Spa Treatment Glossary: Menu Terms Explained

Updated for 2026.

A spa treatment glossary is a short reference that explains the words on a spa menu, so a guest can tell a technique from a tool, an ingredient or a house name before choosing a session. This one decodes 22 terms from the Kimantra menu and its treatment pages, from kessa and rhassoul to sen lines, marma and Mandara.

Kimantra Spa in Dbayeh is the brand’s only spa, a day spa beside the Jounieh-Beirut highway, open between 10:00 and 22:00, Monday through Saturday, and closed on Sundays. Each entry defines one word, links to the page that covers it, and recommends nothing.

How a Spa Menu Uses Words: Techniques, Ingredients and House Names

The Kimantra menu and its treatment pages mix four kinds of word without labelling which is which.

Kind of term	What it tells you	Examples from Kimantra’s pages
Technique	What the therapist’s hands or tools actually do	gommage, acupressure, palper-rouler, assisted stretching
Tool or ingredient	What touches your skin, and what it is made of	kessa, savon noir, rhassoul, mineral salts, thermal blanket
Traditional concept	An idea from the system behind a technique, not a physical object	dosha, marma points, meridians, sen lines
House name	The spa’s own name for a set sequence of steps	Mandara, Masters Massage, Holistic Balinese Journey

The Kimantra menu lists its warm-oil head treatment as Shirodara, while Healthline, and the heading on that same treatment page, write Shirodhara. It is one treatment under two spellings.

Here you get spa menu terms explained, not compared. Ten modalities with their own pages get no entry: Thai, Shiatsu, Balinese, Swedish, Ayurvedic, hot stones, deep tissue, aromatherapy, reflexology and lymphatic drainage. The overview of spa treatment types in Lebanon tours them, and the guide to matching a massage to your goal and pressure helps you choose.

Discover authentic healing traditions at Kimantra Spa. Every term here is taken from Kimantra’s own menu and treatment pages.

Hammam and Scrub Terms

These words come mostly from the Moroccan hammam ritual, where the order matters: soap first, then the glove, then the clay. The five hammam stages, minute by minute explain the sequence.

Savon noir

Savon noir, also known as savon beldi, is a soft, paste-like black soap made with olive oil. It opens the scrub stage of the Moroccan hammam ritual that Kimantra’s hammam guide describes. The therapist spreads it over your body and leaves it to sit for several minutes, so the skin softens before the glove scrub begins.

Kessa

A kessa is the coarse exfoliating mitt the therapist wears during a hammam. Once the black soap has softened your skin, the therapist moves the kessa across you with firm strokes that all run one way, and the loosened dead skin comes away in small grey rolls. The kessa is the tool; the scrub it performs is called gommage.

Gommage

Gommage is the exfoliation step of a scrub ritual, and on Kimantra’s hammam page it names the kessa scrub that follows the black soap. Other spa menus use the word more loosely, for an exfoliating paste that blends clay, oil and herbs. When a menu says gommage, ask which of the two methods it means.

Rhassoul

Rhassoul, also spelled ghassoul, is a natural mineral clay that comes from Morocco’s Atlas Mountains. In the ritual on Kimantra’s hammam page, it is mixed with water and spread over the body as a mask after the kessa scrub, left to dry a little, then rinsed away. It is an ingredient, not a technique.

Aromatherapy body scrub

An aromatherapy body scrub is an exfoliation made from finely milled mineral salts with essential oils stirred through them, rubbed over the body to lift away dead skin. At Kimantra, it is the opening step of the Holistic Balinese Journey and readies the skin for the wrap. Other standalone exfoliation treatments are listed separately.

Wrap and Body-Contouring Terms

Each word in this family names a distinct step or tool. The page on how a wrap session runs covers the wrap from start to finish.

Mud wrap

A mud wrap is a body treatment in which mineral-rich mud or clay is spread over the skin, then the body is wrapped to hold the warmth in. Kimantra’s Mineral Body Wrap page suggests it after a scrub, while the skin is freshly exfoliated, and ends with a nourishing oil once the wrap comes off.

Thermal blanket

A thermal blanket is the heated cover wrapped around your body once the mud or clay is on. It keeps the warmth close while the wrap rests on the skin. During the Holistic Balinese Journey, the therapist stays beside you through this stage, giving a foot, scalp or face massage.

Maderotherapy

Maderotherapy, also called wood therapy, is a body session performed with shaped wooden tools, such as roller pins and cups, moved over the body in rhythmic strokes. Kimantra’s page says it is not recommended for people with high blood pressure, on blood-pressure medication, or with circulation or blood-related conditions. See the wood-tool session on the menu.

Palper-rouler

Palper-rouler is a pinch-and-roll movement, which is how Kimantra’s maderotherapy page glosses it. In practice, the therapist pinches a fold of skin and rolls it along, usually working upwards. It is one of the techniques listed for that session, next to lymphatic drainage, and is a movement rather than a product.

Ayurvedic, Thai and Japanese Technique Terms

Several of these words name ideas from traditional systems, such as energy lines or body types, rather than structures a doctor would recognise. For the Ayurvedic words, read warm-oil Ayurvedic massage in depth.

Abhyanga

Abhyanga is the Ayurvedic name for a full-body massage done with warm oil, worked in from the scalp down to the feet. Kimantra’s Ayurvedic massage page uses abhyanga as the treatment’s traditional name. It describes warm herbal oils chosen for each guest, with sesame and coconut oil among the common options.

Dosha

A dosha is one of the three constitutions, or body types, described in Ayurveda: vata, pitta and kapha. Each person is said to carry their own balance of the three. Ayurvedic practice uses the dosha to guide the choice of oil, with heavier oils suggested for dry skin and lighter ones for oily skin.

