| Nirvana at the Dezerland Hotel & Spa in North Miami | |
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Descend just a few steps from the hotel door and you enter Nirvana literally and figuratively. Nirvana is defined as a state of happiness, freedom, unity, liberation, transcendence and supreme consciousness. This new spa in North Miami is an escape to bliss, to a world far from the stilted glamour of nearby Bal Harbor, or the trendy hustle of South Beach. Nirvana is appropriately tucked in the lower level of the popular retro-themed Dezerland Hotel & Spa, and both are like a step back in time.
Perhaps it is the "Old World" feeling created by Semone Zamyatin, the founder of Nirvana. Don t expect bustling attendants in white coats and fawning luxury here. The aura is more down-to earth with an Eastern European tone and a truly unique series of wet and dry saunas. Zamyatin did extensive research and created a unique setting, different than the sterile or posh environments of many modern spas. "There is magic here," he says emotionally, "This place was built from love. God helped move something inside of me."
Zamyatin, a former professional Greco-Roman style wrestler from the Ukraine, dreamed of opening a healing retreat and then met Michael Dezer, a New York and Miami Beach developer who wanted a spa for the largely European guest base of his newly renovated hotel. "He seduced me!" Zamyatin laughs of Dezer s convincing style. One year and three months later, a former 20,000 S.F. lower level restaurant and nightclub was converted into a therapeutic retreat, where the soul, body and mind can find respite.
The healing can start as you walk in the door and into the strong, caring arms at the Nirvana Health & Rehabilitation Center. Husband and wife team Drs. Todd and Corey Narson, certified chiropractic sports physicians, chose Nirvana as an adjunct to their South Beach office. Both of European decent, they extended the Eastern European atmosphere adding another husband/wife team, Bulgarians Tzoni and Sophia Kolev, as physical therapists. Their wellness center offers treatment rooms for chiropractic adjustments, rehabilitation for post-operative, accident and sports injuries, physical therapy, massage, nutrition counseling and an overall holistic approach to health. The practice is "dedicated to the relief of pain, the restoration of health and the enhancement of human performance." Can one ask more?
Tzoni Kolev, a 30-year Olympic martial arts coach and Bulgarian SWAT team and combat trainer, crosses his muscular arms across his broad chest and states, "People in the American culture don't know massage. This is a new country and they don t like to be touched. Europe has a long history of massage. Europeans used oils and sand on the skin back in the days of the gladiators!" He further explains that aggressive "training" massage can push blood through the veins to prepare for activity and help healing, while a relaxing massage can prepare the body for an adjustment, stretching or therapy. A wide variety of massage treatments are offered.
From the wellness center, the entry of Nirvana leads to the VIA Aida Salon, a full-service hair, nail and make up studio. Spa packages include conditioning hair and scalp treatments, a custom line of European cosmetics, and even closing the salon for private pampering sessions, often used by wedding parties.
Skin care goes even deeper with the rejuvenation therapy offered by Lucy Madariaga, Ph.D., at the New Life Clinic at Nirvana. Dr. Madariaga brings her 30 years of experience using a European natural and holistic approach to the spa. Her exclusive cosmetic care includes mini-lift facials, digestive enzyme, collagen and ultrasound oxygenated treatments, along with vitamin C peels. The "Younger Faceâ " treatment rejuvenates in a series of nine treatments that detoxify, rehabilitate, exfoliate and revitalize the skin, creating discernable changes in skin texture, elasticity, clarity and overall appearance all without abrasives, injections, lasers or surgery.
The body is further stimulated and relaxed in Nirvana's Pilates and yoga studios, adding a mind and soul dimension. Personal training and group Pilates classes are offered, using the popular 75-year old strength and flexibility technique made known by dancers who used the therapy to recover from injuries. Physical therapist Karina Villalba works with clients to rehabilitate back problems or work on balance and structural integration.
Synergy Yoga brings its Miami Beach name to Nirvana, adding a Bikram-based "Sweaty Yoga" class and other variations to the spa. A boutique gym with top-quality free weights, True treadmills and Cybex equipment adds another strengthening dimension to the spa including personal training if desired. But Nirvana goes beyond the ordinary by ozonating the air and jacuzzi treating it with a special purifying light. Water and juice bars provide further refreshment as visitors make their way to the aromatherapy wet area the real attraction of Nirvana.
Not one, but three steam rooms await. When entering the Turkish Hamam steam room, built from wood and stone, one feels like entering an old bath house where an oven heats the large room to temperatures of about 240 degrees. Moist heat permeates the body and also provides the setting for a unique aromatherapy treatment called Platza. Andre, a Russian massage therapist, soaks a sheaf of dry oak leaves in water and gently pelts the body with the fragrant leaves creating a strangely stimulating, yet relaxing sensation. When the heat begins to feel uncomfortable, a quick cold water plunge brings the senses abruptly to attention, ready for the next spa treatment. The all-cedar wood Russian steam room is large and comfortable for lounging, meditating or stretching. An ample sized brick oven heats the steam room, which feels like a calm and peaceful catacomb where the visitor can savor the therapeutic 270 degree heat and inhale clean, purified air. The Finish dry sauna is a more common option for those who like dry heat, and traditionalists can enjoy the American-style aromatherapy steam room, that complements the European selections. The finishing Swiss shower is the piece de resistance! Stepping into the roomy shower feels like entering a private bath capsule, where one is completely surrounded by numerous nozzles at different heights. Turning on the water and feeling 26 jets of water exploding against the body is like a religious experience. You control the temperature and time as you spin or relax and let the strong pulsating water massage away your tension.
If you are not already feeling like a piece of cooked pasta, a massage therapist can further entice you with a wide variety of treatments from mineral salt glow to a detoxing Turkish scrub, a hot shea butter wrap or full-body mud mask. Sunburn relief, shiatsu, heated stone and Lomi Lomi sacred Hawaiian massages are also available, as is the Shirodhara herbal balancing treatment. Fourteen massage rooms beckon with names like Bliss, Devotion, Euphoria and Sweet Release all waiting to envelope the body and mind in peace. Massages can also be done in the hotel room, at the beach or poolside for an additional charge.
Additional specialties include an Alpha Massage Capsule that combines dry heat sauna, vibratory massage and aromatherpy. Add a mud or butter mask and just say, "Ahhhh!" The Hyperbaric Oxygen Chamber increases the uptake of oxygen into the blood in a comfortable, high-pressure atmosphere to promote healing and stress relief. Treatments can be grouped into packages at various rates.
For those who would like to make their Nirvana experience a private and romantic one, the Tantra room is available for a $300 fee. The suite is mystically decorated to include a futon, bath, sauna and jacuzzi. Guests control their own music and have an intercom, providing a complete escape for gods and goddesses to spend four hours of bliss, uninterrupted by the world around them.
Hotel guests enjoy a 25% discount on all spa services while walk-ins pay a $25 daily fee; memberships are available Any treatments are additional, and all spa visitors can also use the Dezerland Hotel s private beach, beach-front pool and outside ozonated jacuzzi. Bring your bathing suit to make the most of the wet areas. Towels, slippers and men's and women's locker rooms are provided. Nirvana offers clothing optional times in the morning hours.
Photos courtesy of Nirvana Spa
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