A Slice of Art and Design

There is no business quite like the spa business – let’s try to demystify the spa. Being children of a government officer, we seldom experienced the luxury of any 5-star hotels during our growing years. That was somewhat compensated with the occasional service of orderlies and the accompanying  jing-bang  while staying at government guest houses and dak bungalows. When I was left to fend for myself, I used to drag my feet every time there was a reason to enter one of those places. My purse did not allow for such extravagance—that is another story. But things slowly changed when I started to get involved in the design of hotels. Spaces that once overwhelmed me slowly began to feel familiar, almost tamed. Another place that carries plenty of mystery is the spa. A spa can be a very dangerous place—it has the capability to extract all your money in exchange for a newer, refreshed, and rejuvenated version of you. When the world has been hit by an economic tsunami and most businesse...