Joelle Thomson goes with the flow at a luxury escape in the heart of the city.
Just relax and forget everything you're thinking about and worrying about," says Mindy Poynter, manager of the lavish Chuan Spa, as she shows me around this serene, secluded facility at The Langham hotel.
Easy for her to say, I thought, remembering the nine hours of driving and two hours of late-night writing to deadlines the previous evening before falling into bed in a heap, only to remember more deadlines and a meeting today. Fortunately, this is the meeting. And as her soothing advice intermingles with the sound of flowing water at the first Chuan Spa in this country, I'm beginning to wonder if relaxation might actually be within my reach.
The location of the Chuan Spa in central Auckland makes it an easy treat. It's on Symonds St; virtually on the corner of K Rd. Motorway access north, south and west is all within a two-minute drive from the hotel. Valet parking is available, and on weekends, there is plenty of interesting food (Verona, sushi and Coco's Cantina), outstanding coffee (Brazil) and fascinating retail therapy (Iko Iko, The Paperbag Princess, great second-hand bookstores, clothes and quirky luxurious furnishings) close by on K Rd. If a walk in the park is more your speed, then warm your hands on a takeout coffee from Alleluya Cafe in St Kevin's Arcade and walk down the arcade's staircase to Myers Park.
All these ideas and more stop racing through my mind as I spend the compulsory 30 minutes soaking in water prior to my treatment.
Chuan is Chinese for flowing water and there's plenty of it here. First, I sit in the outdoor spa. Then I spend 10 minutes in the sauna and about 30 seconds in the steam room (a nightmare for curly-haired types, such as yours truly) and finally I try the recommended encounter with ice. It's the Chuan alternative to an icy plunge pool and slightly less terrifying. A continuously flowing ice fountain doubles as a stylish sculpture and a place from which to take ice to douse yourself.
My Winter Spice treatment takes an hour.
It is essentially a massage but is also intended to rebalance my elements, my energy and my general sense of well-being. While I was determined to get back to all the must-dos on my list, when I left the spa I found there was really only one of any importance. And it was done with a sense of much welcome calmness.
The Chuan Spa
The Chinese word "chuan" means a serene course of water and this spa is designed on feng shui principles. Treatments cater for individuals, couples and groups. The Winter Spice treatment is $155. The Chuan Spa is at The Langham, 83 Symonds St, Auckland, ph (09) 300 2960. chuanspa.co.nz
Treatments
A visiting Chinese medicine practitioner offers acupuncture, cupping, moxibustion (which pulls out tension in the skin), and a gold ming facial, using 24 carat gold magnets on the skin to realign energy in the body (similar to reflexology). There are body wraps, scrubs, anti-cellulite and anti-ageing facials.
Green points
The Langham earned Earth Check Silver Certification last year. Its green initiatives include the use of Lexus hybrid limousines, energy saver lightbulbs, a climate-controlled water system and sustainably produced cleaning products. Takeaway coffee cups are made of biodegradable cornstarch. Cooking oil is recycled into biofuel.
While you're here
Walk along K Rd and have a coffee at Brazil, or a meal at Coco's Cantina. Or go shopping at St Kevin's Arcade.
