There are some things that us gents don’t do often enough and one of those is spend time unwinding properly.
Now that doesn’t necessarily preclude a couple of pints and a pie down the pub – which I maintain is still an essential part of the holistic relaxation lifestyle – but there are some ways that lads, dads and dudes can be properly pampered and come out feeling awesome.
All of which is a twisty way to explain why I’m sat in a fluffy robe at the Haven of the Silver Rain Spa at the Ritz-Carlton, lemon ice water in hand and idly selecting some Bob Marley to play in the background of my King for the Day package.
In truth, with the gentle lighting, super-soft furnishings and discreetly helpful staff I’m relaxed already but once I make my way into a treatment room, lie down and start getting a quite extraordinary massage from therapist Tami Norris words literally begin to fail me.
She says the massage was long-overdue; I agree, though all I can manage is a contented purr. It’s amazing how you don’t know how much you need your muscles realigned until you actually make the decision to do something about it. This is magic stuff; Tami is a genius and the world slips away.
Pedi-curious
But that’s not all there is; part two of the King for the Day package is a pedicure. And that is something I’ve definitely never experienced before. In the past I’ve had my body soaped all over by naked Turkish men in a Hammam in Istanbul, swum naked in a Finnish lake post-sauna and swum, er, naked, in Icelandic hot springs, but somehow a pedicure always seemed an unmanly option.
More fool me; in short order I’m sat in a futuristic chair out of Homer Simpson’s dreams (chair goes up, chair goes down, chair slides back, chair slides forward) with a glass of chilled champagne in my hand (you can also choose Caybrew or sipping rum). Therapist Esther Gachihi washes my legs, my feet get a jacuzzi of their own and she sets to work with an incredible sole massage. Now the soles are full of nerve endings; anyone with a tickle-fixation knows that. But a little more pressure in the right places and I swear I feel a tingling in my neck. It is incredibly sensuous stuff.
After all that, there’s time to chill out and finish the champagne – the world can wait awhile. One of the greatest gifts you can give is that of time and with Fathers’ Day coming up fast (19 June) this might just do the trick. All I know is it feels amazing. Like a king, in fact.
The package is US$250 or CI$200, not including 20 per cent gratuity.
Weekender on the Web: Check out Joe’s King for the Day experience on the Caymanian Compass website www.caycompass.com in the videos section.
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