Breeze_Issue_001_ChildrenOfTheSea

Fusing body
and mind
WORDS NASHIU ZAHIR
In the opening of Thelonious Monk’s famous jazz tune Round
Midnight, a nimble piano roll from the highest to lowest register
heralds what is to come. What follows is a mesmerising exercise in
melody and harmony. It is slow and at times discordant, but in spite
of this, there is a wholeness to the piece. There is unity. And as I
lie on the massage table at the award winning Coco Spa, the tune
comes to mind as I become a piano under skilled fingers.
s the sun is slowly beginning its arc
towards the sea behind me, I walk through a
A green corridor on Coco Bodu Hithi. The
sun-dappled ground, the rustle of leaves as
a small animal, perhaps a lizard, takes flight
sensing our advance, and somewhere in the
distance, barely perceptible, the sound of the sea.
We come to the end of the greenery, and the beach
spreads out; pure, blinding white. A walkway leads
to the overwater residences and the spa. The sprawl
of the overwater spa brings to mind some of Monk’s
own sprawling, inimitable work; both at first seem a
combination of separate elements. The spa manager,
Patthama Thongprom, or Patt as she goes by on the
island, greets me warmly and my name is put down for
a late afternoon spa treatment. I’m offered cold towels,
some ice lemon tea, and I’m ushered to a seat. The tea
is excellent, a much needed counterpoint to the heat.
After tea, Patt takes me on a little tour of the place.
There are various components: the spa boutique, which
houses a wealth of luxury products such virgin coconut
oil (from India), French balms, and essential oils. The
pedicure and manicure lounge is set considerably apart
from the treatment rooms “because,” explains Patt, “we
want to keep the smell of chemicals far away.”
The complex, which houses a sauna, steam room,
and treatment rooms, is unified by a concept that
is strikingly Maldivian, with distinct local touches;
thatched roofs, elegant use of wood. Even the
massaging rooms, cool, with teak floors and smelling
of oriental herbs, are brought under a common theme.
Each room is named after a different aspect of the
coconut palm and their peaked roofs are thatched
with dried palm fronds. Like Monk’s music, once you
get a feel for it, a sense of harmony and cohesiveness
exudes from the place.
60 BREEZE BY COCO COLLECTION SEPTEMBER 2015