Special

Ratan's health club

Thanks to the rise in health awareness and proliferation in beauty pageants, fitness has become a booming industry today. However, unfortunately, the services that most of these gyms offer leave a lot to be desired especially when it comes to expert advice regarding how to exercise effectively and the level of hygiene.
What set Ratan's Health Club apart from the others is the presence of trained gym instructors and a scrupulous level of hygiene.

Ratan's Health club has many dimensions. Apart from the gym it has a sauna section, a jacuzzi section, a salon and a massage room, which also provides traction. Therefore, both health and beauty go hand in hand in Ratan's Health Club.

The gym section has state-of-the-art equipment and includes treadmill, cycle, Multi-gym and Cross Trainer all of a well-known brand called "Precor".

Expert physical trainers are always there to guide you to prevent injury and to help you get the most out of your workout. We often tend to overlook the fact that exercise must be done under the supervision of a trained physical instructor.

Sadly, most gyms in Dhaka have the equipment but are staffed by inadequately trained instructors who pass on advice that is at its best, worthless and at its worst, dangerous. Ratan's Health Club fulfils this need for guidance through the expertise of highly trained physical instructors.

During the registration of a client his/her medical history is noted down as it has implications on the way he can exercise safely. The physical instructors provide guidelines for exercising tailored to the requirement of each client and painstakingly observe the client to make sure that the person is exercising correctly.

The instructors, managers and all staff in Ratan's Health Club have a positive and friendly attitude. The instructors are very encouraging which is a motivating factor for exercisers.

Possibly the most attractive part of any gym's repertoire are the weight loss packages that are eagerly sought by the young and old, mostly women, all with dreams of acquiring a slim figure.

Dr. Ratan, the founder of this gym, said that they offer an effective weight loss package complete with a diet chart that ensures steady and safe weight loss. The cost of this target program is a reasonable Tk.15,000 for three months, Tk.25,000 for six months and Tk.40,000 for a year.
In fact Ratan's Health Club provides international standard services without burning a hole in your pocket. You can get great deals by availing of the packages for couples. There are no extra charges for the use of towels, lockers and showers.

You can avail of "Hydrotherapy" in the Jacuzzi section and it is fun after a gruelling session in the gym. Dr. Ratan explained to us that Hydrotherapy is the use of water in the treatment of diseases. Since bath salts are used in the bathing water hydrotherapy creates vibrations on the skin and corrects electrolytic imbalances in our bodies. It also lifts our mood and soothes the mind.

Sauna helps in the detoxification of the skin and weight
loss. Seven clients can take steam bath at a time in the sauna room.

The massage section provides digital traction for spondilitis patients and also physiotherapy. Physiotherapy experts of the Bangladesh Cricket Board and CRP counsel the patients. Very few gyms/clinics in our country provide digital traction and traction is still provided by the ancient system of hanging bricks.

For those who want a relaxing massage you can get it
here. There is an instrument called digital diathermy, which is used to give a massage for relieving muscle cramps. This high-tech machine is quite a rarity in Dhaka and found only in one place other than Ratan's.

The salon has state of the art equipment and you can get your haircut and styled here or get it dyed. Although most of the clients in the salon are males, the management wants to attract female clients in the future.

The service of the salon is unparalleled when it comes to the level of hygiene. Every comb and pair of scissors is sterilised in a proper sterilising machine after use. Towels are also sterilised after use. There is a towel dispenser, which gives you a warm and wet tissue, is amazingly refreshing.

In future Dr. Ratan is planning to set up a food court, which will offer all healthy and low fat fare. The gym will also be bigger and set up in a 2500 square feet area. His vision is to change the way people think about gyms in this country. It is much more than a place that helps you lose weight and build muscle and is in fact an investment in fitness.

Therefore, if you decide to join Ratan's Health Club, your health and fitness will be in good hands. It will ensure that you have a beneficial, safe and injury free workout.

