First we had the Mad Cow Disease. Then we had Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. Now, we even have toxic Melamine in our milk. Wave after wave of food and health scare! When will it be safe to trust our food, water and air ever again?

Even without these major health scare, we still have to struggle with daily health and food inadequacies – there are pesticide in our vegetable, micro-organism in our water, altered DNA in our poultry and polluted environment of our fishes – as farmers and businesses seek to maximise their profit dollars from our daily food supply!

That’s why modern scientific health experts chant the same mantra:

1. Eat lightly, eat widely
2. Exercise regularly
3. Get plenty of fresh air

In addition to scientific health experts, those of us who believes in alternative health will want to add:

1. Detoxify regularly
2. Meditate
3. Avoid or eat less meat

I personally believe in detoxification and practise it as much as I can. If you too believe in detoxification but do not know where to begin, whom to trust or how to go about, let me recommend this excellent body detox website by Dr Janet Starr Hull.

Dr Hull website is full of articles and research materials on scientific detoxification. Just reading from her website will put you in a good stead on how and why you should go about detoxing your body. Her website is chockablock of diet guides, detox books, vitamin and supplement information.

You can even order a personal hair analysis toxin test and a personal detoxification kit via her website. This is what she says of the detoxification kit:

The Detox Kit teaches you how to remove toxins using your body’s water, urine, fecal waste, skin and blood. The Detox Program is natural, and can be used for your lifetime as a “maintenance program” or if future health concerns develop. The Detoxification Program is safe for all ages and health conditions because it is a natural process using the simple nutrition techniques and information in Dr. Hull’s 10-Step Detoxification Program.

Dr. Hull is not just a nutritionist. She’s also a geologist and international geographer, a licensed Environmental Hazardous Waste Specialist and Toxicologist, a former fire fighter and college professor. She had a change in career after she “cured” herself from an “incurable” thyroid disease, Grave’s Disease in 1991. She was told she would die if she didn’t agree to drastic and expensive medical procedures; yet, her doctors didn’t know what caused her “fatal” thyroid disorder, or why she was suddenly deathly ill, or how to cure her disease. They only knew how to suppress her symptoms – destroy her thyroid with radiation – and keep her alive using medications for the rest of her lifetime.

She applied her environmental skills to help find the “cause” of her disease instead of having her thyroid destroyed. She discovered the cause of her illness – aspartame. She removed aspartame from her life and was healed within thirty days. She has been perfectly healthy ever since. No surgery, no medications, and NO aspartame!

The personal detoxification kit includes a DVD, a audio CD, a guidebook, pH test strips, diet and eating charts, suggested detox schedules and even a toxin guide. If you are serious about personal detoxification for better health, you should seriously consider this kit.

You can check out the detoxification kit at Dr Janet Starr Hull website.

Even if you have not reach a serious consideration about personal detox, you should still visit her website for generic health and toxin information. With today’s food and health crises coming one after another, you never know when you need a handy detox and diet guide in quick time!

Fri, Oct 10, 2008
The Straits Times

THE Spa Association Singapore has said that banning fish-spa treatments is the way to go.

Responding to a query from The Straits Times on such a ban in Texas and Washington state, the association said it did not encourage its members here to provide the service for safety and hygiene reasons.

The association, an umbrella body representing 75 spa or related business outlets, said that as far as it knew, none of its members offered fish-spa services.

An industry insider reckons that at least 20 shops here do so, the more well-known names being Kenko Reflexology & Fish Spa and Qian Hu Fish Farm.

Business operators said they were unaware of licensing requirements binding the business of using fish to nibble away dead skin.

They said, however, that they use filtration systems and ultraviolet light to kill bacteria in the water; they also said they check that their customers are clear of wounds.

The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore confirmed that it did not have regulations on fish being used this way, and that its priority was to ensure that they were unharmed.

At least two complaints have emerged this year against fish spas – the Consumers Association of Singapore received one, and The New Paper ran a report on two sisters who caught fungal infections from a fish spa.

Some operators said they believed the complaints came about because of black sheep in the industry who are in the business due to low entry requirements.

(I had earlier commented that Fish spas, which is increasing in popularity, may not be as healthy as it seems. To read more about fish spas and my observations, please click fish spa article here. )

Fri, Oct 10, 2008
The Straits Times

DALLAS: Letting live fish give people pedicures could transmit infections, say the authorities in Washington and Texas, and the spa treatment is now banned in the two American states.

The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation announced on Wednesday that fish pedicures – in which customers pay to have tiny fish nibble dead skin off their feet – are no longer permitted in the state, the Dallas Morning News reported.

The regulatory authorities in Washington state imposed a similar ban last week, said Seattle Times.

Ms Christine Anthony, spokesman for the Washington Department of Licensing, said it was impossible to sanitise live fish.

