THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH -
JANUARY
2004
Bali High – Palace of Serenity
 “Nobody’s built like this since the 16th century.” Says
Prana Spa creator Jim Elliott as he stands outside his Indian version
of the Moulin Rouge in the middle of Bali. It’s a bold
claim from the Sydney-born artist. Yet
wandering through the extraordinary red and gold spa complex that
rises Phoenix-like from the backstreets of Bali’s upmarket
district of Seminyak, it’s apparent that Elliott has created
something out of the ordinary: the newly opened Prana Spa is being
hailed the most impressive in Bali.
It not only looks but feels like an Indian palace. The outside
is painted a deep red, adorned with gold-painted battlements, turrets
and carved elephant heads. Inside are lavish furnishings
and carpets, mosaics and carvings. Many of the fixtures were
imported from Rajasthan by Elliott and New Zealand sculptor Stephen
Hall who was enlisted to lend his talents.
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