The air was steamy and moist, causing condensation to descend the floor-to-ceiling marble walls and drip from the impressive, domed mosaiced ceiling. My therapist, Candice, instructed me to undress and lie face down on one of two marble slabs in the centre of the room. To arrive at this purpose-built hammam, I’d ambled through Babylonstoren’s garden, admiring vegetables, fruits, herbs, bees, ducks, spring blossoms and clivias, new life after winter. Turned right at the Greenhouse Restaurant and headed through a bamboo gate. Put on a luxurious white gown. Reclined on a lounger in the spa’s chill area with tea, looking out the window at rows of vines. Birdsong lent the musical accompaniment. This private, full-hour water ritual, I considered a timely renewal of my own. It began with a traditional exfoliating scrub, sloughing away dead skin cells, and pouring warm water over my body to wash them away. The steam in the hammam opened the pores in my new skin for better absorption of nourishing body butter. Dynamic flexing and a massage (I chose deep tissue) to release stiff joints and kinks in muscles. A hair-and-scalp treatment that left my tresses silky. All of it expertly tailored to my problem areas, sensitivities and desired pressure.
Supplied
Feeling purified, deeply hydrated, and relaxed, in a dream-like state of consciousness, I was not in a hurry to leave this oasis after my treatment. Set within a forest of bamboo with lush greenery and myriad leiwater channels, the spa felt like a living extension of the garden. My exploration led me to a long pool, flanked by a wooden deck with loungers and umbrellas on either side, and beyond the fence, plump lemons hanging from trees against a cloudless sky. At one end, an indoor heated vitality pool with mosaic alcoves recessed into the back wall and running waterfalls. At the other end, a salt room, so called because its walls are Himalayan salt bricks in translucent shades of ballet pink. It benefits respiratory health and exfoliation, and reduces stress. Next was a lunch worth lingering over. Didi’s Vegetable and Grain Bowl, a colourful tower of bulgur wheat with turmeric and pumpkin seeds, beetroot, greens, herbs and roasted butternut. It was wholesome, bursting with goodness, crafted from farm-to-fork ingredients grown steps away. Best enjoyed on a lounger with a sparkling glass of Cap Classique. Cheers to new beginnings, for body, mind and soul.
This article was written and supplied by Lisa Abdellah.
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