‘You can clean the tank, you can clean the water, but there’s no guarantee that the fish aren’t carrying something from the previous customer,’ she was quoted as saying by Seattle Times.

Officials also said the foot baths and holding tanks, because they are home to live fish, cannot always be properly cleaned and disinfected.

However, they said there had been no cases of anyone falling sick from a fish pedicure.

‘We are erring on the side of safety,’ said Ms Susan Stanford of the Texas licensing department.

This particular pedicure is a new entrant in American spas. It first gained attention after a Virginia-based spa told the media this summer about the benefits of using the fish instead of razors to slough away scales and calluses, the news reports said. Heavy media coverage followed.

The owner of Peridot Nail Salon, the only salon in Washington known to be offering the treatment, told Seattle Times she was ‘shocked and surprised and disappointed’ by the ban.

Ms Tweety Bui said the salon started offering the pedicures only last month, charging US$30 (S$44) for 15 minutes. The phone had been ‘ringing off the hook’ with calls for appointments, she said, with about 20 sessions booked for last weekend alone.

‘I’m booked two months out,’ Ms Bui told Seattle Times. Her staff have been calling clients to cancel the appointments. ‘I am so overwhelmed with all this that it’s not even funny.’

At the Zen Luxury Nail & Beauty Bar in North Texas, co-owner Kate Caldwell told Dallas Morning News she shut down her fish tanks after being informed of the ban by the state authorities. The shop had bought 500 guppy-like fish for US$2,500.

‘I am pretty disappointed,’ Ms Caldwell said.

She claimed that her salon had a rigorous safety protocol to avoid putting customers at risk. After each pedicure, she said, the foot basins are emptied and cleaned with a disinfectant. During that cleaning, she said, the fish are transferred to a ‘hospital tank’, where they are treated with an anti-microbial agent and isolated for at least a day.

Both spa owners said they would probably keep the fish as pets for now.

‘We have fish food,’ said Ms Bui.

Fri, Oct 10, 2008
The New Paper
Singapore

WHAT was supposed to be an hour of relaxation ended in tears, a bitter dispute and a police report.

Nora, 31, claimed that a masseur molested her during an hour-long afternoon full-body massage on 9 Sep 08. The housewife and mother of two young children asked that her real name not be used to avoid any stigma.

But the manager of the Chinatown massage place, Madam Jean Chia, 42, denied any wrongdoing on the masseur’s part.

She said she called the police after Nora asked for $2,000 as compensation. A police spokesman confirmed that Madam Chia called the police and investigations are ongoing. The masseur was not arrested and is assisting with investigations.

Read the full newspaper article here.

As a regular spa and massage goer, I have come to realise that there are times when one should not visit a spa or have a massage. As much as we enjoy going to a spa or massage, doing so at the wrong time will certainly make your spa/massage session less comfortable and may sometimes even lead to discomfort or even fatality. Be warned!

After a full meal
You should never go for a spa or massage on a full stomach after a heavy meal. You will feel extreme discomfort especially if lying on your stomach or if the masseur is pressing on your stomach or abdomen area. In addition, some people are known to feel nauseous on a full stomach if using the sauna or steam room.

It is generally advised that you should only go for a spa or have a massage about 2 hours after a meal. If you are hungry, then you should only have water or light finger food an hour before. However, you should drink water generously before and after a steam/sauna session and after a massage but never food.

Sick or unwell
Never ever go for a spa or massage if you are unwell with illnesses such as a fever, cold or cough. You are only exposing other people to your germs in a tight spa or massage space and a massage or spa is unlikely to make you feel any better. The hot and stuffy air in a sauna or steam room will cause you to feel even worse. Instead, adequate rest at home, plenty of liquid and medication will make you better.

After intensive exercises
Some people like to visit a spa or have a massage session immediately after intensive exercises such as tennis, squash, gym or kick-boxing. I certainly do not encourage having a massage session immediately after intensive exercises as your muscles tend to have tightened up and will not respond well to massage strokes.

Your muscles will be tight and relaxing massage strokes such as aromatherapy will not be effective on overly tight muscles. Hard massage such as Chinese Tui Na or Thai massage may even add pain to tight muscles and cause your muscles to become even tighter.

It is advised that you rest for at least half a day or soak yourself in a hot tub for a couple of hours after intensive exercises before going for a massage.

Menstrual period
This is quiet obvious for the ladies. It is not only uncomfortable but extremely unhygienic for yourself and others. A definite no-no.

New Spas/Under repair/Old spas
Try not to visit a brand new spa or if you know that a spa is undergoing or had just undergone repair or renovation work. There had been occasions in the past when a spa goer had died when the steam room he was in had the wrong gas pumped in just after repair works and another occasion when another man had drowned when the large but old jacuzzi pool he was in malfunctioned and he was sucked and stuck onto the suction hole at the bottom of the jacuzzi.

