 At the Chocolate Spa, Dharmawangsa Hotel in Jakarta, chocolate is not just
a treat to eat but an innovative spa treatment, writes HARRIS GAFFIN.
An attractive young woman strolls into the spa at the five star Dharmawangsa
Hotel, in Jakarta. She is a well-to-do lady and has been to spas all over Asia.
She is here because there is one treatment she has never had and it can only be
found here, at the exclusive club on the other side of the pool.
This time, she will be covered from head to toe in the stuff that sends women
into raptures – chocolate.
This is neither a chocolate sauce treatment nor is it to be confused with
chocolate bars. Chocolate, after all, comes from a plant. The seeds are dried,
roasted and ground into a fine powder before they are mixed with cocoa butter.
Apparently, chocolate has restorative properties and improves the texture and
tone of the skin.
The chocolate massage is good for both skin and muscles.
There are about 400 varieties and uses of
the cocoa bean and the quality and texture varies considerably. Fine gourmet
chocolate is the most refined and has the most intense flavour. Cocoa added to
milk, ice cream, candy bars or used for baking each has a different composition.
Now at the Dharmawangsa, they are chocolate crazy. Guests can order a
chocolate martini at the bar. And there is a wide range of chocolate desserts at
the different restaurants.
The lady checks in at the spa and is ushered into the changing room where she
disrobes. She heads for the hot steam sauna where heat will open her pores so
the chocolate scrub will work better.
While she is warming up, the masseuse is heating up the chocolate. These are
rough granules with an almost sand-like texture. The ground cocoa beans are then
mixed with oil. There is Rosewood-Mandarin for rejuvenation,
Grapefruit-Clarysage for healing and Sandalwood-Ylang ylang for relaxing.
 The client’s body is prepared in the following way. First, her lips are
protected and softened up with balm. This adds moisture to dry skin.
Next a white cream is applied generously over the entire body. This is the
same cream used for massage and prevents chafing when strong hands are rubbed
against soft skin. While the cream is medical in nature, it really looks like
delicious whipped cream, especially now that the chocolate powder has been
heated up and its aroma begins to fill the room.
The masseuse next scoops out some chocolate and proceeds to smear it on the
client’s back. She rubs it into the skin and this acts as a gentle and sensual
scrub. But to the observer, it looks surprisingly like chocolate frosting being
spread onto a cake.
Once the body is covered, the massage begins. Not only is the body scrubbed,
dry skin is simply rubbed away with the natural vitamins inherent in the
chocolate.
Muscles are also kneaded until they feel like they are turning into butter.
The guest at this time is usually in a dreamlike state wondering why life can’t
be like this all the time. Her senses have been heightened, yet at the same
time, she is encouraged to relax under the expert hands working on her back,
down her legs and her feet.
The lady is scrubbed a second time, this time with a finer chocolate mixture.
The entire process takes two hours and then it is time to wash it all off. The
guest at this point looks like she has taken a mud bath. One big difference is
the room smells like chocolate. It is decadent!
The lady is handed a robe and taken to the Jacuzzi where a special mix of
chocolate soap and skin conditioner has been prepared and poured into the
swirling hot water. When every trace of chocolate is removed, the lady exits the
Jacuzzi and perhaps finishes off with a cool shower to close her pores and get
her ready once again for the world outside.
The lip balm that is applied before the treatment starts.
Her next stop will probably be to find
some chocolate to eat.
The journey from South America to the Dharmawangsa Hotel is a centuries-old
story. The cocoa bean is native to Central and South America. It was first
brought to Europe via Spain by Hernando Cortez in the 1500s. Jewish artisans
then developed the bean into chocolate where it became a local specialty enjoyed
by Spanish royalty.
During the Spanish Inquisition of 1492, Jewish immigrants fled Spain with
their lives, and their knowledge of making chocolate. First, they went to
Portugal and a century or two later, found their way to France, particularly
Bayonne-St Esprit where they were forced to live in a ghetto across the river
from the city.
The leaders of Bayonne high society considered chocolate-making a lowly craft
so chocolate was barred. However, the region’s reputation reached chocolate
connoisseurs across the continent. After the French Revolution in 1789, full
citizenship was granted to people of all religions. Chocolate officially became
an accepted part of city life.
Today, Bayonne is still renowned for its chocolate. There is an Academie du
Chocolat de Bayonne. And the city boasts a number of world-ranked chocolatiers.
Now, virtually every city in the world offers a wide selection of chocolate
products.
Chocolate is grown in many tropical locations, particularly in Africa. The
uses of chocolate, it is apparent is limited only by one’s imagination. And at
the Dharmawangsa Hotel, they have found yet another use for it. Dharmawangsa Hotel
Jl. Brawijaya Raya 26
62-21-725-8181
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