For Muslims, Ramadan is often the month of new beginnings. It's a time when chain smokers decide to quit, when people start negotiating their love handles either through dieting - if that's at all possible in what's become known as the feasting rather than the fasting season - or through exercise. Spiritual crises aside, the idea of fresh starts and turning new leaves has inspired the Four Seasons Nile Plaza's best kept secret: a special Ramadan program at the Daniela Steiner Beauty and Wellness Spa. To complement the detoxing function of fasting where Muslims refrain entirely from food and drink from dawn until sunset, the delightful new spa director Doris Sinnathurai - who has recently joined the hotel to crown an extensive globe-spanning career, including a stint as head of one of Bali's top wellness centers - came up with a brilliant idea. It starts with a little bit of exercise, not too strenuous. The workout will be a warm-up to get the blood flowing, something to make you sweat out all the impurities, she explains. Following the tutored workout is one of two special Ramadan choices: either the phenomenal papaya soother or the cleansing almond scrub and yogurt wrap, which both offer an extremely hydrating and soothing effect. To go with the scent and taste of Ramadan, I went for the nuttier option. As I walked into the treatment room, swathed in a Four Seasons' silky, hyper-sized bathrobe atop a disposable ribbon-strapped pink bikini I was given as soon as I entered, I felt as if the whole world no longer mattered. The muted lighting of overhead spotlights was complemented by candlelight emanating from every corner and the appetizing scent of freshly ground almonds. A lovely, soft-spoken Balinese therapist knows just what to do to put you at ease, explaining the steps of the 50-minute treatment process. If you're shy or haven't done this before, don't give it another thought; the therapist is extremely sensitive to the minutest details, making sure you're comfortable with everything she's doing. The treatment begins with the application of a smooth exfoliating combination of water and ground almonds all over the body. Most of the nutty bits are cleansed off with warm wipes before the soothing yogurt is applied and, still lying on the treatment table, you find yourself wrapped in a thin plastic blanket topped with large hot towels that help the yogurt seep through. While the creamy concoction relaxes your body, the therapist gives your head the royal treatment, with an incredibly relaxing head-massage that will have you out in seconds. All of a sudden you find yourself being gently awoken by a smiling face to shower off the yogurt and almonds and get ready for the crowing moment: a full body massage. You have a choice of either staying in the atmospheric dimly-lit room with its tranquil Buddha Bar-type music, or to move to another with a panoramic Nile view. I opted for the latter and was not disappointed. Somehow the combination of total comfort and a bird's-eye view of the bustling streets lining the calm river underneath seem to reconcile you with the city. You leave the ivory tower loving Cairo just a little bit more. A nugget of spa wisdom sets the mood: "Loving yourself is the beginning of an everlasting romance it says on the wall. And as your therapist begins the massage using an aromatic combination of sandalwood and rose scented oil, you quickly nod off again, only to be awoken and escorted to the huge lounge with its giant off-white chaise longs. Here you can help yourself to your choice of ginger or mint water if you're not fasting. A mango-flavored yogurt explosion drink wraps up the whole experience out on the pool, where you'll catch yourself smiling peacefully. I haven't tried this one, but if the nutty treatment is anything to go by, then the Papaya Soother sounds like a fantastic alternative. Doris describes this double peel treatment as nothing less than "heavenly, as it honors the traditional healing powers of the papaya. Guests, the brochure says, are pampered with a five-minute foot compress and 20-minute loofah scrub before indulging in a 30-minute enzymatic papaya body wrap. This warming treatment provides a double dose of exfoliation, leaving the skin exceedingly soft. A soporific, 50-minute aroma massage using basil, patchouli and vetiver brings the Papaya Soother to a close, cocooning guests in a total sense of tranquility. At the Four Seasons, it's not only the food you eat that satisfies your cravings; at the spa, you'll discover that your skin too has taste buds and what better way to keep it happy in Ramadan than with an intensely hydrating gesture of love for yourself?