You can’t imagine there can be fatalities in a spa but it has actually happen before! Do resist the temptation and be sure to let new or recently repaired spas run a few days before visiting one.

The best time for a spa vacation in Asia is anytime! Who can resist the sun, sea, beach and massage lure of Asia’s spa and beach resorts at any time of the year? But seriously, is there a best time to visit Asia’s spa resorts?

Well, it all depends on what is your definition of ‘best time’? Is it your most convenient time? Is it when the weather is the best? Is it when there are least tourists and people? Is it when air and accommodation prices are lowest? What exactly is your definition?

My personal definition of best time is – low tourist season – because it means hotel and airfare rates tend to be the lowest and there are lesser people jostling with you for the beach, pool, dining table or even massage room! I’ll take a chance with weather – because being in Asia – it means that there can be many days of bright sunlight even during thunderstorm and monsoon seasons!

Thailand
The top spa resort destination in Asia is Thailand and the super peak tourist season for Thailand is November to February every year. You get reasonably good weather during this period and Thailand will be flooded with Europeans, especially Northern European, who flocked to Thailand to escape the cold winter. Flights and hotel fares for this period will be very expensive and spa resorts in Phuket, Ko Samui, Krabi, Bangkok and even Chiangmai or Chiangrai will be flooded with tourists of all colors and shapes!

The best weather to visit Thailand is between March to June as this tend to be the sunniest period and will also rain the least. Many spa and hotel resorts will define this as the normal period and charges will be reasonable.

My favorite time to visit Thailand is between July to October as many hotel and spa resorts slash prices to fill their rooms. This is considered the low tourist period for Thailand as Europeans stay away as it is summer anyway at home and also weather in Thailand can be finicky during this period – alternating between rain and sun.

You can possibly get steep discount even at exclusive spa resorts such as Banyan Tree, Six Senses and Marriot during this period. You may pay as low as US$250 a night for one of these exclusive hotel and spa resorts when they normally sell their rooms or villas at US$600 or more during normal and peak seasons. In addition, air tickets also tend to be the lowest during this period of time.

Indonesia
The other popular spa and beach resort destination in Asia is Indonesia; especially in places such as Bali, Lombok and Bintan. Peak tourist season for these places are December to January (for obvious reasons) and May to September. May to September is popular because the weather is the best, the best surf is up during this period and Australians, which forms a large portion of Indonesian tourists, will want to escape the cold in Australia.

Anytime other than these periods are considered normal period and some hotels and villas will adjust their prices accordingly to attract customers. The normal periods are also a good time if you are there for relaxation, romance or get-away-from-all purposes as shops, beaches, tourist spots and even the spas will also be less crowded. Some premium hotel or spa resorts may not lower prices but will offer certain enticements and promotions such as a discounted spa packages, long-stay discounts or airport pick-ups that are normally not available during peak seasons.

You can try your luck with discounts and special rates by calling or emailing the hotels directly. Some of them will be willing to offer good deals during low season if you try talking to the reservation office directly.

Taiwan/Japan
Taiwan and Japan boast some really nice and scenic natural hot spring spas along mountain ranges, the beach or rivers. Many of these are small boutique spas but there are some swanky, larger ones as well. One reason that these countries’ beautiful and natural hot spring spa resorts are not that popular with international tourists as yet is that many of these spa resorts are away from popular tourists routes and finding these spas tend to be a problem for tourists not familiar with the local language and geography.

Taiwan and Japan are popular with tourists all over the world during the summer months of May to October. This is the period when accommodation prices goes up and many popular tourists spots are packed with people. December to February are also peak periods for both year end holidays as well as Chinese New Year, which falls on January or February. One must never make the mistake of traveling during Chinese New Year as all transportation and accommodation will become scarce, expensive and packed.

To me, the window period between November and December and February to March are the best because there are lesser tourists during this period and accommodation is easier to arrange. Another reason why I like to travel during this period is that Taiwan and Japan has many open air hotspring spa resorts and in my opinion, natural, open air hot spring spas are best enjoyed during the slightly colder months and not during hot, stuffy summer months.

Singapore/Malaysia
Strictly speaking, I should not be putting Singapore and Malaysia under the category of spa resort destinations because these two countries had never had a tradition of spa and massage culture. However, things are changing and many of the world’s and local spa and massage resorts are starting to make a name in these two countries.

Singapore and Malaysia are popular with tourists and business travelers all year round and accommodation prices tend not to range too much between peak and non-peak period. The traditional peak periods tend to be December to February and May to July as these are school holiday periods and Singapore and Malaysia parents tend to flock to each other country’s spa and hotel resorts during these periods. Avoid a spa holiday at all costs during these periods if you do not want your holiday destroyed by screaming children and fussing parents.

