Rasha Sadek experiments with antidotes for stress at the spas of Sharm El-Sheikh Ever imagine you can trade your old worn-out body for a new one? Throw away the fatigued armour scarred by the hassle of the years and get a fresh baby- soft one to help you continue the battle of life? I for one would gladly trade in my old weary carcass, whatever it takes. The word "spa" in itself is at once invigorating and peaceful. As one hears it, one visualises lying down under the hands of an expert masseuse as waves of relaxation spread deliciously through the body while soft music plays in the background. Massage, after all, is one of the oldest forms of healthcare, and one that is renowned for its ability to bring back the zest for life. It creates an overall sense of well-being via the largest sensory organ in the whole body -- the skin. Massage helps to strengthen the immune system and restore balance to the body, creating many physiological and psychological benefits. It is also the perfect way to slow down in our fast-paced world. Over the past few years, luxury health spas providing some incredible non-traditional treatments have sprouted up all around Sharm El-Sheikh in South Sinai, adding a new dimension to the attractions of this marvellous city. They include the Daniela Steiner Beauty Spa at the Four Seasons Resort, and the Ritz- Carlton Hotel's Spa and Fitness Centre, in addition to the Sheraton Sharm's Thalasso Spa and Accor's Thalassa Beauty and Spa at the Novotel Hotel. Sharm El- Sheikh is world famous for its natural beauty, from mountains to the azure waters of the Red Sea, and for its exciting leisure pursuits, from desert safaris to diving excursions. Now you can add to these pleasures the ability to rejuvenate your body. ONE FOR ROYALTY: A one-of-a-kind experience was that I had at the spa at the Four Seasons Resort. This spa is clearly designed to relax its clientele. There is something magical about its spacious halls, where the pervasive calm is disturbed only by gentle music and the fragrant aromas of Bergamot flower and mint. As I seek to enter the spa, I begin by bumping into a complete workout room filled with the most modern equipment. Not me, not today. I'm only here to be pampered from head to toe with oils and creams. Soft- voiced Maria who heads up the spa team guides me around her gym before taking me to a relaxing all- leather lounge for a little chat. Illuminated throughout by scented candles, the spa is a little bit of heaven on earth, a harmonious blend of health, beauty and nature. For privacy, 12 treatment rooms are available for individuals or couples. Two private spa suites with sauna and whirlpool can be rented by the hour for couples. In addition to the massage spaces, a range of other body-care rooms is also available. There are also spaces dedicated to the "facial" -- that is, to the art of reviving the skin and guarding against premature aging. Treatments on offer include the "luxury facial", using clay and an ice- cold spoon for hydration and firming, which lasts 55 minutes, and the "classic facial", providing basic treatment from deep cleansing to soothing and moisturising the face, which lasts 85 minutes. Prices for facials range from $82 to $98. Hand and foot care, including pedicure and manicure, starts with a soak in a herbal scented bath and can include hand or foot massage as well. Treatments take anywhere from half an hour to 50 minutes, and cost from $9 to $37. "Reflexology" is a treatment performed on the soles of the feet and/or hand, producing a sublimely relaxing experience. Certain points in the feet and hands are connected to various organs throughout the body. According to the reflex theory, thumb-walking on these points is not just nice for the hands or feet; it is of enormous benefit to the body as a whole. This treatment takes between 50 and 80 minutes and prices range from $61 to $82. Maria told me about the whole-body relaxing treatments offered at her spa, and her seductive descriptions soon stirred me to try one of the massages on offer. There are many options, and I hesitated for a while between "Aroma massage" with its tantalising essential oils and gentle, almost sedative touch (50-80 minutes for $57-78), "Swedish massage", also known as "Classic massage", which works on all the major muscle groups (same duration, same prices), and the "Pharaonic massage" (50-80mins for $61-82). But in the end, it was the latter which inspired me the most. My session started at 2.30pm. I had 15 minutes to change and fill in a medical form. In a white cotton robe, I sat on a comfy sofa sipping a glass of fresh cold water with cucumber. Yes, that's right, with cucumber. As I took one sip after another, I could feel myself drifting in a Hawaiian breeze, surrounded by a halo of sea, sand, sun and palms. "Miss Sadek, will you come with me?" I left Hawaii for a candle-lit massage room and Russian-accented Victoria, my masseuse. My 80-minute strong -- yet peaceful -- session was once reserved for Egyptian royalty. I chuckle at the thought. I'm the royalty now! I lay on my stomach resting on two heated aromatic poultices filled with chamomile and mint. In an ambiance of soft music, the poultices were first dipped into warm sweet almond oil, and then Victoria started to work with them, soothing my tired leg muscles. With strong soft strokes, the poultices slid over my legs; the feeling was heavenly, I had never experienced anything like it before. Then they moved to my feet and toes. My toes, that was what it was all about. The incredible hands of the masseuse dragged the negative energy that had accumulated over days and years in my legs down into my toes, and with a magical touch, pulled it out of my lower body. How she did this is a mystery: all I can say is that it worked. Then her hands moved with the poultices to my back, seeking out and defining lines of bone and muscle I never knew existed. And with every touch I