So good you forget where you are...

EARLY this month we visited Singapore’s newest luxury spa, Willow Stream at Fairmont Hotel, and tried a massage and spa treatment that sounds very organic to the Lion City: “Singapore Perfection”. In a country known for its strict adherence to rules, regulations, and following everything to the dot, a spa treatment that proudly calls itself “Singapore Perfection” is almost a tautology — a needless repetition of an obvious fact.

That said, you shouldn’t expect anything less than perfection from this 60-minute body treatment — a carryover from the former Raffles Amrita Spa that used to call it Nirvana — designed to heal as well as pamper.

It starts with a dry brush massage — the bristles are made of natural horsehair — where the therapist executes light but precise circular strokes in different body areas. This stimulates the flow of lymph in your system. It’s the equivalent of sweeping dust off the floor, but in this case, the dry brushing gets rid of toxins trapped in your body. Dry brushing is also believed to break down cellulite deposits and promote blood circulation, which in turn improves oxygenation of the tissues, organs and cells.

Plunge into the cold pool after your sauna.

After this sublime treat, the therapist covers your body with a deep-cleansing mask treatment made of neem, carrot root, aloe leaf juice and sesame seed oil. Following the principles of Ayurvedic treatment, each ingredient is used in its raw and purest form.

Singapore is famously called “the airconditioned nation” and, sadly, spas are not spared from unhealthy sub-zero temperature; which somehow defeats the purpose of getting a massage. You ask a therapist to take the wind out of your body, and the moment that’s done, you again expose yourself to wind and unnatural cold.

Perhaps with that in mind, the “Singapore Perfection” involves lying down on an electrically heated blanket during your entire session. After the mask treatment is applied on your body, you are wrapped up in plastic and then covered in another layer of blanket. You sweat toxins and meditate on the virtues of getting pampered. You reach Nirvana perfection.
	Hang out at the meditative lounge.

Willow Stream Spa, which originated in North America, has created experiences that reflect the needs of Singapore visitors and locals alike and epitomizes its dedication to creating authentic and energizing treatments suited to its host country.

High Heals, for example, is a 90-minute massage and spa treatment that includes a foot, head, neck and shoulder massage with a pedicure thrown in.

Shoppers Relief, found under the spa’s Customized Massage Experiences, is a 90-minute massage “designed for the power shopper who needs a special treat at the end of a busy day hitting the streets. The body is annointed with aromatic oils that are massaged into the skin.” It is deeply revitalizing and relaxing; at the same time, it is gently cleansing and detoxifying.

But as anyone knows, a spa is not just about its menu of services. It is also about facilities and ambiance, and Willow Stream Spa has the best of them. The wet area is clean and generous — a forever-bubbling jacuzzi, a cold plunge pool, spacious steam and sauna rooms, and spa-worthy toiletries. The spa also has meditative lounges where you can hang out before or after a massage, while sipping a demitasse of ginger tea or biting into a green apple.

Willow Stream has been so perfectly designed for the harried Singapore guest that you'll end up forgetting where you are.

Willow Stream Spa at Fairmont Singapore (80 Bras Basah Road, Singapore, 189560; tel. no. 65-6431 5600) is open from 7am to 10pm.