingredients that are used. The trend today is that luxury treatments and personal care products, whether for the skin or hair, whether common or rare, should have organic ingredients. Luxury products are the result of research, advanced techniques and cutting-edge technology.
Recently, the “total well-being” concept has been gaining ground. There is increased awareness of the “wellness” concept and its benefits, especially in terms of stress removal and rejuvenation. The accent has been on providing a luxurious route towards de-stressing the body and mind, where healing hands of trained therapists take over in a serene and peaceful ambience.
During the last few years, the spa industry in India has been acquiring a solid base. Hotel chains have been adding spa facilities to their salons. We have also added luxury spa treatments to our repertoire of salon services. Today, luxury salon and spa services are based on a celebration of total wellness – body, mind and soul. The effort is to offer an ambience that immediately evokes a sense of peace and calm, where you relax in sheer luxury, to be pampered with a variety of body massages, scrubs, facials and spa treatments, all with the gentle rejuvenating touch of nature. You can even opt for a whole-day package, to get away from it all, without traveling to a distant resort.
Our treatments include cleansing, purifying, stress-relieving and rejuvenating massages and body polishing. The formulations used for the treatments rely on the rich Indian herbal heritage, on organic ingredients that are known for their beneficial effects on the skin, hair and body. However, I believe that spa treatments are not merely “pampering luxury treatments,” but a requisite to stress management and total well being. In fact, with today’s competitive career world, the relevance of such treatments has certainly increased.
Luxury treatments also include expensive and rare ingredients. Many high-end salons in the West use caviar, the eggs of the sturgeon fish, a food enjoyed by the rich and famous. Rich in fatty acids and lipids, it is used in luxury packs to nourish skin and hair powerfully. One of the most expensive ingredients, used in India, is saffron. Like essential oils, it is extremely expensive, because an enormous quantity of flowers is needed to obtain a few strands of saffron.
This prized item has been used to formulate cream and shampoo. Many oils are also used in luxury treatments like apricot kernel oil, macadamia oil and argan oil. Macadamia oil, rich in lipids, is used in treatment of brittle and damaged hair. For our premium luxury facials and body polish, we are using products containing precious essential oils, minerals and gems. Our innovations, like plant stem cells, pearl, diamond and platinum formulations, are used in luxury facial and body polish. Delicately blended with plant extracts and oils, they help to revitalise and rejuvenate. Aromatic essential oils, in fact, are very expensive and constitute luxury items. Embodying the gentle healing touch of nature, they also represent the ultimate in luxury salon and spa treatments.
Great care is taken to pick highly trained therapists, expert masseurs and other personnel, along with the latest equipment, in keeping with international norms. With the “wellness” concept gaining ground, day spas are poised to become one of the most popular among the luxury personal care services. Indeed, it is like an oasis, in the midst of urban life. Although the Indian consumer is value conscious and the market is price sensitive, India is said to be the fastest-growing market for luxury treatments and products.
