{Sanctuary} in the City

The wedding planning hasn’t even officially begun yet, and I already feel like I’ve reached breaking point. Who knew guest lists, party favours, flowers and dress fittings could take such a toll? Pinterest says these are supposed to be the fun parts of the process, and as happy as I feel, when I look in the mirror, stress, lack of sleep and unhealthy eating patterns have me lacking my bridal glow.

 

Luckily, when L’Occitane called and asked me to come visit their spa in Lower Parel, ‘Spa La Vie’, I managed to clear an afternoon for some much needed R and R. Who knows? These quiet, blissful moments may be the last bout of tranquility and me-time I get for the next couple of months.

 

L’Occitane’s reputation precedes itself, of course, so I knew I was in for a wonderful day. But when I walked through those glass doors, slipped off my sparkly flats and stepped into a pair of the spa’s bamboo slippers, I never wanted to leave!

 

I was personally greeted by the spa manager who offered me a detoxifying honey, ginger, lime and holy basil tea while I filled out a little form, letting them know of my health conditions, lifestyle choices, pressure preferences and body zones that needed working on, so that they could provide the ultimate customized experience.

 

Shortly after, he led me on a guided tour of the exquisitely decorated 8000sq ft spa, with boasted a mani/pedi section, a special section reserved for sparties, bridal and baby showers, luxurious couple rooms and spacious single rooms, fitted with in-built tubs and saunas. My room was tastefully furbished with candle votives, fresh flowers, soothing artwork and the special oils selected for my massage. I was presented with a bath robe, shower cap and disposables to wear by the senior spa technician, Manju, who was absolutely wonderful throughout my visit.

 

After adjusting the room temperature to my preference, prepping me with a relaxing foot soak in Lavender foaming gel and spritzing the massage table pillow with fragrance, she announced that she was ready to begin. The first procedure lasted 60mins and was a relaxing aromalogical massage using lavender, tea tree and germanium oil, the mixture of which smelled absolutely heavenly! The massage used Swedish, Chinese and Belanise acupressure techniques, where she worked on my legs, upper back and shoulders using firm but gentle pressure, like I had requested in the form I filled.

 

Once we were finished, we made our way to the Hammam room for an exciting new massage I couldn’t wait to try! I was told to spend some time detoxifying in the room’s private sauna (I never wanted to get out of there!) before Manju led me over to a warm marble massage table under five shower nozzles.

 

Hammam means shower and is a Turkish massage conducted on a warmed bed, while you lay under what felt like warm rain drops that fell from the heavens and washed away all your stress, anxiety and muscle tension. This massage was a lot lighter on the touch than the previous one and was carried out with Lavender foaming gel.

 

Once the treatment was finished, I had the choice of taking a regular shower, using L’Occitane’s shampoo, conditioner and shower gel. They were also kind enough to grant me a blow dryer so I wouldn’t walk out soggy.

 

On my way out, I filled in a feedback form and was more than happy to give them a five star rating on all accounts! Not once have I been to a spa that takes it’s customers’ every little need into account, and makes them feel like total VIP’s. The only point of improvement? It would be great if they had given us a little goodie bag with tiny samples of the products they used to keep as a memento. The only drawback? The location. It’s a little difficult to find so I’d suggest doing your research, opening Google maps and calling ahead for directions.