Food for the soul at a spa with seasonal treatments in the Caribbean

Jennifer Carr

USP Hailed as the Caribbean’s only "seasonally specific spa" - all therapies are served up on a strictly seasonal, locally sourced basis, guaranteeing a vitamin-enriched experience that’s eco-friendly to boot. Key to Lapli’s philosophy (meaning "rain blessing" in Patois), are the indigenous "ingredients" grown in the spa’s Zen garden, with flora and fauna incorporated into treatments to help alleviate arthritis, impotency, poor circulation and even low libido’s.

AMBIENCE Tropical tranquillity mingled with indigenous treatments and five-star touches, including open-air monsoon showers, couples cabanas, infinity pool, lagoon pool and bayside Japanese Ofuru wooden hot tubs. On entry, the spa’s chic granite finish, Philippe Starck ghost chairs and Bose surround-sound impress, but it’s the therapists and their pride in the local delicacies that leave a lasting impression. Spiky, spongy stems of fresh aloe vera sit alongside delicate bowls of freshly grated ginger, pulpy papaya and patchouli leaves; the latter of which are crushed into a tea and offered to guests as an effective stomach soother. Treatments are conducted overlooking the bay, some from private rooms boasting outdoor copper showers, others from a simple cabana or tree house in the spa garden.

EXPERIENCE I can’t help thinking there’s something kinky about smearing food on your body. Food equals fuel in my mind and serves as a social device through which we quell hunger and chew the proverbial fat. But not so in the spa world, which has graduated in recent years from tired aroma massages and algae wraps to boast a smorgasbord of food-inspired therapies designed to feed the skin and satiate the soul simultaneously.

So what’s on the menu? For starters, I am scrubbed down with virgin olive oil, ginger and sea salts, before an aloe vera and lime "aperitif" is slathered across limbs to quench skin and ease stiff joints. Wrapped in a banana leaf to “seal moisture and boost circulation”, my scalp is doused in more of the gloopy liquid - a St Lucian remedy to dandruff and split ends I discover. Next up is a seasonal fruit facial, customised according to your skin type and featuring a variety of enzyme-rich fruits plucked from the forest floor that morning. A concoction of banana, honey, yoghurt and pineapple is mashed up like baby food and worked into skin using strong, circular movements; a wake-up call for the face and one that left pores cleansed and skin singing. ‘Pudding’ consisted of a guilt-free Cocoa Immersion, featuring 100% cocoa solids sourced from a plantation down the road. Packed with anti-oxidants, a raw almond scrub was applied for a buffing ‘it tingles so it must be good me’ effect, followed by a more pleasurable mousse massage that left me looking and smelling like a Lion Bar, but scoring big in the satisfaction stakes.

Now, while I still don’t buy into any "food-as-therapy" miracle cure, I do know this. The knowledge, passion and appreciation for the ingredients used in Lapli’s Spa makes the connection between beauty, well being and Mother Nature all the more interesting. Maybe that’s what they mean by a "holistic" experience. Either way, my fetish-phobia has been replaced with a healthy appetite to return, if only to find out what’s on the menu next time.

IN CROWD Honeymooners, professional yachtsmen and affluent couples looking to rejuvenate in style.

FOOD Seasonal fusion dishes - or a backscrub on a plate - can be enjoyed at the colonial-style Boudreau restaurant, and there are plans to launch a light Bento Box option for spa slimmers.

WALLET WATCH Jennifer’s treatments ranged from £30 for an Almond and Cocoa Polish to £50 for an Aloe Vera Wrap. Premium Economy Flights with Virgin Atlantic start from £1094 including taxes from Gatwick to Hewanorra International Airport. Week long packages in June start at £685 for two people including breakfast and a resort view room facing onto Marigot Bay.

NEED TO KNOW Discovery at Marigot Bay, PO Box MG 7227, Marigot, St Lucia (001 758 458 5300; www.discoverystlucia.com)

Source Timesonline.co.uk