Old Spa Days

In a previous blog I talked about a story in the New York Times about the idea that the spa industry might be leading up to the need to standardize spa treatments—how else to insure that you’re getting your money’s worth?

I threatened to get in contact with one of the spa experts whose quote I found. . .I think I called it patronizing. I did call Neil Jacobs, the senior VP of Asia-Pacific Operations for the Four Seasons. (Or as he described himself, “I look after all the hotel activities and then look after the spas at nights.”) The quote in question, which I will paraphrase here, was that one could receive as good a Thai massage on the beaches of Thailand for five bucks as one in a Manhattan spa for $150.

Had to get to him through a publicist and she wanted to know the nature of my question. (It’s for a story for Spa Asia.) I told her it related to the NYT story—and then smoothed out the edges of my question so he’d agree to speak. It was only a day or two after the story appeared and in my innocence I imagined that he might be a bit contrite about his comment.

He wasn’t. In fact, I got the sense that he doesn’t do contrite. Jacobs was full of controversial opinions and not afraid to express them. I really liked him for that. He was not at all the kind of person you’d expect to oversee spa operations, especially in Asia where I imagine gentility might trump crusty bluntness. I liked that he didn’t walk a diplomatic line. Jacobs is British by birth—but quick to point out that he’s a naturalized American citizen with a home in California. His voice is husky, like he smokes cigarettes, and though his comments are not measured he knows a lot.

He does feel that the Asians have it over the West—even though I never asked him to comment on his comment, this much was clear. He feels, he said, that “they are intuitive healers while North American massage treatments feel too automated, like they have no heart.” (I should point out that he gives proper credit to Native American healing rituals and to Eastern European spa culture too.) So, he says, the Asians’ technique might not be as perfect but “their touch in many ways feels perhaps more spiritual, consequently more meaningful.”

He feels that luxury hotels have filled a gap by supplying an environment (a fancy, clean hotel) that Westerners feel more comfortable visiting. “In the old days, you would get traditional reflexology in a dingy back room somewhere, so Westerners were never exposed.” Sounds like a scene from The Quiet American.

He was fascinating to speak with. Bet he has lots of interesting stories to tell. Now if I can just get myself to Singapore I could contact him, he could put me up at the Four Seasons and then over dinner or a cocktail I could persuade him to tell me about the old spa days.