experienced a new level of well-being. Then came my strained shoulders. After all, I'm a 24/7-sitting-at-the- computer working woman and I have aches just about everywhere in my body. And so from the tense muscles of the shoulders to the arms, wrists and palms, the negative energy flowed with the firm poultices. Then back again to the shoulders, the hands stroking me gently (ensuring there wasn't a single atom of bad energy left to resist the "reform movement", perhaps?) Then to my fingers, softly expelling the tension. "Now lie on your back," whispered Victoria, half- afraid of interrupting the deep state of calm into which I had been drawn. She dipped the herbal poultices in the warm oil again, then started working me over again, toe-to-neck, covering my eyes with a piece of cloth. Why did she do that? To keep my wandering eyes from busying themselves with the ceiling or any other form of distraction. It was worth it: the way she massaged my face was a work of art. The fragrance of the oil, the light music in the background, and her gentle touch propelled me the last leg into paradise. Now, guess from where my facial negative energy was expelled? From my earlobes. Impressive isn't it? And if you are subject to constant and repeated headaches, this type of massage can help chase the monster out of your head, believe me. I stayed there in the moment, enjoying having my head and hair pampered, knowing nothing else. I had become a baby all over again: ignorance truly was bliss. My mind was a complete blank. What is "thinking", anyway? Just another form of tiresome attachment to this earth, and this was neither the time nor the place for it. "We're done!" Victoria's luminous voice rang me out of my dream. But I didn't fall from heaven. The entire day, the same melody continued its chanting in every organ of my body. ENERGETIC RELAXATION: For a contrast with the profound relaxation which a good massage can induce, I wanted to try something different, something which would combine tranquillity with health and back pain healing, which would blend relaxation with energy in a single package. It was this desire that led me to the Ritz Carlton's Spa and Fitness Centre, where I had an extraordinary experience with Thai massage. I was literally transported into a Thai ambiance. Everything conspired to make me feel as though I was there -- everything from Sao, the Thai masseuse who gave me her national greeting as I entered, to the music in the massage room, which was like rain dropping on the tiniest of creatures in a forest, or like climbing a mountain of ice to reach a monastery hidden high in a mountain. Traditional ancient Thai massage is a fusion of bodywork techniques from the ayurvedic tradition of India with traditional Chinese medicine. It takes its name from Thailand, because for a long time that was the only country where this particular combination was practised. The basic aim is to improve the flow of energy throughout the body. This energy is supposed to flow through channels called "sen". When the sen are in balance, the person feels healthier and happier, more relaxed but also more vigorous. It was just what I needed that day. In Thai massage, unlike the Pharaonic treatment I had had at the Four Seasons, there are no oils used. Healing is the prime benefit -- which in my case meant the terrible constant pain in my lower back that has so often shattered my capacity for joy. The session took place on the floor, where I lay on a sort of mattress at the centre of four wooden columns. The treatment lasted for an hour, and cost $60. Sao used her hands, feet, elbows and knees on me. She held me in various stretched positions for short periods of time. At its best, the massage looked like a dance. At its worst, it was more like a wrestling match -- especially when she climbed over my leg and back and walked on me. Yes, that's right: walked on me. Not just any old how, but placing her feet on precisely defined lines and points of pressure in my body, not just trampling them, but working on them. Sao, fortunately, was quite a little person, so it wasn't like having a Welsh rugby player dancing on my spine. The feeling, in fact, was quite incredible. When Sao asked me at the beginning of the session where it hurt the most, I thought she would focus her attention exclusively on that area. But it never occurred to me that she would work her own special magic on it. She applied a minty ointment and started stimulating the energy flow, clearing off the negative energy that clung to my muscles and bones. As she moved her hand in strong circular patterns, I felt as though my bad energy was facing a tornado in there. At the same time, the result was not painless: on the contrary, I was feeling more pain than I had before. But I was too desperate to say anything, because I knew that if my back was not cured this way, I was hardly likely to find anything else that would take my pain away from me. And so I endured. "Sit like Buddha," said Sao in her broken accent. I squatted, hands folded behind my neck. Her four limbs spread quickly around my body in a pattern which I was unable to understand, and one, two, three, suddenly she snapped my waist. First one side, then the other. Then she cracked my toes, fingers and neck. The secret of the technique is to apply force on pressure points, muscles and ligaments, together with stretching and bending, to elongate the spine and relieve all the tension that compresses the joints. The result was extraordinary, despite certain painful passages: I emerged from the hotel feeling an unprecedented energy flow. I was in entirely new shape. My back was stretched and my shoulders were aligned. For weeks afterwards, right up to this day, my back has never once complained. So I learned that a massage session is one place where you can see better with your eyes closed. But reemerging afterwards is like moving to a new home, making a fresh start.
