At the end of the narrow passageway is light. Add to that the soft scent of candles, incense, muted lights, and a hushed quietude, and you know you have arrived at The Spa.
It’s a cosy nook just off the noisy and dusty Outer Ring Road at Marathahalli that fringes its mothership — the Park Plaza Bengaluru.
Unwind time may connote many things to many people — a beer maybe, a swim perhaps, or meditation? But if you’d rather just let someone give you a massage to knead all the tensions of the day away, a spa visit is your thing.
If you don’t like a very aggressive rubdown, the spa’s assistant manager Loretta Dique recommends The Spa’s signature relaxation massage — 90 minutes if you have the luxury of time, or a 30 minute one if there’s a meeting after!
The form is filled, allergies mentioned, ailments if any, taken into account. Pressure level preferences for the massage are also put down on paper. Once all the nitty-gritties are sorted, it’s time to head out in search of that ever-elusive bliss at the end of the day.
A quick steam and shower to open up the pores, and you are ready to begin. The feet are scrubbed down with a mixture of warm coconut oil and sea-salt, then quickly dipped in rose-petal filled warm water. Get up and smell the oil — the masseuse invites you to take a whiff of the oil you will be massaged with. I smell the strong and familiar bouquet of rose. The masseuse tells me the other is geranium — the essential oils are mixed with sesame oil to great effect.
Then it’s complete surrender time.
From the tip of your toes all the way to your head, the masseuse weaves patterns on your skin so akin to fine embroidery, I think, with my eyes blissfully closed — the figure of eight, the herringbone… along the legs and back. Swimming somewhere between a relaxed state and the first wisps of sleep, you realise that any tension in your back, neck and shoulders are thumbed out skilfully. The plinkety-plonk of ‘spa music’ continues in the background. The much-needed head massage crowns the whole experience.
The spa’s individual rooms offer absolute privacy — each individual massage suite is compact, with a steam and shower, and restroom all packed in. The masseuse too is a thorough pro and ensures everything’s just right. There’s an exclusive couple massage suite too. Ayurvedic massages call for another suite altogether.
The salon and spa together offer a range of massages that include Balinese, deep tissue, Swedish, and then pedicures, manicures... the works. Prices begin at an average of Rs. 2,000 for the massages.
Park Plaza Bengaluru is at #90/4, Marathahalli Outer Ring Road, Munnekollalu village. The Spa is open 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Call 49094909 for appointments.
