Anahata Seven Chakras Crystal Massage:
According to traditional Indian medicine, the chakras are vortices that exist on the surface of the body, which are ‘force centers’ for the reception and transmission of energy. Chakra therapy involves the use of coloured crystal stones and the idea is to engage the different properties of these colours and stones (by placing them on the relevant chakra) to impact one’s mood in a positive way and improve overall balance. Now in the past, any mention of chakras and crystals would have had us turning up our cynical noses, but we’ve learned to be more open minded lately and have been reaping the benefits.
The treatment step by step:
Tucked away in the labyrinthine residential neighbourhoods of Al Raha, is Anahata. A real treat for those lucky enough to live locally, this boutique spa is a gem that’s worth the long trip out if you’re an inner-city dweller. We’ll tell you why.
Anahata is a giant villa converted into a spa, offering everything from yoga classes to hamam and salon services. It’s a curious looking place, to say the least, but with lots of character. Every inch of it is sumptuously furnished and decorated with such attention to detail, it’ll have you feeling like a kid wondering around the mysterious mansion of an eccentric recluse. It’s a joy even to just kick back in the relaxation area and enjoy your spicy ginger tea over a giant picture book of Buddhist art.
Our therapist was Kongkum, who is a trainer from Spa Novator – the spa consultant company in Thailand. She was only in Abu Dhabi for a short time to train the staff in Anahata, so it was a real privelege to be treated by her.
Kongkum had us lie face up on the massage bed and started by placing different coloured crystals on strategic points down the centre of our body. She used ten stones: rock quartz, amethyst, turquoise, rose quartz, green aventurine, calcite, aventurine and a jasper and smoky quartz which she placed in each hand. Decked in crystal, we lay there for about ten minutes, listening to the sound of crickets just below the ambient music and appreciating all the scents of the massage oils. Depending on our reaction to the stones, or the stones’ reaction to us, Kongkum was able to tell what was wrong with us when she removed them. She instantly noticed that the rose quartz and amethyst were very warm – a sure sign of stress. ‘You must relax,’ she told us, and we experienced a strong sense of déjà vu. It seems that we hear that advice rather often lately.
Next, Kongkum had us turn over and rubbed our feet with a warm, wet towel. For the massage she used rose oil and large polished stones (some as big as our hand). With an expert touch, she wielded the heated stones in sweeping motions. As with the chakra bit, there was a separate stone for every section of the body, and these included a green aventurine, red jasper, sodalite, howlite, unakite, orange jasper and black granite.
As she kneaded and pressed them against all the right places, we were covered in goose-bumps and in awe at her ability to hold the hot stones. The process was repeated on our front side when we turned over again, and Kongkum rounded it all off with a killer head massage.
Pros:
Three things stand out about Anahata: The decor – we simply couldn’t get enough of it; the staff – they were friendly and refreshingly down to earth as opposed to timid and ceremonious; and the expert hot stone massage which demonstrated Kongkum’s skill as a therapist as well as a professional trainer.
Cons:
It’s still early days for Anahata so things seem a little disorganised, but there is genuine passion and enthusiasm with the staff here. We have no doubt at all that they’ll iron out the kinks in no time at all.
The verdict:
Whether or not you believe in the power of stones and our bodily-energy forces, there’s no arguing that a good stone massage will feel best when you embrace the brave new world of your therapist and leave yourself in her hands. This is what we did at Anahata, and Kongkum’s hot-stone massage proved to be one of the best we’ve ever had.
Seven Chakras Crystal Massage at Anahata is a 90 minute treatment that costs Dhs450. Anahata is open from 9am-9pm Sunday-Thursday and 9am-7pm on Fridays. Khalifa City A, Al Raha (02 557 7722).
