The Kara Spa at Ho Chi Minh’s five-star Caravelle hotel is taking classic Vietnamese traditions and turning them into a luxury spa offering, reveals spa manager Hoany Thuy Vi

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A nostalgic history as a foreign correspondents’ hub during the war-torn days of the 1960s and 70s has secured the Caravelle’s status as one of the most iconic hotels in Ho Chi Minh City. But despite being one of the city’s premier five-star boltholes, the Caravelle only took control of its spa for the first time last year. Previously run by external company the Qi group, the rebranded Kara Spa opened in September 2012, and was joined by an open-air pool facility this summer.

“From the start, my goal was to set up Kara Spa based on the criteria of the International Spa Association,” explains Hoang Thuy Vi, the spa manager at Kara Spa, whose career includes stints at the Sofitel Saigon Plaza and the Parkroyal Saigon. “We aim to fully satisfy the five senses, bringing balance to the body and soul and restoring health.” Indeed, words like “harmony”, “stillness” and “balance” crop up time and again as Vi describes the Kara Spa, signalling the tranquillity it aims to evoke.

The facilities on offer at the spa include separate men’s and women’s areas, each with aromatherapy steam rooms, saunas and a Jacuzzi, a foot massage parlour with eight daybeds that look out across the pool, plus eight private treatment rooms, and two VIP suites for couples – the latter equipped with their own hot tubs. And, situated on the seventh floor of the Caravelle, the spa is detached from the noise and bustle of Ho Chi Minh City. “We want customers to walk in to Kara Spa and relax their whole bodies; to awaken the senses and restore energy,” Hoang says.

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