The celebrated Martha Tilaar Spa brand brings Indonesian heritage and nature to Bali and the trendy streets of Seminyak, delving back in time with ancient Asian and Indonesian rituals and treatments that are a beautiful and healing solution to today’s modern lifestyle
The Eastern Garden Martha Tilaar Spa is Bali’s sole Martha Tilaar Spa, but this Indonesian-owned company is a household name in Indonesia, with more than 54 Martha Tilaar Salon Day Spas across the archipelago.
Named after its celebrated founder, Dr. Martha Tilaar – known as The Mother of Natural Indonesian Cosmetics – the Martha Tilaar Group is regionally renowned for its high-quality beauty products, unique spa series and a commitment to preserving Indonesia’s unique culture and nature.
The concept behind Martha Tilaar is inspired by ancient Indian Ayurveda, traditional Chinese medicine practices and Indonesian massage techniques and ancient beauty secrets. Researched and revived, these natural, holistic remedies and rituals are incorporated into Martha Tilaar’s traditional healing and relaxation treatments, as well as into a focus on inner and outer beauty, combined with a strong connection with nature. Martha Tilaar’s custom-made spa products, Dewi Sri Spa, are exclusively made in Indonesia with rice-based formulas created purely from the finest natural plants, exotic herbs and spices – many, plucked from their own “eastern gardens”.
As you would expect at the Eastern Garden Martha Tilaar Spa, an underlying “garden of serenity” theme permeates everywhere. The two-storey building resembles an urban oasis in downtown Seminyak, with a Victoriana-like conservatory setting, complete with glass roof, leafy potted plants, white wicker furniture and seven individually themed treatment suites wrapped around a centrepiece hydrotherapy pool – the focus of several water-based therapies.
From the exquisite menu, it is Eastern Garden’s Signatures that truly showcase the Martha Tilaar Spa’s focus on authentic Indonesian therapies and rituals. The signature Traditional Massage incorporates ancient massage practices gleaned from across Indonesia – Bali, Java, Maluku, Borneo and more – that are refined as superior massage treatments. Authentic Indonesian Spa Treatments come inspired by ancient wisdom and traditions of rituals and beauty care through the Indonesian female lifecycle: a holistic, inner-outer beauty philosophy known as Rupasampat Wahyabiantara. Meanwhile, the “King and Queen of Bali” is a luxuriously indulgent package geared to newlyweds and couples seeking ultra-romantic, royal-style treatments – inspired by the epic Hindu love story of Rama Sita, King and Queen of Ayodhya.
There are also multi-hour Signature Packages. From these, I choose the Water Palace Sanctuary (150 minutes), which evokes water-themed rituals of Indonesia’s ancient royal palaces. Indulged in an elegantly decorated suite, this treatment package promises a “cleansing, skin-softening, hydrating and relaxing spa experience, revitalizing the mind, body and soul,” but for anyone overly tired and stressed (such as myself), the Water Palace Sanctuary reveals itself as ultra-relaxing and restorative.
After a refreshing Foot Ritual, during the Signature Traditional Massage – a Martha Tilaar Spa trademark – my well-trained therapist uses a variety of Indonesian massage techniques, administering them with an alternating use of thumbs, elbows and long hand strokes combined with a slathering of aromatic essential oils: all contributing to a soothing 80 minutes of intensely healing touch.
Next, I am gently exfoliated with a rice-based scrub infused with camphor, lemon and aromatic frangipani, custom-made to brighten the skin and slough-off dead skin cells for instant skin renewal. Still smothered in the scrub concoction, I am then led to a generously sized stone tub for a decadent Aromatherapy Flower and Milk Bath, topped with fresh red rose petals. Soaking alone for 20 minutes not only helps me totally diffuse, but allows the milk formula and fragrant essential oils to sink in and work their magic on my skin. This bath-time pays homage to the daily Indonesian practice of bathing in natural spring water and rivers – known for its beautifying and therapeutic effects.
Post-treatment, sitting in the relaxation lounge (subtly reflecting the brand’s Betawi origins, with its distinctive Javanese design), drinking a chlorophyll-infused green elixir and nibbling on healthy snacks, I feel deeply calmed and relaxed, enjoying glowing and fragrantly softened skin. No wonder I sleep soundly that night.
Eastern Garden Martha Tilaar Spa
5A Jalan Camplung Tanduk (Dhyana Pura), Seminyak, Bali, Indonesia
T: (+62) 361 731 648
E: spa_manager@easterngardenmarthatilaarspa.com