Marma points

Marma points are the vital points of Ayurvedic tradition, comparable to the pressure points used in acupressure and Shiatsu. Kimantra’s Ayurvedic massage includes marma work, meaning focused attention on these points within the oil massage. The term belongs to Ayurveda’s own map of the body, so read it as part of that tradition’s vocabulary.

Shirodhara (Shirodara)

Shirodhara, spelled Shirodara on the Kimantra menu, is a head treatment in which warm oil falls in a steady stream onto the middle of the forehead from a brass pot. Kimantra’s blend includes coconut, castor and rosemary-infused oils. Then the therapist massages your scalp, face, neck and shoulders. See head-focused treatments compared.

Acupressure

Acupressure is pressure applied by hand to chosen points on the body. It rests on the traditional idea of qi, a life energy said to flow along meridians, and science has found no evidence that qi or meridians exist. Kimantra’s Thai massage and the Balinese stage of the Holistic Balinese Journey both list acupressure points.

Meridians

Meridians are the pathways along which, in traditional Chinese and Japanese practice, life energy (qi or ki) is said to flow. Shiatsu, a Japanese word meaning “finger pressure”, works along them, and so does the first stage of the Masters Massage. They are a traditional concept, not anatomy. Read more on Japanese finger-pressure therapy.

Sen lines

Sen lines are the energy lines of traditional Thai massage, along which the therapist applies pressure. In the Thai tradition, pressure along sen is combined with stretching and rocking movements. Like meridians, sen describes a traditional idea of the body rather than anatomy. The page on Thai energy-line work for city stress explains more.

Assisted stretching

Assisted stretching, also called passive stretching, means the therapist moves your limbs into each stretch while you stay relaxed and let them do the work. It is a core part of Thai massage. Kimantra’s Thai treatment uses dry or minimal oil, so the therapist keeps a secure grip through the stretches and joint movements.

WhatsApp us at +961 3 546654 to book your escape. Send a term from this glossary, or describe what you would like in your own words.

Kimantra Menu Names Decoded

House names say little until someone opens them up. Each of these five entries describes what happens during the session, not what the name suggests.

Mandara

Mandara is the menu name for Kimantra’s four-hand massage: two therapists work on you at the same time, each mirroring the other’s movements. You pick one aromatherapy oil, such as lavender, lemongrass or eucalyptus. The session includes stretches that need two people, with the body eased in opposite directions. Read about the two-therapist synchronized format.

Masters Massage

Masters Massage is a three-stage sequence on the Kimantra menu. It opens with Shiatsu pressure along the meridians, moves on to Thai stretches and compressions along the sen lines, and ends with a Balinese back massage using warm oil. Pressure in every stage is set to your comfort. See the three-stage Shiatsu-Thai-Balinese sequence.

Holistic Balinese Journey

The Holistic Balinese Journey is a three-step body ritual: an aromatherapy salt scrub, then a wrap of mineral-rich mud beneath a heated thermal blanket, then a Balinese massage with essential oils. While you rest in the wrap, the therapist works on your feet, scalp or face. See scrub, wrap and massage as one booking.

Kimantra Fusion Massage

Kimantra Fusion Massage is the spa’s signature session, blending techniques from several massage traditions into one treatment. The therapist chooses what to use around your preferences, and you set the pressure together. The page on how a multi-tradition session is built lists the traditions and explains the format.

Cupping

Cupping uses cups placed on the skin to create local suction. At Kimantra, it is an optional element inside the Fusion Massage, and you can ask for it to be left out. The cups leave short-lived marks on the skin, and most research into its claimed benefits is of low quality, so mention any skin condition first.

Glossary FAQ: Spellings, Look-Alikes and Booking

Is it Shirodara or Shirodhara?

Both spellings name the same treatment. Shirodhara is the spelling Healthline uses, built from the Sanskrit words shiro, meaning head, and dhara, meaning flow. Kimantra’s menu lists it as Shirodara, while the heading on the same treatment page uses Shirodhara. Either spelling leads to the same warm-oil head treatment; the Shirodara menu page has the current details.

What is the difference between kessa and gommage?

A kessa is a tool, and gommage is a step. The kessa is the coarse mitt the therapist wears; gommage is the exfoliation performed with it, after the black soap has softened your skin. Elsewhere, gommage can also mean an exfoliation made with clay, oils and herbs, so ask which version a menu means.

Is rhassoul the same as the mud in a body wrap?

Kimantra’s pages describe them as different steps. Rhassoul is a clay mask applied in the hammam ritual after the kessa scrub, then rinsed off. The wraps use a mineral-rich mud or clay that stays on under a heated thermal blanket. The pages do not say whether the two share ingredients, so ask the spa if it matters.

Is Mandara the same as a four-hand massage?

On the Kimantra menu, yes. The treatment is listed as Mandara (Four-Hand) Massage, so both names point to the same booking: one session in which two therapists work on you at once. The Mandara entry above describes what happens during it. Other spas may use the word Mandara for something else, so check what a treatment involves before you book it.

Which words on a spa menu describe ingredients rather than techniques?

Across Kimantra’s menu and treatment pages, savon noir, rhassoul, mineral salts, mineral-rich mud and essential oils such as lavender, lemongrass and eucalyptus are ingredients, because they are applied to your skin. The kessa and the thermal blanket are tools. Gommage, acupressure, palper-rouler and assisted stretching are techniques, while dosha, marma, meridians and sen are concepts from traditional systems.

Do I need to know these terms to book a treatment?

No. Describe what you want in plain words, such as a scrub or a massage with stretching, and the team can tell you which menu item fits. You can book by phone, by email or through the online appointment form. Under the spa’s policy, cancelling less than 24 hours ahead may incur a fee.

Spa Treatment Glossary: The Kimantra Menu Terms Explained