Inspired by the seas and the marine life of the Indonesian archipelago, Bali’s Eastern Garden Martha Tilaar Spa offers Ocean Dream Serenity – a reviving hydrotherapy treatment based on ancient medical systems and rituals, designed to detoxify and rejuvenate, reduce stress, improve circulation, aid digestion and nourish the body and mind while bringing us closer to the ocean.
The afternoon was hot and humid; the gloomy sky threatened to unleash some much-needed rain over the island. Beneath the looming grey clouds, a tranquil spa in downtown Seminyak, Bali’s vibrant hub, lured me in, promising a refuge from the impending storm.
A warm welcome to the Eastern Garden Martha Tilaar Spa was promptly followed with a brief introduction of the chosen Ocean Dream Serenity treatment, a refreshing glass of lemongrass tea and a cold, scented towel. I handed over my completed standard health questionnaire, along with the well-being of my body, mind and soul to my designated massage therapist for the next three hours.
Martha Tilaar is as much the quintessential spa queen of Indonesia as Martha Stewart is the domestic goddess of America. The mother of Indonesian natural cosmetics is also one of the most powerful women in the country, having founded The Martha Tilaar Group some forty years ago and developed it into a multi-brand beauty empire. In the heart of this successful global business lies the founder’s lifelong philosophy: to preserve Indonesia’s rich nature and cultures and accentuate women’s inner and outer beauty, utilizing the best-kept ancestral secrets of traditional healing treatments and natural, holistic remedies.
Ocean Dream Serenity is a sea-inspired treatment designed for detoxification and rejuvenation. It began with a 30-minute guided hydrotherapy in a bio-energized Aquatonic pool reserved all for myself. In a calming indoor tropical garden setting, I worked my way through five hydrotherapy Aquatonic massage stations, each equipped with water jets targeting and stimulating different parts of my body. I felt my muscles relaxing, my skin rehydrating and my tension dissolving into the positively charged Chi water.
After a swift shower, my pampering continued with a reviving sea salt and lime foot scrub, a cooling peppermint and lime body scrub and an invigorating body mask in a private room. Most of the products featured in Ocean Serenity are freshly hand-blended and 100% natural, consisting of sea salt crystals and indigenous plants.
The highlight of my treatment was the Ocean Serenity body butter massage (made of rice and spirulina extract) performed by the healing hands of my therapist, incorporating special techniques and secret formulas derived from deep-rooted ancient wisdoms.
The finale was no less rejuvenating: a 20-minute bath in an enormous marble tub infused with aromatic bath salts and fresh rose petals that left my skin perfectly moisturized, glowing and tingling with a lingering scent of the ocean. The afternoon came to a close in the spa lounge with an organic lunch menu of a bottle of chlorophyll, a generous bowl of raw garden salad and a tall glass of fruit juice.
The Eastern Garden Martha Tilaar Spa is a rare oasis that offers authentic Indonesian spa experiences strongly influenced by old Chinese and Indian traditions. The whole experience was sheer indulgence in every sense that had me in a perpetual state of total bliss: body balanced, mind comforted and spirit nourished.
