I love going to the spa. Honestly, who doesn't. These days, unfortunately, my spa trips are few and far between. I blame the damn kids for that one! So, as you can imagine, I was pretty damn excited when the in-laws presented me with an Urban Spa voucher for the Urban Indulgence package: one hour hot stone Lomi Lomi massage followed by a Heavenly Spa Facial - two hours on indulgent bliss, for Christmas.
I had never had a hot stone massage before so was very much looking forward to this, if nothing else out of curiosity about what is involved. Whenever you see pictures advertising a hot stone massage, the beautiful model always has a bunch of largish stones on her back so I wasn't sure whether it was more an acupressure experience where they left the stones strategically placed on the back to work their magic or whether it was an actual massage. Turns out that it is an actual massage. I requested a firm massage as my back has really been giving me issues. Carrying 15kgs of Crazy Kid or 9kgs of Kiki (or 26kgs of double babies) really isn't too good for the back so it had been causing me problems for a couple of months. My therapist (the lovely Kristy) gave me an expertly firm massage and used a small, smooth hot stone, along with her hands, to perform the massage. It was quite a unique experience as one minute I could sense that she was using her hands to do the massage then then next I'd get a sweep of hotness as the stone was run over me. It really was a delightful sensory experience. As my back was a problem area, Kristy spent 30 minutes just on that then the other 30 minutes was spent on the rest of my body. I could feel myself drifting in and out of consciousness throughout the massage. One really special thing about this massage was that the massage table was heated. Such a small touch, but one that was greatly appreciated (although it was a great contributor to my lack of consciousness!).
All too soon, the massage was over and it was time for the facial. I actually requested to get my brows waxed whilst I was there as I take no care of them at all so it's nice to have them looking neat, for once!
Kristy asked what my skin concerns were. I usually have fairly decent skin but recently I have been super slack in taking care of it as I have just been too damn tired. I was expecting it to be a little congested (actually, I knew it was - I have a bountiful blackhead farm on my nose!) and possibly a little dehydrated. Kristy then looked at closely with a special light and came to the same conclusions as me. There was a lot of congestion on the nose, forehead and chin, with above average oil flow in these areas and the cheeks and eye areas were dehydrated. She then devised a personalised facial to tackle these issues. The facial consisted of a cleanse, exfoliation, deep cleanse/pore treatment, oxygen plumping and a personalised mask. For the exfoliation, a masked was applied then buffed off with a brush that felt absolutely amazing...like a hairy animal was gently crawling over my face. This brush didn't oscillate as fast as the Clarisonic does and I actually found myself preferring the slower speed. This brush was used after every step and it was such a delightful inclusion in facial.
Whilst the exfoliating mask was on, I was able to choose between having a 5 minute scalp, hand or foot massage - I went with scalp massage and it was divine...I could have laid there all day having my scalp massaged! For the personalised mask, I had a rose mask to rehydrate my skin. Again, while that was on I got another massage, this time of my neck and shoulders. Heaven!
The two hours of pampering left me feeling so blissed out, almost like I was walking on air. My skin was plump and clear, and a week on it is still looking hydrated. My mother-in-law looked after The Crazy Kid and Kiki whilst I was pampered and I have to confess that I didn't really want to go back to them once I was finished. I wanted to go home to sleep and embrace my blissed out state for a bit longer!
It was the little things that put this treatment above treatments that I have had in the past. I love that my therapist didn't leave the room whilst my masks were on but instead added some extra pampering with the massages. I hate it when the therapist walks outs and leaves me whilst a mask is on...makes me feel a little ripped off, so the massages were very much appreciated. I loved the heated massage table. It kept me nice and toasty during the treatments and added to my relaxation. And I loved the brush used after every step in the facial.
This was definitely one of the better spa experiences I have had and one that left me feeling so relaxed afterwards. A week on I still have no pain in my back and my skin still looks beautifully hydrated (although the blackhead farm is already producing another crop ready for harvest!). If you or anyone you know needs some serious pampering, I'd definitely recommend the Urban Indulgence package.
I went to the salon in Avalon; however, there are spas all over the place. Have a look here to find one near you.
What has been your best spa experience? Have you ever had a terrible experience at a spa?
All opinions are my own and I received no remuneration for this post. This package was a Christmas gift from the in-laws.
