Early fall I get a phone call from Oana Manole: "We opened Shinzo Spa. It's something else. You must see it as soon as possible"
We tried to find a day to go together, but it didn't work out, so I went on my own to visit the spa and meet Aura, the founder.
As I rarely find parking spaces right in front of the Spa, I decided to park on the ramp on Bld. Aviatorilor, where I know there are spots to choose from - which, for me, matters a lot. I parked right next to the alley that intersects with Jean Monnet, and with my quick pace, in less than 2 minutes I was already at Shinzo Spa. When I arrived, I saw that there were seats at Shinzo Spa right in front 😊
As soon as I walked in, I saw bonsai everywhere - a small tree, which in Japanese culture signifies simplicity and, more precisely, the fact that you don't need big and complicated things to grow and evolve in a beautiful and balanced way.
At Shinzo Spa they have brought the OMOTENASHI concept inspired by Asian hospitality, which is in every detail.
And because OMOTENASHI is best represented by the Japanese tradition of the tea ceremony, Shinzo Spa also has a Tea Room, dedicated to serving tea.
That's when I understood why tea and tea-based products THEMAE that I use in all my spa treatments and rituals. But I'll tell you more about that in a moment.
Aura told me that there was a whole process in creating the OMOTENASHI concept, and choosing the name Shinzo Spa came naturally and naturally, because Shinzo means heart in Japanese culture.
He wanted Shinzo Spa to be a special place to relax but also an exotic experience in itself, with a different approach to the whole process when it comes to Asian hospitality.
In addition to using cosmetics made from premium ingredients, their staff is also of Asian origin so they can bring Far Eastern culture, the art of massage and hospitality.
At 5 therapists, 4 from Bali and 1 from Nepal who we felt had a role to guide us how to disconnect from reality and reconnect with ourselves, our bodies and our minds.
After having a cup of tea and entering the 5 treatment rooms - minimally decorated, with elements inspired by Japanese culture but each with its own identity, I went back to reception to find out more about their treatments.
for both body and skin, exfoliation rituals, body massage, skin treatments, herbal and green tea massage, sauna or jade stone massage, unique in Romania.
As I told you, they brought a special range of cosmetic and dermatocosmetic products: THEMAE.
They are made by combining French laboratory technology with Japanese ingredients and formulas with a millennia-old tradition in skin care.
THEMAE products contain ingredients from 4 types of tea, and this complex of ingredients and minerals comes with a concentration of 30% polyphenols - one of the highest concentrations known to date. Free from parabens and other chemicals, these products maximize tea's natural attributes and prevent the signs of premature aging through antioxidant properties.
With THEMAE's exclusive products, luxury spas around the world are working. You can find them in: The Westin, Singapore; Barrière Le Grand Hôtel Enghien-les-bains Sofitel, Bangkok; Kurumba, Maldives; Castelbrac Hotel & Spa - in France and here in Romania, only at Shinzo Spa.
They have scrubs made from black rice and coconut, coffee, chia seeds, coffee, shea and black orchid, goat's milk and lychee, cherry.
And in Spa Boutique you can find creams, lotions and serums enriched with an active complex of four types of tea: white, green, black and blue. The products are vegan and contain only natural ingredients.
I was left thinking about the promise Shinzo Spa makes to its clients, the scrub scents, and I couldn't wait to see what a spa ritual with these very special products would feel like. I had a really hard time choosing from the menu Oana designed, because after every description I read, my inner voice was saying, "this is what we're doing today! This is the one I want!"
After the 3rd browsing of the menu, I concluded that it's too hard for me to make a decision - so I was guided by one question:
At Aurei's urging, I even chose their signature ritual:
We did it in the SAUNA room, which also has an aromatic Finnish sauna - by pouring essential oils on the hot stones.
Although I try to take advantage whenever the spa has a sauna so that my pores open and my skin absorbs all the ingredients I need, this time, I arrived later than I had planned and didn't get to go into the sauna.
which is done before each Shinzo therapy. If you read aboutSpa.ro you already know that it's specific to Asian cultures, because it offers a soothing experience that helps you calm down and start to relax from the very first moments of the spa experience.
The warm water and foot massage has the effect of relaxing the muscles, reducing tension and fatigue, and furthermore, it stimulates the release of endorphins, leading to an improved mood and an overall feeling of well-being.
Shinzo Signature Ritual, begins with a puff of aromas: citrus and green tea, supported by woody base notes, enriched with ginseng root that practically introduces you to the scent of ritual.
Although I could have chosen any scrub, I went for the classic version of the ritual, with Themae scrub. Among the main active ingredients of Themae scrubs are:
Soleil des Thes Granita Body Scrub by Themae gently exfoliates and regenerates the skin. It has a sugary granite texture that transforms on contact with water like a veil of milk.
My skin remained velvety soft, silky and refined, and I inhaled the aroma as deeply as I could.
After a short shower, without soap so as not to ruin the effect of the ingredients, I went back to bed for Shinzo's signature massage.
It is an atypical and deep massage that combines techniques from 3 cultures: China, Malaysia, India. It was designed to eliminate fatigue and daily tensions, it is centered on energy and pays special attention to the emotion center.
To rebalance energies, the movements are precise and sustained. The therapist concentrates on the tense parts of the body, which are worked on with Chinese massage.
But besides the massage techniques and their combination, what caught my attention and I couldn't figure out what it was, was a wooden object, which is used for back muscles. And it was exactly what my back needed!
I suddenly woke up from a state of deep relaxation I had entered, precisely because I realized that something was happening that I had never experienced before.
I felt something round, like a bowl on one of my soles, an object with which he massaged me. I realized I had been in a meditative state and wondered how long I had been like this. Then I wanted to ask Dwiency, the therapist, what she does, what she massages with, but it was beyond me. So I decided to simply enjoy this unique moment, which I have never experienced before, and ask at the end about the bowl and how I got into the state of vaguely conscious sleep.
The Kansu bowl is made of an alloy of 5 metals. Each component of the bowl alloy acts differently on the body. Because it is applied to the reflex points of the feet, the Kansu bowl activates the proper circulation of vital energy throughout the body, alleviates nervousness, anxiety and calms anger.
Kansu Bowl foot massage maneuvers are done with an Indian-inspired technique. It rebalances energies and eliminates fatigue in body and mind.
Later I realized that this treatment brings all clients, not only me 😊, a state of passive meditation - the brain rhythm of the alpha wave - in which the psyche relaxes and the body goes into recovery mode.
The facial begins with a gentle cleansing, a scrub that combines the effectiveness of floral acids with fine micronizing, bamboo and cherry powder, followed by a brightening/anti-polishing mask.
Finally, she also gave me a relaxing arm massage with ultra-top moisturizing balm, which was a wonderful moment that I thoroughly enjoyed. My skin was left bright, radiant and moisturized.
Although I was in a hurry to pick Edi up from school, I couldn't get away from Shinzo, feeling like I still needed to stay. Truth be told, tea would have been just the thing. I drank it on my first visit, Dwiency suggested I stay for the full experience and I'm terribly sorry I didn't make it. But even without the tea at the end, I left enveloped in a tranquillity and a state of relaxation that is hard to describe in words.
Thank you Ionela, receptionist Shinzo Spa, who helped me with filming, photos and lots of valuable information!
Founder despreSpa.ro