By Malina Islam

Beautiful bonsai
Have you ever felt like stunning others with a bonsai at your windowsill? If yes, then don't forget to pay a visit to the Gulshan outlet of Midas Mini Mart. They have a really rich collection of dwarf versions of some exquisite evergreen trees. These miniature trees are mind-blowing and would add splendour to your abode. Prices will vary according to the age of these trees. Say, within tk.1200 you can get hold of a 12-year-old beautiful bonsai. There are trees like Thai Jade, Exora, Japanese Bot (Banyan), Chinese Jade, Australian Fig, Mother Tongue and others adorning the shelves. So if you want to spice up your plant collection, do check Midas out.

Fruity face wash
Ever Yuth's lemon face wash, enriched with extracts of green apple and honey, are available in most of the renowned super stores of the capital. Available at around tk.65, this soap-free face gel deeply cleanses the skin gently without leaving it dry or stretchy. This face wash promises to remove bacteria and other impurities that collect on our skin from every day's exposure to dust and pollution. So if you are looking forward to smooth and fresh skin, get yourself one of these 60ml tubes.

Moisturising milk shampoo
Dove has been a popular name in the world of toiletries for a long, long time. They have always come up with new products in order to comply with their consumers' needs. A new addition to their product line is the Dove Shampoo consisting of moisturising milk and hydraterende milk. This 2-in-1 shampoo will hydrate your hair without weighing it down. This shampoo assures you a noticeably softer and shiny hair after application. Available at tk.220, each 250ml bottle is obtainable at retail shops like Almas and others.

Zodiac mugs
There are beautiful mugs with star signs embossed on their body are available at the Banani outlet of Hallmark. Available at tk.195 plus 5% VAT, these mugs can be a good gift if you have a birthday of your friend or relative in one of the upcoming months.

Friendship quotes
How long has it been since the last time that you gave something to your best friend? Can't remember? Then check out the Hallmark store at Banani; there are really cute and colourful cards with wonderful friendship quotes imprinted on top available at this gift shop. Each box is available for tk.65. A grand way to dazzle your favourite friend!

Colour your lips with Revlon
The leading cosmetics brand, Revlon has been marketing awesome lipsticks in eye-catching colours for fashionable women since their inception. There are beautiful matte lipsticks of Revlon available in diverse colours in most of the prominent stores of Dhaka. Available at tk.200 to tk.220, these lipsticks will positively add elegance to your lips. So try one out during the forthcoming Eid, and don't forget to choose the shade according to the colour of your Eid attire.

By Wara Karim

 

 

Essentials

The missing spark
Actually, a lot of missing sparks. Last Wednesday, on October 29, twenty-one of the country's twenty-three power plants tripped up, leaving practically the whole country stranded for several hours. The outage had an effect on the water supply as well, so that many areas in the city ran dry by noon. Power was partially restored after 12:30 p.m., and the authorities had said it would take them 24 hours to restore full power. Till the time this article had been written, several parts of the city were still facing a power crisis. What can we do but wait and sweat?

Save the residential areas!
First Dhanmondi and now Gulshan…the practice of setting up commercial establishments, and educational and medical institutes in residential areas has really complicated the lives of the people living there. Did you know there are about eighteen banks between Gulshan 1 and 2? There are almost as many schools, and twice as many restaurants, and a comparable number of private medical institutions.
The annoying jams created by traffic headed to and from the schools and hospitals are just one of the problems. There are also other issues, such as waste disposal in the medical institutions, nuisance created by students at the coaching centres, and hooliganism (especially by toll-collectors) near business centres. People who live in these areas, and are not party to these institutions should not have to deal with such problems. The concerned authorities should definitely put a stop to this.

Construction chaos
New apartment blocks are springing up like mushrooms all over the city. The building authorities, while making a killing off these projects, are creating a host of problems for others living in the affected areas. Aside from the noise pollution created by the construction process itself, there are also problems like the construction workers straightening the rods right in the middle of the road, obstructing traffic, and damaging the roads themselves. Also, the construction of the buildings is almost invariably followed by new water pipelines being added, a practice that is really taking its toll on the road conditions. The building authorities ought to be a bit more considerate.

Also notice…
While steps have been taken to start repairing the main roads (well, some of them at least), the by-lanes are in a disgraceful situation, pitted with potholes and cracks. These impairments of the roads further damage the wheels of the cars that use the by-lanes, and are a major headache to commuters. Something has to be done to patch up the problems.

By Sabrina F Ahmad