The Pre-Spa Treatment You Never Knew You Needed
What: Campur-Campur
Where: Spa Village at Pangkor Laut Resort
The experience: Every treatment at Pangkor Laut Resort’s Spa Village begins with the unique bath ritual, a multi-step pre-treatment that draws from bathing traditions around Asia.
It starts with a Chinese foot bath and pounding, followed by a traditional Malay ‘circulating’ bath, a thorough Japanese-style ‘goshi-goshi’ cleansing, and a quick dip in the heated Rotenburo rock pool. You’re then given a gently exfoliating wash with the spa’s signature Shanghai scrub while sipping a calming tea in the tranquil surroundings of the library.
Only now does the treatment itself begin, so make sure you arrive at least 45 minutes before your appointment time to fully immerse yourself in the bath ritual experience.
For our treatment we chose the signature Campur-Campur experience (US$165) from the à la carte menu, just because we’d rather get to the main event than faff about with all the side shows. Be mindful that this treatment uses a traditional steam pouch, which means it isn’t suitable for pregnant women or anyone with a heart condition or heat sensitivity.
Campur-Campur means a blending of varieties in Malay, and in this case that refers to a combination of Malay and Thai massage techniques. The long, kneading, Malay-style strokes really focus on the muscles, while the stretching and bending movements of the Thai technique had us melting away.
Afterwards, the delicious-smelling steam pouch filled with lemongrass, pandan leaves and herbs is pressed along the body to alleviate muscle aches and boost energy flow. Just as we dozed off, the 105-minute massage ended with a rattan tapping qi gong, which is said to stimulate blood circulation and free deep stagnation in the bones and muscle tissue. That night we slept like a baby, and it’s no wonder why.
Pangkor Laut Resort, Pangkor Laut Island, Lumut Perak, Malaysia. Tel +60 5 699 1100
This article first appeared in the April 2018 issue of UNRESERVED.
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