PANGKOR LAUT, MALAYSIA
by Anita Draycott
I left my toxins in paradise - on a private island off the west coast of Malaysia where I soaked in a bath strewn with frangipani and rose petals. My hair was lathered with banana shampoo and slathered in coconut cream. Every muscle in my body had been oiled, massaged, stretched and heated with sachets of lemongrass and pandan leaves. I shared paradise, spelled Pangkor Laut, with mischievous monkeys, and flitting butterflies in a 130-million year- old equatorial rainforest.
Sensual. Exotic. Luxurious. I could bankrupt my vocabulary trying to capture the essence of this hedonistic heaven.
This newest part of the 300-acre island resort is called Spa Village. Harpers & Queen magazine awarded it “Best Resort Spa, in 2002.” Artfully tucked between sea and jungle are eight treatment pavilions, three healing huts, a wrap house, two bath houses, spa huts, nap gazebos, a herb garden, lap pool, Fisherman’s Cove restaurant, Jamu Bar, a library and a boutique.
Malaysia being a melting pot of Malay, Indian and Chinese nationalities, the philosophy here is to share the ancient healing arts of these diverse cultures. The daily bathhouse ritual, for instance, exemplifies the multi-cultural mix. Start with a soothing Japanese footbath and an invigorating foot pounding, previously only enjoyed by the concubines of feudal China, I’m told.
Then walk through the cool Malay pool under waters cascading from urns, to a breathing area where you inhale potions for passion, calming, uplifting and detoxifying.
After a Japanese “goshi-goshi” back wash and a soak in a heated pool, you are treated to an exfoliating Shanghai scrub. Sip a cup of calming tea and you’re properly prepped for your spa treatments. During my three-day spa extravaganza I was determined to experience “the works.”
Smoked, Poked and Suctioned Chinese-style
I began my Chinese day with a consultation in Dr. Liu’s herbal healing hut. He poured me a cup of ginseng tea, told me to stick out my tongue and took my pulse. So long did he have his fingers on my wrist I was beginning to wonder if I was in grave health. But no, it seems I am a little more Yang (hot) than Yin (cold). The ideal is to be balanced. Dr. Liu’s diet prescription included eating less hot foods and more cold ones. I should cut down on spicy food, beef, red wine—and ingest more watermelon juice, celery, green tea and fish.
His written prescription also recommended spa treatments. I began with an ancient body smoking using incense to rid my body of negative energies. Purified, I then underwent a deep acu-point massage using Fire and Earth Element Oil under Dr. Liu’s fingers of steel. To remove “heat and wind” from my body he then “cupped” me using two glass jars, their rims heated to create suction when placed upon my back. Ot may sound like a torture treatment from the dark ages but I can honestly say that after about twenty minutes I started to feel cool—remarkable considering that the average temperature in Malaysia is about 34° Celsius.
The afternoon’s pampering included having my hands soaked in milk and honey and a facial mask of crushed pearls and ginseng, another secret of those concubines of Imperial China!
The Ayurvedic Way
Dr. Kumar could have taken my pulse forever as I stared into his dreamy brown eyes and answered questions about my bowel movements and sleep patterns. Originating in India, Ayurveda, meaning “science of life” is one of the world’s oldest forms of medicine. In his Ayurvedic consultation Dr. Kumar diagnoses me as “hot stuff.” In Ayurvedic terms, that means my predominant body type is “Pitha,” made up of fire and water. He recommended eating more cool foods, ditching my black wardrobe for cooler shades and choosing cool scents such as rose and jasmine. When he told me to avoid hot, rainy climates I giggled at the irony. What kind of imbalances was I inflicting upon myself here in a steambath climate where curry is served for breakfast? Ideally, I should be sitting on some iceberg munching celery!
Then came the 105-minute Dinacharya to cleanse my sensory organs. I finger-brushed my teeth with a bitter powder, then Beena greased my hair with coconut oil and dabbed ghee under my eyes. I was given more oil to sniff and gargle and yet more was dripped into my ears. I lay on a wood cot as she slathered my body with sesame oil and began a two-handed massage involving long, rhythmic strokes. The loincloth was long gone and all modesty cast aside.
Malay Princess for a Day
Campur-campur, the spa’s signature treatment combines the best of traditional Malay kneading and Thai stretching massage techniques using oil mixed with turmeric, cinnamon, garlic, onion and citronella. It ends with the pressing of steaming sachets, filled with lemon grass and pandan leaves, over your body’s meridian points to increase circulation, flexibility, energy flow and remove nasty toxins. After my treatment, I soaked in an aromatherapy bath filled with flower petals and slices of lime. Following a facial with wild ginger and turmeric, I snorkeled at Emerald Beach then took a siesta under a wild fig tree. There’s just one problem here in paradise. I don’t want to leave.
www.pangkorlautresort.com
Malaysia Airlines flies from Los Angeles to Kuala Lumpur from there it's about a three-hour drive north to Lumut where you catch the 45-minute water taxi to Pangkor Laut.
Anita Draycott (adraycott@sYmpatico.ca) is a Toronto-based travel writer. In 2002 she won Best Tourism Article on Malaysia By a Foreign Writer for a story on golf.