Considering all that envelopes the beautiful Arasha Resort located in the western cordilleras of the Andes Mountains in Ecuador, a spa treatment anywhere else would seem nothing short of unnatural.
“One of the most beautiful things about the spa at Arasha is the environment and the structure of our spa,” says Rosa Maria Pallares, General Manager of Arasha. “When you enter the first thing you perceive are the smells, the essences. Then you have the music. But what differentiates us from others is that when you enter you see nature all around you.”
The name Arasha itself implies all that the resort represents. It comes from the arasha fruit, a tropical fruit that is nourishing to the body and, when opened, “it has an incredible smell,” says owner Gustavo Diez.
The Arasha Spa is really a microcosm of the natural environment all around, testament to the concept developed by the management in which the services of the spa cannot be separated from its location. There is an interrelationship between the benefits of the Spa and the natural environment in which it is found.
Pallares has developed a plan that treats the entire emotional well-being of guests. “This is a plan that, to begin with, you will be in contact with nature…no television, nothing that will aggravate your body. When you arrive the first thing you will do is drink a natural juice. You will eat well-prepared meals, eat vegetables, elimate fats. It is a form of detoxification of your body, a way to clean your body,” she says.
For their Spa treatments to be truly effective Pallares emphasizes a 3-4 day stay and not to be in a rush, otherwise it negates the treatment.
Because Arasha offers so many activities and things to do, and because it is so close to Quito, many people make a quick escape for a day or two. “They arrive tired on Saturday and go to the spa where they have a treatment and are happy. They leave the next day and return to the same routine.
But for those who come for the spa she says those short weekends do not maximize the benefits. “ If you go for half an hour, eat , and then return to Quito immediately to the smog, the traffic, work, you miss the benefits of Arasha. You need to stay a while, have a long weekend.”
Pallares explains that the idea behind the spa is that treatments are integrated with the other benefits of the resort: nature walks, bird watching, and healthy food.
Arasha Resort and Spa is uniquely designed for relaxation and privacy, but also without risking boredom. Diez says, “The ambiance here and the separation between the cottages means you can come here to rest, read, go to the spa, swim.”
One of the advantages of the Arasha Spa is its location within the resort. The spa is not part of any other facility. It stands alone in the center of the resort, sending a message that this is what is most important. There is no distraction from the other activities and spaces. The swimming pool, mini-golf course, movie theater, and all else that would cause noise or otherwise distract is somewhere else. The spa is only about you and encountering the serenity it offers.
The Spa offers 22 different treatments from facials to body treatments and special packages with up to half a dozen steps that last from one and a half to two and a half hours.
The Tropical Magic package, for example, includes hydrotherapy, body exfoliation, facial mask, and a body massage. The Natural Harmony treatment also begins with hydrotherapy and exfoliation, but then has aromatic bath, followed by body massage and the proteus – an apparatus strapped to the head which helps to regulate waves emitting from the body, soothing one’s mind. Both take a couple of hours to complete.
The Arasha Spa ensures the quality of your treatments by using the highest quality essences for their massages. “We use the brand Just, which is Swiss quality,” explains Pallares. “You feel and smell the quality and you feel it in our body. We use good products that are guaranteed. This is important.” She says some of the most important essences include jasmine, orange, mint, and oil 31, of which she is very fond.
“Oil 31 is marvelous. It has a mountain of herbs, medicinal plants, aromas…all of these I buy for the emotional wellbeing and relaxation.” She also offers the same essences for sale, at wholesale prices, for guests who wish to take some home.
With almost two dozen treatments (none of which cost more than $70), it follows the philosophy of both Pallares and Diez to give guests a choice.
“The interesting thing is the power to choose,” says Pallares. “A person can choose what they want. You can choose to go to a place where you have all kind of things – to recuperate physically, mentally, in spirit…or you can choose to go to place that simply gives a massage and you leave.”
And though they can give you a massage and let you race back to Quito, the last thing you will ever want to do after an Arasha Spa treatment is get up and leave.
Arasha is located six kilometers west of Pedro Vicente Maldonado, two hours from Quito. To arrange a visit to Arasha, complete with a tailor-made series of spa treatments and relaxing activities, make a reservation today by calling the office at 244-9881 or call the resort directly at 094-504-145 or 091-982-122.
Readers of the Miami Herald International Edition will receive a 25% discount on all spa treatments from now through the end of September.
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Ciudad Quito