Find a Day Spa, Guide for Day Spa Reviews

For a total wellness experience in a chic and unique environment, Spa Karma offers it all, from surrounds and facilities to treatments and nutrition.

Tasmania is awash with B&Bs, many of them delightful little heritage cottages with cosy fireplaces and antique furniture, oozing old world charm. Such could well have been the future for a stylish Californian bungalow tucked away in the picturesque valley of Glen Huon in southern Tasmania, had it not been for Terry and Derek Choi-Lundberg, who had a far grander vision. With much of its original wood panelling, bricked verandah archways and fretwork-framed bay windows still perfectly intact, Terry and Derek got swept up in a dream when restoring the bungalow to its full magnificence.

The house had been empty for over 30 years when they travelled halfway around the world to find it waiting for them. Both with backgrounds in medicine and a strong interest in health and wellbeing, they set about creating Spa Karma, where guests can benefit from a total wellness experience.

It was just such an experience my friend Jodie and I were looking for when we booked in to stay. We had both been working too hard and neglecting ourselves, so we decided it was time for some rest and restoration, and some fun! Spa Karma was perfect.

The word ‘holistic’ has become a somewhat hackneyed term these days, but it is the best way to describe the Spa Karma experience. Terry and Derek are concerned with all aspects of creating balance and wellness in life and it is evident that these two truly walk the talk. They have drawn upon their own skills, knowledge and experience in creating a welcoming retreat in which guests have the opportunity to nourish their mind, body and spirit.

Guests are spoilt for choice with a comprehensive range of therapeutic body treatments, including the conveniently packaged four-hour Wellness Renewal Program administered by a dedicated Shiatsu therapist and Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner. Spa Karma is well equipped with a spa bath, sauna and steam shower, plus a hot tub on the deck that overlooks the garden and the rolling landscapes of the Huon Valley. Jodie and I pondered these choices as we sat in the hot tub, rediscovering the joys of simply being.

The house is generously proportioned with large rooms, all tastefully decorated. I choose the queen bedroom with its rich colours and magnificent tapestry headboard above the bed, while Jodie was equally comfortable in a light and airy bedroom with a window perfectly framing the front garden. The entire house is beautifully restored, furnished with well-crafted pieces collected by Terry and Derek over many years, while the bathrooms are well equipped with a range of stylish and modern spa facilities.

Terry and Derek understand the importance of a well-balanced and nutritious diet in maintaining health and wellbeing, and have developed a permaculture vegetable garden and orchard to ensure they have access to as much fresh, in-season and organically-grown produce as possible. When creating the garden, the land became their teacher as they entered into a partnership with nature to create a garden that was rich with delights and generous in its provisions.

True to the principles of permaculture, their garden also incorporates livestock, with a gaggle of geese on guard by the dam and a happy brood of hens freely foraging in their spacious pen. Guests also share in this bounty and arrive to find a well-stocked kitchen of fresh eggs, fruits and preserves from the Spa Karma garden, with organic milk, cheeses and bacon sourced from local producers.

The Spa Karma kitchen is well stocked in every respect, with a vast array of kitchen tools and utensils, and even a choice of electric or wood stove on which to cook. I’m a glutton for fresh asparagus, so was overjoyed when presented upon arrival with a bunch harvested from the garden that morning. Terry is also a formidable cook and we were delighted when a freshly baked loaf of wholesome bread arrived, tucked into a basket, ready for our lunch. Evidence of her inspiration can be found in the Spa Karma library, where one entire bookcase is filled from floor to ceiling with tantalising cook books collected over the years.

Jodie, an incurable movie buff, is thrilled when she discovers the charming lounge room transforms into a home theatre. A huge screen descends over the bay window with a flick of a switch and a cupboard houses a large selection of DVDs from which to choose. With two sofas to sprawl upon, in the evening we treated ourselves to films while sipping the complimentary port and sampling the platter of chocolates left to tempt us.

My passion is art and books, so I am equally delighted with the library and inspired by Terry’s artwork adorning the walls of Spa Karma. A short wander through the garden brings you to Terry’s art studio, where you can find her at work capturing the beauty of Tasmania in a watercolour technique taught to her by her father.

I am impressed with the garden, a mix of formal parterres and magnificent hedges that surround the fully-grown cabbage palm at the front of the house. Tucked around the corner is a picture-perfect Japanese pond upon which two local ducks have staked a claim. I don’t blame them. They’ve chanced upon a little piece of paradise here.

It’s easy to see why Terry and Derek, originally from America, chose to transplant themselves into this beautiful little corner of Tasmania. Guests at Spa Karma have the lush Huon Valley to explore – wineries and art galleries, roadside fruit and vegetable stalls, friendly local people and picturesque pastoral scenes cut through by fat, lazy rivers. But for Jodie and I, we were perfectly content to venture no further than the garden, wanting for nothing and finding our every need catered for.

In Spa Karma, Terry and Derek have created a place that has the capacity to care for the whole person. They have put so much of their own love of nature and respect for life into the establishment of this sanctuary, creating a truly inspiring and rejuvenating retreat that brings a newfound respect for the word holistic. We are truly blessed when our work is in total harmony with our passions, our beliefs and our values, when we can take genuine pleasure in the products and services we create for others. As Terry says, “It doesn’t feel like a business and I hope it never does. I just love it.”

Contact
Spa Karma
843 Glen Huon Road
Glen Huon Tasmania 7109
Phone +61 3 6266 6026 or 0428 670 156
www.spakarma.com.au

Was this article helpful?