Find health off the beaten treadmill

Winter is right around the corner and hot rum sounds a lot better than a short run. If your motivation is hiding in the closet behind your roller blades, treat yourself to a healthy extravagance that could be as odd as it is indulgent. Think of it as an annual bonus for the holidays, or a salve for resolutions gone by.

Whether you hold the purse strings or the shoe strings, many bizarre experiences await.

It is your time to sink deep into the layers of an Indian massage, learn Latin dance, or book some time with the founder of Clinique’s la Prairie in his Istanbul clinic.


Consult a beauty engineer

WaterLily Home Spa
While it is growing colder and darker every day, where on earth do people find time and energy to clamber across town to relax? Do not bother, call on Ayu or Suri of WaterLily Home Spa to come to your home and provide massage from their native Bali, aromatherapy, shiatsu, or hot stone therapy. Reasonably priced, these services are offered by trained professionals, who also deliver a deluxe sea salt facial that will whisk away your worry lines. For a few days, anyway. Women only.

(0532) 797 9869

Latin dance, for starters
This not your Turkish mother-in-law’s regional dance. Owner and instructor Kutsal Zeren opened a café and dance studio five months ago where his Latin dance class reigns supreme. Sexy and relaxed, this is not competitive or formal Latin dance. Zeren studied and taught Latin dance for eight years before turning his favorite hobby, after working as an engineer, into a full-blown business. In addition to hip hop, tango and salsa dance classes, Depo Dans also offers yoga and pilates. Do not let the recent demolition of Cihangir’s only park get you down, oxygen has found a new home in this easygoing spot with indoor and outdoor café seating.

Sıraselviler Cad. Yeni Yuva Sok. No: 18.
Cihangir, Beyoğlu
Cost: 120 YTL month (Mondays 8:30 -10:00 p.m. plus free practice nights and parties) www.depodans.com

Head in the clouds

Owukun Meditation Center
At the Tünel end of İstiklal at Owukun, discover the healing hands of reiki, pilates and various forms of meditation and yoga. For a deeper plunge, try the Kobido Japanese Facial Massage or the Hot Volcanic Stone Massage. Ayurvedic massage is a deep tissue treatment using special oils and a therapist’s hands and feet. While your head is in the clouds, take a little time out with the stars. Astrology sessions range from general to health, from relationship to baby readings.

The friendly folks speak plenty of English, many seem to be foreign but their other-orbit names do not give much away. They follow the teachings of the late Indian spiritual guru Bhagwan Shree Rajnesh, Osho.

Asmah Mescit Sokak, Atlas Apt. 9/2
Cost: YTL 25-30
(0212) 245 75 11
kun@oshokun.com www.oshokun.com
The Cihangir dynasty

Relax and Reflexology Center
A small group of Chinese masseurs have taken over Istanbul’s nouveau intellectual neighborhood of Cihangir. Once you have tried the lineup of shiatsu and stress-obliterating massages, their quiet little dynasty might reign you in. With relaxing Chinese music in the background, heal your head, neck and back with a round of vigorous shiatsu massage, or emerge re-energized after a session of their much-lauded foot reflexology. Note to night owls; they are open until 11:00 p.m. daily.

Kilicalipasa Mah. Susam Sokak No 20/3. Cihangir, Beyoğlu
Cost: YTL 65 for one hour / YTL 80 for 90 minutes
(0212) 245 3779 emyshao@yahoo.com.tw

Refresh Aesthetics & Nutrition Clinic
With so much talk of health on this page, what is wrong with a little, old-fashioned, high-end vanity. Besides, is there a smashing party or a big date on the horizon? No, well, find one and book an exclusive consultation with Dr. Roland Ney, the famous founder of Clinique la Prairie in Switzerland. That is right, he lives right under your nose and, no, he is not available, he is married to a Turkish singer.

Refresh’s most cherished treatment is "Beautytek," which literally erases age and stress. With one-time clients such as Moroccan King Mohammed and Keanu Reeves, Dr. Ney’s clinic also offers life coaching and nutrition advice. The aestheticians speak four languages including Turkish, English, Russian and German.

Consultations with Dr. Ney are available once a month, throughout the year, at Refresh Aesthetics & Nutrition Clinic, Krizantem Sok. No:19, 1. Levent
(0212) 324 7454
www.refresh.com.tr