Life is getting stressed and technology, far from helping us relax, has increased work and stress. Those with computer work have to sit hunched over a desk all day long but the stress of work has caused other tensions of the mind. We once thought that Spa therapy is becoming a fashion. Those were the days. Now Spa has become a necessity and just as the demand has risen, Spa resorts are increasingly becoming better organised, as they say, in mind and body. The Balinese Spas, for instance are taking the wellness experience to the next level by introducing professional counselling to the menu. It seems spas are no longer just beauty parlours and fat farms - these days, they want to sort out your mental health too. The concept is very promising as it supported with qualified therapists.

Massage Research & Surveys

Surveys suggest that one in four Europeans suffers from mental-health problems and the UK-based adventure travel website www.AwimAway.com is inundated with requests for spa breaks. "What follows is more interesting", says its CEO Harish Kohli. These requests are accompanied by comments such as "I am getting divorced"; "my job is so stressfull"; "I'm fed up of being so fat".

Research also indicates that "Stress-related disorders make up between 80-and-90 percent of the ailments. What they require is someone to listen, someone to touch them, someone to care. That does not exist in modern medicine.

One of the complaints heard frequently is that physicians don't touch their patients any more. Touch just isn't there. Years ago massage was a big part of nursing. There was so much care, so much touch, so much goodness conveyed through massage.

Many now believe that massage therapy is absolutely key in the healing process because it relieves stress, it is obviously foundational in the healing process any time and anywhere. Perhaps a resort offering "proper" therapy is just the ticket?

Chic Spas

The accommodation is Spas is the epitome of Asian chic, overlooking a steep, deep-green rainforest valley and foaming river. The restaurants serve delicious food that's also healthy. But the best they offer is the emotional-health, sometimes in group-participation coaching that can have topics such as "how to break bad habits and maintain good ones". They hope to encourage guests to see how to make constructive changes. Sometimes, we tend to ignore how important our emotional health is to our physical welfare. Studies have shown that after operations patients with a positive attitude leave hospital sooner and their scars heal more quickly.

The process works if the counselling is used in conjunction with the spa's other specialist services. These include a nutritionist, an iridologist, an osteopath and an Ayurvedic doctor. Get ready for the new era of yoga and massage. This will now be complemented with mental massage.

Where To Go

UK-based operator AwimAway (020 7430 1766, www.awimaway.com) offers Spa holidays to destinations around the world. AwimAway has special offers to Bali and India and can organise your holiday to the resorts with spa, yoga and mental message.