I grew up in a thermal town called Levico Terme, in the north of Italy, so I have always been familiar with thermal/spa cures. I’m also an allergic person, so I have been, over the years, a patient of the Thermal Bath of Levico, as well. Last summer I was happily surprised to find out they offer a more holistic wellness approach.
The water, used in the thermal facilities, was discovered already in medieval times. Only at the end of 1800, the Spa started to offer its therapeutical treatments that soon became famous in Italy and Europe. It is highly mineralized water, strongly acid, and contains sulfate and iron as well as arsenic and other minerals. The beneficial effects are several, and the treatments offered have always been centered mainly to cure physical pathologies. However, nowadays they offer treatments that take into consideration, not just the body, but also the wellness of the mind. One treatment that stood out was the Sound Bath, carried out with Tibetan Bells.
I decided to talk with Daniela Zampedri, specialized in Sound Bath, to learn more about this practice and its benefits. And with Federico Bassetti, Assistant Director of the Thermal Centre, to understand why a center that historically has offered traditional therapies, offers now a more holistic approach.
Giulia: Daniela, first of all, tell me about yourself! Where have you learned this practice, and why?
Daniela: I am a beautician, and I have been working at the Thermal Bath of Levico for ten years. In 2012 I had the opportunity to take a specific course on Sound Bath, offered by the company. I decided to take the opportunity to update myself on a new holistic wellness practice.
G: What does the Sound Bath consist of?
D: The Sound Bath consists of listening to the Tibetan bells for an approximate period of 50 minutes: a circumstance that gives mental clarity and relaxation.
G: How is a session of Sound Bath structured?
D: A Sound Bath session has several phases. During the first one, the person lies on the futon in a prone position. I place the bells in three areas: to the north, the south, and one on the patient’s body. Then I ring the bell placed on the body and move it to the sides of the column along the vertebras. After that, I run the bell along the legs, from the buttock to the tendon and back.
After a brief pause, the bells are played very gently to the northern and the southern areas. Then the person is turned to the supine position, at this point I place the bell on the belly, moving it up to the collarbone and then lowered on the right arm. Then I continue returning to the left and back to the belly. I continue along the legs; the treatment ends with a gentle ringing of the bells to the north and south.
G: What are the beneficial effects? How many sessions do you have to do to feel a long-term benefit?
D: Sound Bath has a beneficial and reinvigorating effect on the nervous system. A Sound Bath is enough to harmonize a person’s mind and body. But indeed, the higher the number of sessions, the greater the resulting well-being.
G: In which environments do you run the sessions? What features should the interior design have?
D: Sound baths are carried out in environments with sober, simple interior design, with essential furnishings. The context requires the presence of five elements: air, water, fire, earth, and ether. The material used should be linen, preferably be white, as white contains all the colors.
G: How can customers keep the benefits of sound baths, once at home?
D: They should adopt a lifestyle that keeps them away from stressful situations; moreover, they should take care of their diet, and include a healthy physical activity.
G: What are the most frequent questions customers have about these holistic practices? Do they have doubts? Which are these doubts?
D: Most of the customers coming to the Terme of Levico, are already familiar with holistic practices and understand the benefits. A small part, however, chooses them because they are intrigued and want to understand more about its health advantages.
G: Why do you think practices like this are becoming increasingly popular in our society?
Federico: I think the main reason is curiosity, followed by trends, and lead by those who have experienced such practices and then talk about it.
D: I also believe that in today’s society, we often live situations of disharmony and stress that need to address by new approaches and practices such as the Sound Bath.
G: Federico, can you tell me why it was decided to bring such a particular practice to a more classic spa complex? Where does the initial idea come from, and what is the long-term goal?
F: The Thermal bath of Levico and Vetriolo complex is working to develop a holistic wellness offer. Soon, we will start remodeling the spaces and the areas that comprise the Spa. We want to offer a design that expresses this integral vision of wellness we have. Meanwhile, however, we decided to introduce alternative therapies such as the Sound Bath.
The fact that such a historical thermal bath, known for its traditional therapies, is now offering also a holistic treatment, is a sign of our times, which we have covered in or trend report CEREMONY. Society is shifting towards a more comprehensive approach to wellness and well-being, not happening only in our homes or offices but also seen in classical thermal centers.
Are you interesting in seeing how calm environments and the idea of privacy have envolved? Please have a look at our latest trend report The New Care Economy which shares how care and wellness look like regardless of the industry.
Trend Report
THE NEW CARE ECONOMY
Consumers have become hyper-focused on wellness and self-care in the past 15 months. As a result, they are more interested in less transaction-based communication and more in what a brand can do for them. How does this spirit look translated into design?
