A personal touch at the Andaz spa

AO Spa is the in-house spa at the new Andaz Tokyo hotel located in Toranomon Hills. Andaz means “personal style” in Hindi, and it lives up to its name. As you walk out of the elevator, you see a spacious chic atmosphere and young, stylish and good-looking receptionists called “hosts” who are multi-taskers dedicated to bell, desk, as well as concierge.

The hotel’s Spa and Fitness facilities are situated on the 37th floor, overlooking the Imperial Palace and business district. The spa consists of treatment, fitness, and relaxation areas. The water area covers half the spa space. The 20-meter pool and gym are free of charge for hotel guests. The spa guests can make use of the locker room, but they must pay 10,000 yen to utilize the pool and gym. It is designed by Shinichiro Ogata, a Japanese designer and restaurateur, who is famous for his simple style of architecture and wagashi (Japanese sweets) store. There is a unique carbonated bath and floating jet bath. It’s a therapeutic bath, in which the CO2 creates micro-bubbles which is said to help treat health conditions such as high blood pressure and heart disease. Jets from the bottom of the bath generate a floating sensation. It relaxes muscles and improves blood circulation.

First, you are invited to sit at an apothecary blend bar. It almost looks like a counter for witchcraft, but of course, much more elegant. The consultant explains that the spa is known for its “Jiyujizai” treatment. “Jiyujizai” means “perfect freedom and complete control” in Japanese. You can tailor your own spa experience with customized products and services. The elements lined up on the center table are all seasonal and local. You can select your exact preference according to your inherent needs. Their moto being, “Connect with us and create a treatment customized for you, by you”, most customers are delighted with the mentality of individual preference made exclusively for each guests.

Next, she gave me a unique questionnaire to fill out prior to consultation with the therapist. The questions begin with, “What is your favorite season?” Then, “What is your favorite place?” It also asks your preferable music style and it ends by asking you what you like to do. I wasn’t quite sure of the relevance of that question for the treatment, and if it helped my therapist in any way, but I wrote I like to laugh. I was given an original blend of “amazake” (non-alcoholic sweet sake) and green tea during the counseling.

The consultant then asked me to choose an herb to add to the salt for foot scrub, which comes at the beginning of the session. There were several herbs lined up in the middle of the table, from dry rosemary to fresh mint. The mints are harvested at the hotel and also dried. As I decided to go with the fresh mint, she picked a couple of leaves and threw them in the blending bowl. She then added body salt and started to grind. Suddenly, I smelt the mint cascade across the reception desk.

All the elements are seasonal and local. These days, guests are concerned about where the components are harvested. Some people are nervous about allergic reaction resulting from cosmetics in the market. The elements here are all natural and they do not use any additives. The dried fruits are from the previous season. They dry them at the hotel with no added preservatives. The fresh fruits are in season. The consultant explains that blending the fresh fruits will make you energized and dried fruits, herbs, and spices can make you rejuvenated. At the time I visited, they had fresh persimmons representing autumn, and dried grapefruit conserved from summer.

I was also asked to select a body oil from four different scents of the season. I chose summer, with a hint of lavender and sage. The massage style is chosen from either restore, which heightens the circulation of blood flow, or detox, as a means of purification.

You can select two or more treatments from the list of BODY and SKIN. For BODY: exfoliate, wrap, massage, foot massage and scalp massage. And for SKIN, you can choose either facial or neck and décolleté. The receptionist explained that if I wanted to fully take advantage of the ingredients, scrubbing and wrap would be best.

I was then introduced to the therapist who confirmed my liking while going through my survey. She didn’t quite explain whether I could choose the elements for body treatment so I went ahead and asked if I could experience the tailor made one. I wanted to moisturize my skin, and release muscle tension. She proposed banana which is good for moisturizing. “A banana?” She reached out for the dried bananas in a jar and picked a few as she carried the blender bowl. She started grinding the dried banana but it didn’t do much and so she added salt, and then some oil. The dried banana was impossible to grind, but she told me she can tear it and use it for my treatment.

The spa has five treatment suites, with private shower and restroom in each room. One of the suites is suggested for couples, highlighting a deep soaking bath. Most of the rooms have an individual terrace where you can go outside to enjoy the tea and sweets given at the end of the treatment. You would want to stay as long as you can.

My therapist guided me to my room. I was astonished by the view. The room was bigger than I imagined and filled with light. The glass door to the balcony was opened so I stepped outside on the small terrace to catch the infinity view.

The bed is so comfortable. The head rest is Kashwere® soft towel and the cotton bed sheets are also Kashwere®. I was surprised that the brand also made cotton linen sheets. They were so comfortable. I personally own their pillowcase, so it made me feel like home and I sank into the bed.

The therapist worked on my back first with the originally blended salt. She thoroughly massaged the back of my legs and, waist, back, and shoulders. Next, I lay face up so she could work on my legs again, my stomach, arms and décolleté. Your whole body gets covered in salt, so you are asked to take a shower at this point. The therapist leaves the room as you wash the salt off. Once the salt is off, I felt how smooth my skin was. It was as if I got rid of all the epidermis even though her pressure was soft.

She came back in as soon as I wrapped myself in the extremely soft linen on the bed again. It was time for the oil massage. The lavender scent engulfed the room and the relaxing music made for a complete indulgence of relaxation. It was as if the scents created bar lines for the music notes to be placed on and the combination of them floated around in the entire room. I felt genuinely at ease.

As for facial treatment, AO spa is apparently the first in Japan that uses the latest anti-ageing revolutionary technology that reduces wrinkle depth and length. They say it’s an alternative for microinjections. They carry “Nature Bisse” from Barcelona, and “Themae” from France that uses antioxidants from green tea.

Once the massage was finished, the therapist asked me to change and then wait on the chair. She left for a couple of minutes and came back with a cup of organic mixed fruit cider and a bite of yogurt granola bar. At the very end, she gave me a handwritten menu of the treatment and her suggested treatment for my potential next visit.

I highly recommend this spa for those who have delicate skin and who adore pure organic elements. And most definitely for those who like to make choices. Most spas offer a choice of scent, but this is the first time I’ve experienced a full customization. It’s something we directly put on our skin, so we should be able to choose. Jiyujizai treatment certainly lives up to the hotel’s concept of “personal style”.

Spa Treatment Hours Weekdays 10:00 - 22:00 (Last appointment at 20:30) Weekends & Holidays 8:00 - 22:00 (Last appointment at 20:30) Tel: 03-6830 1234 or email: aospaandclub@andaz.com

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