South Africa is rocking to a new beat – an “up” beat. The quiet and some-times dreamy Cape region is a thing of the past. There is a new urgency, a dyna-mism and buzz in the air that is epitomised by the cranes dotted across the Cape Town skyline, indicat-ing a commercial and development boom. There is also an increasing spirit of co-operation and togetherness in the Western Cape and, as a result, many businesses from Durban and Johannes-burg are relocating to affluent Cape area, bringing new ideas and impetus. Foreign investment is up; there’s a massive new convention centre opening this year; and an overall increase in tourism of more than 10 per cent. The traditional South African “health and fat farms” are fast disappearing and domestic clients and foreign visitors alike are demanding and enjoying a new standard of spas and salons, both in urban situa-tions and the beautiful surrounding countryside of the Stellenbosch wine area, Constantiaberg Mountains, and coastal resorts of Klienmond. This year will see new city spas at the convention centre hotel and viniculture-based spa openings in the Franchhoeke valley.

The locations of Serenite Spa, with the Tokai forests and the Constantiaberg Mountains as the backdrop, is stunning. This is a destination spa, with the central therapy section – housing indoor and outdoor pools and treatment and fitness room – surrounded by beautiful gardens that have an outdoor pavilion for t’ai chi and yoga rooms.Owner Elizabeth Brandt was a stressed-out executive who, when she fell ill, investigated holistic therapies from around the world to help her back to health.This led to her turning her Dutch Cape home into a spa, and growing the business to where it is today.The most popular package is the detox, which includes cleansing fruit supplements, mustard and lavender baths and manual lymphatic drainage (MLD), together with healing seaweed body wraps and Guinot facials.

SOUTH AFRICA’SBEAUTY INDUSTRY IS

COMING INTO ITS OWN- TAKING THE BEST OFEUROPEAN SPAS AND

GIVING THEM A UNIQUELOCAL TWIST. SUSIE

HALL REPORTS

South African spas

Capecrusaders

Above and below, Serenite Spa features anoutdoor pavilion

Serenite Spa

And these new ventures are working had to provide something for every taste. For example, clients can try an “African Adventure” (a sumptuous chocolate mud wrap); a couples massage; or an ancient Kahuna massage from Hawaii. South Africa also has a famous list of gifted plastic surgeons who work closely with the local spas. Clients can recover in the private, pampered luxury of a spa after a little “nip and tuck” – and their friends will think it’s the holiday that has them looking so young and trim. The message from South Africa is that the Western Cape spa industry is booming – and now coming into its own. There is a discernible move towards giving the treatments a more African “feel”. South Africans want to develop their own products, treatments and spa philosophy – not just because of the poor exchange rate for imported European products, but because South Africans are proud of their identity and have the confidence to develop their spas. There is an exciting future ahead. So here’s a taster tour of some of the leading spas in Cape Town and its environs.

s.k.i.n

The Image Institute

Camelot Spa

Above: entrance to s.k.i.nBelow: treatment room at s.k.i.nLeft: s.k.i.n promotional brochures

Spa scene

Close to the fashionable Waterside shopping and leisure area in Cape Town is s.k.i.n – the wellness spa. s.k.i.n stands for serene, kinetic, intuitive, and natural. This progressive spa group aims to develop new trends for South Africa’s urban day spas.The Dutch Cape building leads into a chic interior, which creates an ambience of exclusivity. It features a combination of bare, untreated concrete walls, wooden floors, soft white sofas, wafts of muslin ceiling-to-floor curtains upstairs, and minimalwhite rooms with warm, buff-coloured branded towels. It is a mix of all the best interior décor ideas from a selection of international spas.

Treatments range from pure indulgence, including the spa’s trademarked “Milk cinnamon soak” and a “massage a trios”, to stone therapy and champagne on offer to clients every Tuesday evening to help them through the week. The basics are also catered for by a nail and eyebrow bar, threading and ear candling. Laser hair removal, semi-permanent makeup, injectables, and pre- and post-operative care are offered in association with selected doctors.The use Academie, Danne, Dr Perricone, Dermalogica, and St Tropez products, with Angel essential massage oils and the Environ skincare range retailed.The therapist team are said to be among the most highly paid and rigorously trained in Cape Town – s.k.i.n will only hire South African Association of Health & Skincare Professionals (SAAHSP) – recognised staff and has a disciplined ethos of client care.

S.k.i.n is the brainchild of entrepreneur Ian Stern, with the spa run by Melanie Miotti, s.k.i.n’s English PR and marketing manager. There are plans to expand internationally, including the U.K.

The prestigious Table Bay Hotel is host to the Camelot Spa, run by the Camelot Spa Management Group, which has nine branches across the country.

The spa, completed five years ago, is on the hotel’s top floor, which has a pool and poolside bar – and magnificent views across the bay. It attracts an affluent local membership and an international hotel audience with its boutique gym, five therapy rooms, and two wet treatment rooms with a Vichy shower and hydrotherapy bath.

The treatment menu has an international flavour, with treatments by Decleor and Phytomer combined with Hawaiian Kahuna massage (uses forearms and elbows) and ayurvedic-influenced rituals. Hotel guests can enjoy a variety of packages, including hydrotherapy, Vichy shower, and Hydrotherm massages. Specially created packages including MLD, detox, and men’s anti-stress; there are also pre- and post- operative care packages for cosmetic surgery patients. Softlight laser and spa “basics” make up the mix of treatments.

