When invited to F.Chisel, the spa and salon located in the heart of Delhi's South extension market, I didn't quite know what to expect. I mean, a spa which is a collaborative effort of FTV and Chisel seemed like some glamorous but lifeless place where the trappings would take precedence over substance. Man, I was wrong, and how! F.Chisel, though giving an outer impression of just another fitness centre, is quite a pleasant surprise when it comes to quality of service for the kind of price it commands. The three-storied building houses a spa, a fully functional salon and a gym on the top floor. From the elaborate spa menu, I opted for the herbal ball compress which happens to be a healing treatment based on energy flow. Particularly good for relieving muscular pain and inflammation, the therapy involves therapeutic herbs, including ginger, turmeric, kaffir lime, camphor and lemongrass, wrapped in a muslin cloth, soaked, steamed and then applied to the body using soothing and invigorating movements. The hot herbal compress, when applied to the aching muscles in the body, seems to ease residual tension in the muscles and gives a boost to the body's energy levels. I complemented the treatment up with a foot reflexology massage, which felt heavenly. The ambience was good and #8230; with a bubbling jacuzzi in the treatment room itself, though I must mention that the sound of people exercising in the gym upstairs was a bit of a dampener when it came to imagining a tranquil state around me. But what the heck - an entire range of treatments including Thai, Javanese, Balinese, Swiss, Shiatsu, Hot Stone and the works in the average price range of 1000-1500 bucks - what more could one ask for.
Glenn McGrath still loves chicken tikka, to which dhokla and kachauri were added recently. But there is an added Indian attraction this time. The Delhi IPL team speedster, who is in the city before leaving for South Africa, "really likes" Neha Dhupia. The Australian kick-started the Fever 104 Delhi Daredevils Captains Knock on Monday, visiting two lucky winners who, besides a lot of goodies, won season tickets for all the home matches to be played next year. Though McGrath adores Neha, he hasn't watched any Bollywood movies lately. "I need to be updated by Brett Lee," says McGrath, whose "last Bollywood connection was Slumdog Millionaire". With Mohammed Asif of Pakistan out of the line-up, the pacer realises he has to spearhead Delhi's bowling attack. Asked if he, too, is wary about playing in the sub-continent after the recent terror strikes, McGrath says, "What happened in Karachi sure made us think so, but you can't club India and Pakistan. There is no comparison at all." He has always felt "comfortable playing in India", he adds. "Personally, I'm not worried about being here." In his second season as a "Delhiitte", McGrath wishes to expand his Hindi vocabulary beyond "thanda paani". He knows a few abuses, too! Who in the Indian team has he found pretty abusive? And here comes a surprise. "During one match [in Nairobi], it was Sachin [Tendulkar] who sledged at me," he says. "I was shocked." McGrath, like everyone else, is disappointed about the IPL moving out, as "playing cricket in India is a different experience. It's so huge here." But otherwise, he is super-confident. "Delhi will win," he declares. "We have no competition."