Palm Beach, Florida: An Introduction to a very unusual spa treatment
Palm Beach, Florida, is well known for Mar-a-Lago, beaches, Mar-a-Lago, golf courses, Mar-a-Lago, extraordinary wealth, Mar-a-Lago, John F. Kennedy’s Winter White House, MAR-A-LAGO and oh yes, spas.
Spas are ubiquitous – and most offer similar services: massages, facials, reflexology, hot coal treatments. I sought out the unusual. I’ve had several different massages over the years. A couple of facials. But they all had one thing in common. Tactile manipulation of various body parts. That and soft New Age-y music in the background to induce relaxation.
Neither was true at SiSpa at the Palm Beach Marriott on Singer Island. My body remained untouched -- at least by a masseuse -- and the sounds more resemble bells -- Tibetan bowls to be exact -- which more reflect a spiritual journey -- an affirmation of self -- than the usual relaxation escape.
THE TIBETAN BOWL TREATMENT AT THE SISPA AT THE MARROTT RESORT IN PALM BEACH, FL IS A ONE-OF-A KIND SPA EXPERIENCE
Every kind of sound -- different tones and pitches, highs and lows, soft and loud, close and far away. I felt the reverberations throughout my body, a magical, musical symphony coursing through every organ.
And there’s a theory underlining the enchanting experience. Mostly it’s based on aligning the chakras -- apparently, there are seven of them, points along the spine said to represent energy sources in the body. Each is associated with physical, emotional and spiritual functions. ranging from the root chakra between your legs up to the crown chakra atop your head. There’s also heart, throat and solar plexus -- and each chakra controls a different body part - and if the energy in any is blocked, it can have physical and emotional repercussions.
THE TIBETAN BOWL EXPERIENCE AT THE SPA AT THE MARRIOTT HOTEL IN PALM BEACH, FL ALSO OFFERS A LESSON IN HOW THE CHAKRAS IN OUR BODIES DETERMINE SO MUCH OF OUR EMOTIONAL MAKE-UP
Enter the Tibetan Bowls -- a sort of sound therapy to entice your brain to incorporate relaxation and health and peace; to release tension in the body; to bring clarity, improved self-esteem and the healing of negativity. One bowl was placed on each chakra and emitted its own sound when struck. I know one bowl was on my solar plexus, which is related to survival, heart, and communication and another on my head, connected to prayer and intuition. I lost count after that.
Elsa, a Reiki-trained master (a step-above my chakra-addled brain), encouraged me -- in her soft voice in my dimly lit room -- to be calm and listen to the sounds of the bowls, to close my eyes, breathe in and out and connect with the bowls, to focus on their message. Meditation was key.
I did the best I could while trying not to think about all these notes (paper ones, not musical ones) I should be taking. There’s a separate chant for each chakra, which Elsa repeated while circling the table on which I was lying. Apparently, each chakra also has its own color, but fortunately, I didn’t have to concern myself with that.
Different bowls were struck at different times, sometimes in conjunction with each other, other times in concert. The concert -- I mean the treatment -- ended with a grand finale (crescendo?) of all seven bowls playing in unison. It was mesmerizing.
I may not have understood it all; I may have been a tad preoccupied with trying to remember the experience for this article rather than just experiencing it. But it did feel somewhat mystical and magical -- and I really didn’t want the session to end.
THE TIBETAN BOWL MASTER CIRCULATED MY BODY CHANTING ALMOST AS IF IN A TRANCE – AND I THINK I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE AS WELL
But there’s even more to the overall spa experience to be explored at leisure either before your scheduled procedure or after. And yes, you can get all kinds of massages and facials you want. There’s a nail salon, a fitness room, a room with stone beds to lie on with cold cucumbers on your eyes (don’t ask -- or at least don’t ask me....), a steam room, a relaxation room with tea, infused water, fruit, and a Chex Mix assortment -- and of course a jacuzzi. The actual treatment may be the least relaxing option. The Mimosa at the end satiates the only sense that has not yet been gratified!
For more information, visit https://www.thepalmbeaches.com/listing/sispa-at-palm-beach-marriott-singer-island-beach-resort-spa
Fyllis Hockman is a multi-award-winning travel journalist who has been traveling and writing for over 30 years — and is still as eager for the next trip as she was for the first. Her articles appear in newspapers across the country and websites across the internet. When not traveling, she is almost as happy watching plays or movies, working out, and sitting on a barstool next to her travel-writing husband.