The promise
No particular real promise on this one but a chance to look round the relauched Coral Spa and the aside that I truly won’t hate the Moroccan bath treatment as was the case last time I tried it.
Step by step
I was led to a quiet darkened room where a marble plinth bed takes pride of place and my therapist first turned on the steam to open my pores. After about five to ten minutes of this I was asked to stand up while she rinsed me down with a hose, craftily attached underneath the bed, and then it was time for slathering on the ubiquitous black Moroccan soap. I have to say, I’m really not a fan of this treatment but, on this occasion the soap actually smelled rather pleasant and the scrubbing motion, though certainly not gentle, was nothing like the almost assault-like proportions of my previous experiences. The therapist paid special attention to areas such as my knees and underarms, where dry skin is wont to gather, and was always on hand to help with the many turns required to make sure every inch of my winter-roughened skin, received the necessary attention. The soapy goo was left to settle briefly and then I was again hosed down and treated to a further scrub with the spa’s signature natural scrub which is made on the premises by centre manager Nawal, using a mix of coconut powder, almond oil and honey - it smelled and felt good enough to eat. Then it was time for a last rinse down and hair wash before heading out to dry off.
The results
My previous Hammam experience involved sitting sweating in my pants in a pitch dark room when a power cut hit the salon where I was giving the treatment my first try. I had gone with a friend and nobody came to tell us what was happening so, I’m sure you can imagine, it was not particularly pleasant. Coral Spa could not be more different. My therapist explained what she was doing every step of the way and I left with my skin feeling better than it has in months with all the scrubby little lumps and bumps which develop through cold winter dog walking well and truly rubbed away.
The pros
This new spa is all sparkly and shiny and, though small, it does feel very luxurious. The treatments are also very reasonable priced, ranging from just BD10 for the house special natural scrub. I also liked that, unlike some other Hammam treatments, this is carried out in a private room where you can really enjoy the semi-darkness and steam, which leaves you feeling super clean.
The cons
It would have been a good idea to have some body lotion available for after my scrub as I did feel slightly dry after all that steam but, to be fair, I could also very easily have brought some with me.
Hammam treatment from BD15 for a 45 minute session, Coral Spa natural body scrub BD10 for 30 minutes, available at Coral Spa, Coral Bay (17 290 946).
No particular real promise on this one but a chance to look round the relauched Coral Spa and the aside that I truly won’t hate the Moroccan bath treatment as was the case last time I tried it.
Step by step
I was led to a quiet darkened room where a marble plinth bed takes pride of place and my therapist first turned on the steam to open my pores. After about five to ten minutes of this I was asked to stand up while she rinsed me down with a hose, craftily attached underneath the bed, and then it was time for slathering on the ubiquitous black Moroccan soap. I have to say, I’m really not a fan of this treatment but, on this occasion the soap actually smelled rather pleasant and the scrubbing motion, though certainly not gentle, was nothing like the almost assault-like proportions of my previous experiences. The therapist paid special attention to areas such as my knees and underarms, where dry skin is wont to gather, and was always on hand to help with the many turns required to make sure every inch of my winter-roughened skin, received the necessary attention. The soapy goo was left to settle briefly and then I was again hosed down and treated to a further scrub with the spa’s signature natural scrub which is made on the premises by centre manager Nawal, using a mix of coconut powder, almond oil and honey - it smelled and felt good enough to eat. Then it was time for a last rinse down and hair wash before heading out to dry off.
The results
My previous Hammam experience involved sitting sweating in my pants in a pitch dark room when a power cut hit the salon where I was giving the treatment my first try. I had gone with a friend and nobody came to tell us what was happening so, I’m sure you can imagine, it was not particularly pleasant. Coral Spa could not be more different. My therapist explained what she was doing every step of the way and I left with my skin feeling better than it has in months with all the scrubby little lumps and bumps which develop through cold winter dog walking well and truly rubbed away.
The pros
This new spa is all sparkly and shiny and, though small, it does feel very luxurious. The treatments are also very reasonable priced, ranging from just BD10 for the house special natural scrub. I also liked that, unlike some other Hammam treatments, this is carried out in a private room where you can really enjoy the semi-darkness and steam, which leaves you feeling super clean.
The cons
It would have been a good idea to have some body lotion available for after my scrub as I did feel slightly dry after all that steam but, to be fair, I could also very easily have brought some with me.
Hammam treatment from BD15 for a 45 minute session, Coral Spa natural body scrub BD10 for 30 minutes, available at Coral Spa, Coral Bay (17 290 946).
