The Aman Spa: Balance and relaxation with a seasonal, Japanese twist

Perched on the top six floors of Chiyoda Ward's The Otemachi Tower is The Aman Tokyo; a quintessentially Japanese, world-class hotel. Nestled on the 34th floor is the hotel’s luxury spa; an exquisite facility offering an escape from the bustling city below, inspired by the Japanese philosophy of wellness deriving from nature and balance.

The Aman Spa offers everything you’d expect (and so much more) from a luxury spa, but remains uniquely Japanese in aesthetic and philosophy. The interior is minimalist, traditional, and tranquil. The ideology being nature, the seasons, and fresh produce.

The spa menu is intriguing, offering a range of treatments and journeys, including the "Seasonal Journey" -- 120 minutes of bliss in which to “achieve rebalance by connecting body, mind and spirit with nature and remain in harmony with the changing seasons.” With the humidity starting to creep up, and sayonara season in full swing, I’d be lying if I didn’t say this sounded particularly appealing. The use of seasonal produce to counteract the stresses of the season, a new concept to me, made perfect sense.

After being greeted by the ever-smiling spa hosts, I was ushered to the change rooms to don my yukata while taking in the sensational vista of the Tokyo city skyline. I was then guided to the Hasu, or Lotus, room to commence my "Summer Journey."

From the moment you enter the room, the journey begins and it literally tickles all five senses. Gentle music dwells in the background. The ritual starts with the practice of misogi, the traditional act of purification and meditation using water to connect with your core. A deep inhalation of kuromoji oil, renowned for its relaxing and calming properties is followed by a foot bath including ingredients like Japanese hinoki leaves, dokudami leaves, a burst of freshly picked hakka (Japanese mint) and mineral sea salt. This is all while you sip on a cup of dokudami kampo tea so as not to forget the taste buds. From there you are transitioned for the full-body massage, more than 60 minutes of total relaxation and pure bliss.

Once your treatment is finished, you are welcome to utilise the change room facilities, including Japanese-style hot baths and steam rooms, before relaxing on the lounge with a cup of summer green tea and assorted seasonal fruits. The seasonal theme is actually reflected throughout the entire hotel from The Restaurant to the The Cafe to the plants that adorn the Aman’s beautiful and serene wide-open spaces.

As well as the eight spacious treatment rooms, The Spa also includes a spectacular 30-meter indoor pool overlooking the skyline, fully-equipped pilates and yoga studios and a state of the art fitness center offering the latest cardiovascular, weight training machinery and TRX equipment.

The spa facilities are available to all hotel guests and there are also some packages available for non-staying guests, such as the one-day Aman Wellness Program. If it’s relaxation, balance and nature you are seeking, without leaving the city, The Aman Spa provides the perfect metropolitan oasis.

The spa is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. For bookings and inquiries, please call 03-5224-3344 or email: amantokyo.spa@aman.com

Address: The Otemachi Tower, 1-5-6 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

• External Link
• https://www.aman.com/resorts/aman-tokyo/spa

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