Malaysia’s hotels rates has traditionally been one of the lowest in Asia because it is not over-run as yet by tourists although tourists from Middle-East are coming in greater numbers as Malaysia is seen as a safe tourist country with a similar Muslim culture. The most popular spa resorts are in the island of Penang, Langkawi and KL city. Try visiting during the non-peak seasons and you’ll be surprised by the low rates you can get compared to other Asia countries.

Singapore hotel fares had always been reasonable for many years considering that this is a very modern and well-run city. However, hotel fares has shot up very highly in the last two years and unless you are visiting Singapore for other reasons, I will not recommend flying in just to check out Singapore’s spa resorts. You are better off getting better spa value and service in the other countries.

Well, now you know what are the best timing and weather to visit Asia’s top spa resorts. Hope this has been useful and you’ll now know how to plan your spa holidays in Asia accordingly!

I practise Yoga regularly. Yoga music adds a soothing and calming effect when you are doing your Yoga postures and I like it so much that I even play Yoga music when driving or when trying to sleep at night.

Yoga music is also suitable when you’re having a spa session or when you’re self-meditating. Here’s a sample of a Yoga music. Play it. Even if you’re not a Yoga enthusiast, I am sure you’ll agree that it adds a soothing effect on the mind and body.

In case you need a gentle reminder, take note that Mother’s Day will fall on 11th, Sunday 2008 this year.

If you work or live near a shopping mall, then it’s time to make a trip to pick up a gift for mother. Ideal Mother’s Day gift can include flowers, jewelery, cooking or baking ware, dresses, cosmetics, chocolates, bags, perfumes or even shopping vouchers.

For mothers who have had almost everything or if you decide to pamper Mother this year, why not get a spa or massage package for your mom? In fact, spa and massage packages has increasingly become a popular Mother’s day or Birthday gift for moms. For working moms, it’s the ultimate ideal gift for it gives mom a chance to pamper herself knowing she must have worked very hard; having to work and take care of the family at the same time.

If you know that your Mom will be free on Mother’s Day, you can easily call up your favourite spa and book a spa pacakge for her. Ideally, you should include a facial, scrub and massage if you can afford, so that Mom can really get the ultimate pampering experience! Be sure to book early as slots availability run fast on important days such as Mother’s Day for all spas, big or small.

If you can, pick up your Mom and send her to the spa yourself. Then, have a long lunch or dinner with her after her spa session and I’m sure Mom will remember this year’s Mother’s Day experience for a long, long time!

If you are unsure whether your Mom will be free on Mother’s Day, you can always give her a spa package gift voucher. Almost all spas will sell you a gift voucher so that you can pay for the spa package and give your mom the voucher which she can arrange a spa appointment directly with the spa at a later date. Be sure that the spa will honour the voucher for at least another 3 to 6 months when buying such a voucher from the spa.

If you know that your mom has never experienced a spa or massage previously, try to accompany her to the spa yourself. At the spa, let the massage therapist know that your mom has never visited a spa previously so that the therapist will make it a point to guide your mom and to let her feel at ease at all time.

If you have decided to pamper your mom to a spa session, then do hurry up! There’s less than a week to go before Mother’s Day!

Chinese New Year is celebrated on 7 and 8 February 2008 by Chinese all over the world. CNY is the most important festival in the Chinese calendar and Chinese families all over the world will celebrate by making efforts to sit down together for a Reunion Dinner on CNY eve as much as the Western world make an effort for a homecoming dinner on Christmas Day.

Most shops, restaurants and certainly spas will be closed on the first 3 days of CNY which can be celebrated for as long as 15 days amongst the most traditional of Chinese. We wish all our Chinese friends a Happy Chinese New Year or ‘Gong Xi Fa Cai’ and may our Western friends join in the Chinese New Year festivities as much as the Chinese do.

For more information about the tradition and culture of Chinese New Year, please visit this Chinese culture website. In the meantime, enjoy this amazing Chinese Lion Dance show performed by one of the world’s Champion Lion Dance troupe held in a recent competition in Genting Highlands, Malaysia.

Once in a while, you come across things that simply take your breath away. It could be a scene from a movie, a piece of rousing music, a child’s painting, a nicely-setup food presentation or a funny busker on the road.

This fully illustrated book on how the different body muscles and skeletal work with various Yoga postures simply took my breath away! I have never seen anything so real, so lifelike and so representative of the art of Yoga.

It is simply one of those books that you must have on your coffee table even if you only flip through it once a month. Check it out and I’m sure you will be just as amazed too! And what better gift to give to anyone that is a Yoga enthusiast than this amazing book!

And for any Yoga teachers or masters out there, I will never understand if this book is not in your personal reference list all the time! Check out the amazing illustrations here…