Recently I experienced a treatment with a Balinese healer. He is a Balian Usada, which means that he comes from a long line of traditional healers, using energy to work on your system. Both his father and grandfather were healers, and possibly earlier generations as well. His energy was powerful and palpable and I could feel it infiltrating my body in strong healing waves without his even touching me, although the healing massage was hands on.
And where did I have this amazing treatment? It was not in some simple shack in the jungle or in a traditional village but in the new Ritz Carlton Mandapa Resort and Spa on the outskirts of Ubud. It seems that as Ubud has always been a centre for natural healing, – its very name stems from the word Obad that means healing herbs – so it is no surprise that it infiltrates every echelon of the community.
So it is only natural that hotels too, are embracing that wonderful Ubud energy. According to the lovely Dwi Santini, Spa Manger, what started her on the quest to embrace natural healing was the needs of the spa’s guests. When filling in the questionnaire, almost every single guest listed stress as one of their biggest ailments. It seems that high-powered successful people suffer stress along with the other benefits of success.
So Dwi set to work to find some of Bali’s best traditional healers, who can do a lot more for a suffering psyche than a handful of pills to be popped day and night. She told me that once she had set the plan in action, healers seemed to materialise. Word got out and contacts, friends, and the Bali bush telegraph went to work and there came several healers, willing to operate in new surroundings.
I must admit I was surprised when I read the Spa Menu to see just what is on offer.
When I saw what Pak Wayan was offering, I knew this was what I wanted to try. This is the description of his skills.
Pak Wayan – Panca Mayakosha Healing 60/90 min. Pak Wayan was born and raised in a family that devoted their lives to healing. Holding a bachelor’s degree in Bali Usada – a traditional healing medicine from UNHI (Indonesian Hindu University) he was initiated into healing from an early age.
Beginning with a prayer and meditation, he works to balance the five elements of the body to facilitate healing with Pancakosha – five layers of being in the energetic body that is the key to self-knowledge and absolute truth. During the session, Wayan’s hands pass over the body, responding to and clearing any unhealthy energy blocks originating from emotional and mental burdens and physical ailments. With your own interpreter provided, he will provide suggestions relating to your health and wellbeing.
While other healers were also available, Pak Wayan sounded like the right choice for me. After arriving and relaxing with a teeny ginger tea, I was escorted to my therapy room looking out over the Ayung River, all beautifully fitted out, as one would expect from a hotel of this calibre.
The next 90 minutes passed in a haze. The foot bath was a lovely introduction and the healing massage was as soothing as possible. After the massage, Pak Wayan began the energy work. While I lay on the massage table he beamed energy through his hands, concentrating on my head area. I drifted in and out of consciousness as his amazing healing energy did its work. He told me that some people will have emotional surges as thoughts and feelings come to the surface and basically the energy heals whatever is needed. For me, it was to slow down my thinking processes and just slow down in general. Well it certainly worked. When I reached home, I fell quickly into a deep sleep, and over the next 24 hours, this happened several times. Rest, as they say, is best.
After the treatment was completed, with a big thank you to Pak Wayan, I was escorted to the spa rooms with sauna and steam room and spent a little time luxuriating in the heat before finishing off.
As I stepped out on to the little balcony overlooking the lovely Ayung River, a flotilla of rafts from one of the local rafting companies hovered into view, yelling as they negotiated the twists and turns of the fast flowing river. Bali is nothing, if not an island of contrasts and surprises.
Two days later I am still calm and more comfortable within myself and I would recommend this treatment to just about everyone. Check the website for the full spa menu.
Mandapa Spa At Mandapa, A Ritz-Carlton Reserve
A : Jl. Raya Kedewatan, Kedewatan, Ubud,
T : 0811-3981-416
W : www.ritzcarlton.com/en/hotels/indonesia/mandapa/spa
