It is 8 months into the year. You are a mother, perhaps a wife, a homemaker and, you have a high stress corporate job. 8 months of doing everything and you are simply exhausted! Which is why the ultimate feel-good spa getaway is what you really need to jump-start and re-energize your batteries! Now, there are many hotels that have spas within their premises, an additional facility that if truth be told, is but a requirement that looks good on paper but is not the focus of the hotel’s offerings. Those spas are not what you will be looking for.
When you do eventually show up at the Silver Palm Spa & Resort, you will realize that this is the spa that you need. No expense has been spared in its design. The serene and luxurious interiors of the Barizi spa (Barizi is the Swahili translation of the word ‘Breeze’) boasts African influences that will make for an indulgent and restorative experience! The spa is purposefully designed and well placed beautifully, above the resort premises, thus overlooking the turquoise blue water of the Indian Ocean and surrounded by beautiful palm trees and the refreshing cool breeze, true to the meaning of its name. If the resort were a goose, then their Barizi Spa really is the Golden egg! This is the tranquil sea-front haven that greets four extremely exhausted women, when we arrived at this exclusive resort situated in Kilifi County. Observing these surroundings, we knew immediately that we would be in for different kind of holiday!
And, we wasted no time. We were here to be restored back into complete wellness by the spa offerings – an extensive array of choices that were at first glance, a little intimidating but were later demystified by the highly trained therapists. For myself, a tired mother of a toddler, I thought a basic massage would do the trick. I changed my mind soon after. As expected, every treatment begins with a personalized consultation, which included answering some targeted and specific questions about my daily habits. I later deduced that these questions and my answers, ensured that my physical and emotional needs would be met during the experience. Thereafter, my therapist suggested that I should start with the Vichy-Scrub-Bath-Massage treatment. She explained that they would be scrubbing my entire body with aroma-infused sugar and then I would be submerged into a hydrotherapy bath that I was told contains muscle warming ingredients! The treatment would then end with a massage. This treatment’s objective (This is #RealCorporateTalk), would help to ease fatigue (developed after running after my toddler), anxiety (developed from worrying about my performance in the parenting and marital fronts) and stress (developed from worrying about my work). She promised that the treatment would completely rejuvenate me and leave my body feeling refreshed and invigorated. I was inevitably sold to this promise! Next, my therapist suggested that I should indulge in the ‘TheraVine Pinotage Bath.’ This experience, she said, would immerse my body into grape-skin & vine-leaf anti-oxidant extracts combined with indigenous essential oils to promote my wellbeing and reverse the ageing process, whilst achieving a deeper state of therapeutic relaxation. And after a little while, my body would then be glazed with some exotic body oils – that I could not properly pronounce – to soften and moisturize the skin! You know I was completely sold on it, despite being a little skeptical about the promised reversal of my natural ageing process!
My friends were equally adventurous. One settled for the ‘Escape Package’; 8 hours of blissful pampering that included a foot cleansing ritual, body exfoliation, the Hydrotherapy bath, a body cream wrap & steam rinse, a hair & scalp treatment and a facial topped off with a light lunch from the Spa’s health bar menu – a spa worth its bath-salts would not be complete if it did not have a health bar!
The others then made the very interesting choice to try out the Ayurvedic treatments because, they said, what is a spa getaway if you do not pay homage to the creators of the traditional Indian mind-body-soul alignment practices, that gave rise to the health & wellness movements? The Ayurvedic treatments at the spa include the Shirodhara Massage which we were told would improve our mental clarity and comprehension! My friends also tried the well-known Ayurvedic Indian foot and head massage, which not only focuses on the head, but also includes the upper shoulders, neck, upper back face and scalp. We were told that the foot massage in particular, has the ability to heal, revitalize and improve circulation in the entire body!
Also, on offer at the spa is, ahem, a ‘gentleman’s space’ where the ‘Men Clarifying Back Treatment’ is very popular. I was told that the treatment ‘aims at refining and purifying the skin whilst reviving tension areas on the back, neck and shoulders, and brings about a rebalancing effect of deep cleansing exfoliation while detoxifying actives restore a weary mind, body and soul.’ Now, who wouldn’t want such a result?
And how about a private spa for 2? The spa has a secluded couple’s massage room where the couple can indulge in a 150-minute massage and then later, get into the jacuzzi on the balcony that offers complete privacy and a spectacular view! Truthfully, you would need an entire week at this spa to do justice to its spa menu!
At the end of our spa getaway, we were restored. Centered, in spa ‘speak.’ We looked and felt like a million bucks, and we were ready to get back to the daily grind.
It wouldn’t be a complete review if I didn’t mention the accommodation and the meals at the Resort. The resort has only 38 rooms and the room options include 24 double rooms, 12 ground floor suites – 6 of which have direct access to the pool from the room’s sitting area, and 2 premier suites which come with a personal butler and their own private pool. We loved the styling of the rooms, which are intentionally lavish; creamy walls, indigenous woods, large magnificent beds with stylish extravagant bathrooms!
When it comes to the meals at Silver palms, the resort is simply in the premier league! With wood fired pizzas (which we did not indulge in) and Teppanyaki grill, the food here defies expectations and is simply, finger-licking-delicious.
Wanjiru Catherine.
The Author is the Founder and CEO of Saffara Ltd
This article was published in the East African Newspaper on Monday the 27th of August, 2018. Read it here as ‘Pampered in a lavish spa on Kenya’s Coast’.