A quite haven on the second floor of the JW Marriot, Mandera Spa welcomes visitors ready to be pampered. From my hotel room I searched through the spa booklet for the perfect relaxing treatment. The variety was great and ranged from three-day sessions of massages, baths, facials and cuisines to simple one hour treatments. I chose a middle ground, a three-hour Mandera sunset treatment. At 4 pm I went in search of the Mandera Spa and was greeted with a very peaceful, dimly lit reception area by two friendly Thai ladies. As I waited in the reception area I was served lemon tea that was just the right temperature and taste. The sunset package starts out with a foot ritual, followed by a salt scrub, a shower, followed by a Balinese massage then a Thai herbal facial and finally, refreshments just as the brochure promises. The woman who was to pamper me for the next three hours walked me through a narrow corridor with flower-decorated walls then through two folding doors I walked into my changing area. It had two robes, two pairs of slippers, a set of disposable underwear, a brush, lotion, cotton buds and a box to keep my valuables in. When I undressed and put on the robe I had to ring the gong for my therapist to take me to the next room. I sat on a small comfortable chair with a bowl of warm water and flowers on the ground. I put my feet in the water and she delicately scrubbed them and applied peppermint spray to cool them down. Then it was time for my salt scrub. The massage therapist was very careful in giving me privacy and made sure the temperature and music were just right. She also adjusted the strength of the scrub according to my preference. As I lay on my back she placed a cool eye cover to protect my eyes from the light and when she removed it, she gave me a simple temple massage. After the salt scrub she left me in a wrap for 15 minutes while she prepared the shower for me. The adjoining changing room was made up of a seating area on one side and a corner with a wall shower and a handle shower, with a towel neatly folded outside the door. The water was prepared to the perfect temperature and as soon as I finished again I sounded the gong and the therapist returned to take me back to the massage table where I spent the next hour and a half relaxing to a massage and a facial. The last half hour or so, when she was working on my facial, I started to get hungry so I began fantasizing about the types of refreshments they were going to surprise me with. Unfortunately, this turned out to be the disappointing part of the package. The refreshments were just another glass of lemon tea which they served me as I was about to pay the bill. Although I knew the price of the treatment beforehand, I still felt that LE 1,500 was too expensive. The service was excellent though and when I went home I remained relaxed for over a week, as I washed my face and felt the water smoothly sliding off my skin, softened by the facial. Though it put a dent in my wallet, Mandera Spa is a place I d love to visit every now and then to take a break from the hectic daily schedule.
