ONCE IN a while, I indulge in a ?me day.? This is when I turn off my cell phone, and have the afternoon to just relax and pamper myself. I do this to celebrate an accomplishment or to release stress. It doesn?t matter what the reasons are. I highly suggest you, too, set aside a ?me day? for yourself.
For my ?me day,? I went to Le Spa at Sofitel Philippine Plaza Hotel. There is something about being close to the bay. The hotel?s resort atmosphere makes you feel like you are somewhere far away and not in the middle of Manila.
Le Spa has an impressive grand entrance where you are met by ladies whose uniforms I want to copy. The linen wrap-arounds make perfect resort wear; they don?t look like uniforms.
Hot tea is served while you are seated on oversized arm chairs and a menu of services is presented to you. Then you are escorted to a waiting lounge where you choose your massage oil fragrance, room fragrance and music. Yes, you can choose your music. I chose chill/lounge music over Sting, which is another favorite.
I decided to keep my treatment simple and stress-relieving by choosing a one-and-a-half hour Philippine hilot massage.
The other more exotic treatments include Hypnotic Queen?s touch, an hour of full body massage using black Ruapehu smooth stones to rebalance body, mind and spirit; Marrakech Sweetness, gentle green tea exfoliation followed by a massage with enveloping strokes to let you regain consciousness of bodily sensations; Brazil Colors, tension-relief massage combining manual maneuvers and Brazilian bamboo stick for a rhythmic, hypnotic-draining result.
There?s also Kerala?s Smile, an Indian-inspired hand massage using Kansu copper bowl to clear away muscular tensions linked to jet lag. I wish I could have tried them all.
I was lulled into a much needed and highly appreciated deep sleep during such heavenly massage. I was grateful for an afternoon of sheer relaxation, with no appointments and deadlines.
Le Spa at Sofitel Philippine Plaza Hotel Manila is truly the place to visit on your next ?me day.? And when you are there, get a facial too. Le Spa offers facial and body aromatherapy treatments, among others.