Driving out of Cape Town you will come across the affluent suburb of Newlands – home to chic shops, European-style delicatessens, wine shops and bars and “foodie” restaurants. Here, The Image Institute caters for a discerning surburban spa clientele in its deceptively large premises, tucked away at the top of a trendy bou-tique. Alison Rightford, the spa’s proprietor, arrived in South Africa on holiday years ago from the UK and loved it so much she never left. Having previously worked in advertising and recruitment and been a beauty salon client herself, she was keen to create a spa that was comfortable for both men and women in this, her second health and beauty busi-ness. The spa’s entrance welcomes clients with a nail bar, retail area and reception and waiting area.

Once through the door to the “inner sanctum”, there is an instant change of pace: subdued feature lighting; soft, curvy and sensual furnish-ings; and relaxing aromas greet you. The treatment rooms are designed to accommodate hidden product trolleys; ward-robes for clients; couches with abundant branded towels; and flowers and scented candles. There is an oriental-inspired relaxation room: a large massage room for couples; and a wet room with Vichy shower. One of the treatment rooms is dedicated to walk-in clients so spur-of-the-moment basic treatments can be delivered on the spot. To provide comfortable facilities for men as well as women, Alison has thought of every detail – right down to installing urinals and power showers. The spa has Clarins Gold status and also offers Environ facials; Ahava mineral body treatments;

a Dr Kern “Tan Can” with spray-tan facili-ties; non surgical lifting treatments; cellu-lite and inch-reduction sessions; stone therapy; manual lymphatic drainage (MLD); Indian head massage; and shiatsu and reflexology, along with the basics. Alison has a loyal team of managers and therapists who take much of the accountability for salon operations and share in its commercial success. As with the s.k.i.n Wellness Centre down-town, she has a full-time business pro-moter to publicise the spa to potential clients, hosting demonstrations at women’s groups, corporate events and promotional evenings. This has been so successful, Alison is now recruiting a second member of the marketing team. She also plans to expand her brand of “The Image Institute-Urban Oasis” over the coming years, with possible expan-sion to include the UK

South African spas

Left: rasul chamber at Altira SpaAbove: brine pool at Altira SpaAbove Left: decor detail at Altira Spa

Above and below: treatments atthe Hydro at Stellenbosch

Stellenbosh Hydro

Altira Spa

What’s new and what’s hot

Susie Hall is an independant spa con-sultant and presenter of spa management techniques. Tel: 020 8563 7478; mobile: 0776 138856; susietalk@hotmail.com

In the heart of the wine lands, nestled in the hills overlooking Stellenbosch, is the High Rustenburg Health Hydro. Sitting among the vineyards of Rustenburg, it must be quite a temptation for guests if they are tohere to detox!

The hydro was founded in the 1970s and its new owners are in the process of completely refurbishing it. It is a serious, holistic health resort, with a strong emphasis on naturopathy and cleansing the system using a combinations of personalised nutritional programmes, lifestyle counselling, lectures, workshops, hydrotherapy bath, Jacuzzis and under water massage, as well as alternative massage and relaxation therapies.

All guests have a consultation with the doctors on arrival and each programme is individual to their needs.

South Africa’s unpolluted Atlantic west coast has given up a unique harvest in the form of Ecklonia Maxima – rich, brown seaweed. Using a patented “cell burst” process, the only company with a licence to harvest the plant is Cape Town-based Ecklon, which has pro-duced a range of algae products in the hope of rivalling those in Europe.

effects of ageing and sun damage ( a real problem in this sun-drenched country), has a strong foothold as it was devel-oped by one of Cape Town’s top plastic surgeons, Des Fernandes. Working from his Newlands Institute, he and his team of therapists administer to a select and celebrity clientele behind closed doors.

Green Originals, a Cape Town-based company, has developed a range of herbal supplements absorbed through the skin and available through salons and spas. The products include Skin Repair spray (containing vitamins A and C, omega 3 and 6, neem and chamomile) and PMS Assist spray (with vitamins E and B6, folic acid, potassium and copper). The products work in synergy with hand-on and traditional healing therapies.

Environ’s product range, which offersvitamins and anti-oxidants to combat the

European product ranges are popular here, as are thalassotherapy-inspired treatments

The Western Cape Hotel and Spa is an hour-and-a-half away from Cape Town’s city centre. Magnificently situated on the banks of the Kliendmond lagoon near Hermanus, this international hotel, which has an award-winning golf course, is home to the Altira Spa. Altira is a combination of the ancient Greek names of Althea, the healer, and Saphira, the beautiful – and beauty through healing is the mission of Altira Spa. The spa also has a distinct German feel – its owners are German and it is popular with German guests. This is reflected in some of the terminology: it has bademeis-ters instead of instructors and taking a nat-uralistic approach, nude bathing is encouraged in half of the spa’s water facili-ties – including the Jacuzzi and brine pool. This is an elegant, warm and specious spa, with natural décor, soft lighting, and a careful mix of traditional mosaics, light woods, terracotta, slate and stone to create texture. The hotel underestimated demand for the spa and shortly after opening it the number of treatment rooms was expanded to 18.

The extensive hydrotherapy and balneo-therapy facilities include an indoor hydro pool with water jet therapy circuit; outdoor pool; brine pool (with a six per sent salt density and underwater music twinkling stars above to complete the experience); saunas, steam, and sensation showers (the body is pummelled by water jets) with light therapy; and a rasul chamber and plunge pool. Treatments are an international mix of packages, including the detoxifying African Adventure chocolate wrap (chocolate is mixed with seaweed, you smell the chocolate not the seaweed and it is a sumptuous experience), Cleopatra’s whey bath, and duo (couples) and pre-golf massages. Treatment ranges include Dermalogica, Environ, Ahava, and the algae-based Ecklon col-lection.