Friday is… Spa Day!

It is Friday. The countdown is over and my relief is palpable.

Popular myth attributes Friday to the goddess Freya and the planet Venus. The queen of the Valkyries she is the goddess of love, beauty, fertility, gold, war, and death.

Basically she is your average woman.

Which perfectly justifies my going to the spa this morning.

Today’s venue was the Renaissance Spa in the Michelangelo Towers and I was to be spoiled by a Shirodhara Treatment.

I had to explain to my son on the way that Michelangelo was a Renaissance artist and that the pizza-guzzling ninja turtle was in fact named after him and not the other way around.

This is why I need a massage.

Shirodhara is over 5 000 years old and based on the principles of Ayurvedic medicine. It aims to harmonise the body, mind, senses and soul by activating the third eye or Ajna Chakra in the center of the forehead.

Shirodhara is made of two worlds meaning head and flow, which not only describes the quest for physical and spiritual balance, but is also a surprisingly literal description of the treatment.

Warmed oil is slowly dripped and poured onto your forehead, running down your hair and into a bowl beneath.

It was as the first drop of oil landed on me that I realized my forehead had nerve-endings I never gave it credit for.

A wonderful tickling sensation spread all the way through my body until every muscle and limb just gave up on wasting energy being tense and turned to goo.

 

During the 25 minutes I put into action some of the meditation techniques I’ve been using to combat chronic insomnia and relaxed into a pleasant trance. In fact, a guided meditation audio might be the perfect accompaniment to the session. Next time I shall take my iPod.

Once the anointing of almond, eucalyptus and neroli oil (they are chosen to meet your requirements), was over I was treated to a mind numbing head and neck massage.

By that time I was so relaxed my head was wobbling around like one of those funny little dogs in the rear window of other peoples’ cars.

By the time I floated down to earth it was all I could do to don my robe and slippers and meander into the steam room for a while.

This was when I learned a rather important question to ask yourself when you are booking Shirodhara.

Do you have to go anywhere afterwards?

The aromatherapy oils should be left on for about 12 hours and then washed out if you want to enjoy the full benefit, however if you (like me) have to rush into work, you may want to reconsider your booking time for later in the day.

I have to stress that you don’t need to be a mystic guru to enjoy this massage.

No matter how down-to-earth you may be, it will still calm your mind and body leaving you unfit to go back to work, but perfectly able to lay down on a lounger by the pool overlooking the city and sip a glass of ice-tea.

Zara and her team are wonderful hosts, kindly ushering me back in the right direction every time I got lost and recommending some excellent products to use at home.

My feet are now happily ensconced under my desk in Aromasoothz soothing sockz, which are aromatherapy oil infused beanbag socks you heat up in the microwave and have made me the envy of everyone in the office.

I also have some Les Insus’ Oceanes Bio Serenity Tea from Thalgo to help me drop off to sleep tonight and some reusable eye slices® to help detox my panda bear visage. These eye slices are an incredible South African innovation!

 

They are also running an amazing Dermalogica special.

If you buy the new Dermalogica Overnight Repair Serum and one other product from the AGE smart® range, you get a tube of Power rich™ gratis.

The tube may be small, but the power is mighty and the cost enormous – they come in boxes of four for over R2000.

If you have checked into the Michelangelo after a long flight make them your first call and if you live in the city – why not spend a day in the lifestyle of the rich and famous?

There really is no excuse not to spoil yourself sometimes.

If you can’t find a reason, drop me a line and I’ll find one for you.

After all, if Friday is good enough for me…