Sharing is caring, so Abu Dhabi Week and company checked out some of the couples’ spa treatments on offer
RAYANA SPA
What: 60-minute Rayana Renewal massage
Where: Hyatt Capital Gate
Price: AED 980
Contact: 02 596 1100
After a rather draining week, we headed to the Hyatt Capital Gate for a bit of rest and recuperation. Perhaps because we know what is to come, we feel the day’s tension begin to release as we find ourselves shooting upwards in the lift.
Eager for an hour of ‘we-time,’ we’ve brought along our partner for a relaxing couple’s treatment. We’ve opted for the Rayana Renewal massage, a holistic head-to-toe massage using deep tissue, Swedish and pressure point techniques to work out all of our kinks and knots.
This haven in the sky is both relaxing and stylish, designed in a soothing colour palette of creams, sandy yellow and blonde wood. Bringing the outdoors in, faux sand, rocks and greenery line the room. After getting changed, we begin the treatment with a gentle foot wash. Dipping our toes into the basin of warm, soapy water is the perfect way to begin our process of unwinding.
Using firm strokes, our masseuse kneads out our tired muscles with aromatic oil, paying extra attention to our lower back and tightly knotted neck. But what we love the most is the extra touches to ensure a delightful experience – like the heated eye mask, twinkly lights and soothing music.
Once we’re done, we’re rather reluctant to leave. So it’s off to the relaxation room for a cup of tea while we soak up the panoramic views of the glittering city.
QASR AL SARAB DESERT RESORT BY ANANTARA
What: Couples spa treatment
Where: Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara
Price: AED 1,100 ++
Contact: 02 886 2088
Hidden among the golden sand dunes in Abu Dhabi lies the luxurious Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara. It’s at this exquisite hideaway where we experienced a couple’s spa to remember.
The 60-minute treatment takes place in one of the converted private villas; the treatment room offers views of cascading sands to sooth any thoughts of Abu Dhabi’s manic metropolis. After our feet had been cleansed in a warm bath of lavender and other relaxing oils, we lay on our adjacent tables before our masseuse went to work.
Our partner requested deep relaxation and a soft pressure, while we opted for a more rigorous pressure to help reduce muscle tightness after a recent workout.
Our partner’s shoulders were gently rubbed to ease away built up stress, along with the legs and arms receiving calming strokes to leave our companion feeling light and airy.
Our masseuse gave our legs and shoulders a thorough going over, with medium to hard pressure that disintegrated aches and pains from the previous few days. And after what can only be described as a good beating, our treatment was drawn to a close with a soothing head and neck massage; we glided out of the spa and floated back into the desert, ready for another week in the city.
ESPA
What: Radiance Restorer
Where: The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi Grand Canal
Price: AED 2,230
Contact: 02 818 8051
The magnificent Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, sitting pretty next to the Grand Canal, boasts the equally extraordinary Espa outlet, tucked away beside the main building.
Arriving at the front doors, we were welcomed in by a handsomely-bedecked doorman, and then escorted by the equally radiant hostess into the changing area.
The couples’ room was a well-designed space, with enough room for the traditional foot ritual to be performed, and a discreet space for showering off the oils that were to be used in the treatment – the impressive-sounding Radiance Restorer, which was to last a full two hours.
This top-to-toe treatment includes the aforementioned foot ritual, a body scrub, a body massage with warm oil, a radiance facial and finally a scalp massage.
Meant to ‘revive skin and energy levels’, ‘restoring vitality and radiance’, the treatment, once on the massage table, begins with a salt and oil body scrub, a ‘grate’ experience that does great things to the surface of the skin. After showering off the detritus from the scrub, it was time for the Balinese-inspired massage with warm essential oils – a wonderful counterpoint to the rough treatment earlier.
The massage soothed the aches and scrapes away, and as we drifted away into dreamspace, the treatment changed, focusing on the facial area.
Layer after layer of various oils were applied and rubbed in, with the whole experience then topped off with a relaxing head massage. The Radiance Restorer is a great sampler of everything the spa has to offer.
ATARMIA SPA
What: Couple’s spa treatment
Where: Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi Hotel and Villas, Saadiyat Island
Price: AED 940++ for 60-minute massage
Contact: 02 407 1170
Heading off to Saadiyat Island’s impressive Park Hyatt hotel, the staff at the Atarmia Spa welcomed us inside, where the cool, calm interior and peaceful atmosphere immediately put us at ease.
With tension already starting to drain from our bodies, we were ushered respectfully into the couples’ room, where the facilities were quietly explained to us. The couple’s room was dominated by two sturdy-looking beds (more of that later), but we started by being escorted into a side room, which contained a luxurious changing area, a steam room/shower and a Jacuzzi. Left to our own devices, the bubbling cauldron of the Jacuzzi proved an irresistible draw, and most of our pre-massage 30 minutes was spent relaxing in the tub, lit by a host of multi-coloured lights.
After the soak and the steaming, we were encouraged to dress in robes and join the masseurs in the “main” area, twinkling with soft candlelight and fragranced with sweet oils. A cleansing foot ritual was then followed by a gentle escort to the massage table. Without doubt, these were the best examples of massage beds we’ve encountered in the city. Firm yet comfortable, both beds boasted not the usual towel or sheet as a cover but a much more plush and luxurious surface.
As oils were applied to the skin, the massage began, with firm pressure kneading all the remaining tension from our work-weary bodies. Our therapist seemed to instinctively know where the knots needed kneading the most and applied the requisite pressure accordingly.
After the treatment, we both concluded the combination of beds and the massage skill of the therapists made the experience at Atarmia Spa the best couples’ treatment we’d had in the city so far.
TALISE SPA
What: Couples’ hot stone massage
Where: Jumeirah at Etihad Towers
Price: AED 900
Contact: 02 811 5858
It goes without saying that spending hours typing away at our desks, long distance drives around the city and icy air conditioning can all lead to serious muscle tension. So sometimes there’s nothing like a good massage to ease the stress.
Talise Spa at Jumeirah at Etihad Towers offers a variety of massage treatments, which can be given as a couple’s treatment upon request; we opted for the hot stone massage.
After cooling off with a welcome towel and glass of crystal water, we were escorted into the spacious couple’s treatment room, marked by mahogany, marble and maroon accents. After changing into comfortable and soft bathrobes, we were seated for the foot ritual where we were asked to choose from a selection of oils to be used in the massage.
After choosing an energising blend, we then moved into the dimly lit treatment room and rested our weary heads on the massage beds. Our therapists gave a gentle massage before using hot stones to warm the muscles, continuing the massage with the smooth stones. The treatment focused on areas that hold the most tension including our back and shoulders. The relaxing treatment was just what we needed to remove the knots, and it wasn’t long before the warm massage coupled with the peaceful music lulled our partner into a snoring slumber.
