It is that wonderful time of the year when both our hearts and social calendars are full of festive fervour. After the prolonged Covid period, we can now return to festivities the way they are truly meant to be enjoyed. Dressing up and looking our best is high on the agenda, and though we may shop to our heart’s content for clothes, accessories and makeup, a true festive glow can only come from dedicated self-care. For that reason, I recently visited the Cinqtuair Spa at The Claridges Hotel, New Delhi. Here I gladly immersed myself in a number of therapies along with a 60-minute aromatherapy massage.
The newly revamped The Claridges Hotel boasts swanky interiors and a more modern visage than its previous avatar. Though construction is not yet complete in certain parts of the hotel, they are open for business. The Cinqtuair Spa seems far removed from the hustle-bustle outdoors and one immediately feels relaxed upon entering this haven. My treatment began with a soothing foot bath given to me by my smiling and patient masseuse, Jelina. This was followed by some new offerings on their spa menu, which I was completely unfamiliar with.
First up was the Aromatic Oxy Bath that involved being immersed in a fragrant tub of water that had been oxygenated for enhanced wellbeing effects. Ten minutes in this haven left me calm and ready to sample the other treatments. I chose the Normatec Compression Therapy which is described as a cutting-edge recovery system aimed at the rehabilitation of the muscles after intense training sessions, competitive events, or if one has suffered a serious injury.
The Normatec Pulse Recovery System, which is the official name of this device, consists of compression pads that surround your legs. These compression units then utilize compressed air to sequentially compress your limbs, leading to fluid inside your limbs being mobilised. This ensures faster recovery and recuperation following any period of exertion and alleviates certain health conditions. Instead of simply squeezing the limb using static compression, this innovative technology relies on pulsing which is like a manual massage, but much more effective. The pulsing alternates between different areas of the leg and thus improves the movement of fluid in the limbs. Of its many purported benefits, these are the most striking – flushing lymphatic fluids and lactic acids from the legs and removing harmful toxins from your muscles, reduced inflammation, improved circulation, reduced water accumulation, accelerated recovery and rehabilitation, as well as pain relief and management.
After the rejuvenation that this treatment brings, a soothing aromatherapy massage using an oil of your choice is the best follow-up treatment. After the massage, I enjoyed the steam and sauna before heading to another interesting treatment session called the Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment.
For this, their Spa Manager Karam Chand led me to a pressurized tube-shaped chamber, where I was advised to lay down flat on my back. Once the chamber was closed, the oxygen flow began and the pressurization process started. It took only a few minutes for the flow of oxygen to reach its optimum level. In the last ten minutes of the treatment, depressurisation also took place to ensure optimal safety.
This therapy essentially means involves breathing pure oxygen in a pressurized environment. It is a well-established treatment for decompression sickness, which is a potential side-effect of scuba diving. Other conditions treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy include serious infections, bubbles of air in your blood vessels, and wounds that may not heal as a result of diabetes or radiation injury. In a hyperbaric oxygen therapy chamber, the air pressure is doubled or tripled to normal air pressure, which allow your lungs to gather more oxygen than would be possible while breathing at normal air pressure. The blood then carries this extra oxygen throughout the body to fight bacteria and stimulate the release of substances called growth factors and stem cells, which promote healing.
Benefits include speeding up the body’s healing processes by increasing oxygenation levels in areas of injury or illness, helps with faster healing of wounds, reduces the swelling that may occur around damaged or injured areas of the body, stimulates new blood vessel growth and increases blood flow, elevates the body’s natural immune defence to prevent and fight off infection and harmful bacteria, boosts the supply of circulating stem cells in the body.
After these unusual treatments, I walked away thoroughly relaxed and rejuvenated. Yet, there was still more on the menu for me to try which I hope to be able to do soon. Some of the other therapies I’m looking forward to trying are CryoEMS (electric muscle stimulation) which is aimed at achieving a toned body, tighter skin, and an inner glow to make you feel and look younger. CryoEMS freezes and drains fat cells, converts white fat cells to brown, and in the process causes weight loss. Simultaneously, the electronic muscle stimulation works in two ways – it builds the muscles up and stimulates metabolism, in turn supporting fat reduction triggered by cryotherapy. Apart from fat reduction, CryoEMS helps in reducing migraines, numbing nerve irritation, treating mood disorders, reducing arthritic pain, reducing the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines and blemishes, treating skin conditions like Dermatitis, Eczema and Psoriasis, reducing puffiness around the eyes, relaxing muscles, repairing damaged cells and improving blood circulation.
The last of their new-age therapies is the Red Light Therapy which is also aimed at healing. Red light has been known to increase collagen, energy production, and improve sleep, among many other health benefits. This therapy allows the red light to reach deeper into the muscle tissue and thus improve muscle recovery, joint pain, inflammation, mental acuity and thyroid function.
Apart from their therapies, the spa also offers a wellness menu with a healthy yet tasty spread. Chef Vivek Rana has curated this special menu based on the five elements, and the focus is to allow one to move well, feel well, and think well. The offerings correspond to the spa treatments and are vegan, with an emphasis on raw and Ayurvedic cuisine.
A day at the Cinqtuair Spa at The Claridges Hotel in Delhi proved beneficial to my overall wellbeing, and now I feel set to take on the festive season looking and feeling my best. Perhaps you should also book your appointment and let their team of in-house wellness experts curate an experience exclusively for you.
Noor Anand Chawla pens lifestyle articles for various publications and her blog www.nooranandchawla.com.