Abu Dhabi Week goes for the ultimate indulgence at the hands of Emirates Palace Anantara Spa

It’s not often we enter the lobby of Emirates Palace with more reason than to bask in the sheer extravagance of it all, or to gulp at the room rates.

So we felt more than a little smug as we wandered towards the West Wing of the hotel, booked in for a 90 minute Thai Herbal Press Massage at the hotel’s spa. It’s a tough job being an Abu Dhabi Week lifestyle reviewer, but somebody’s got to do it...

You don’t expect anything less than over-the-top luxury at Emirates Palace, and the spa doesn’t disappoint. It exudes the hotel’s trademark five-star splendour. For a start, the reception room of the spa is bigger than most apartments; plush sofas and cushions fill one end of the room, while the other side hosts a large reception desk and plenty of smiling staff eager to whisk you off upstairs to the treatment room.
Room? That is an understatement; a queen’s boudoir would be a more appropriate description. The high decorated ceiling hovers over hanging lanterns and mosaic tiled walls; the two treatment beds in the middle of the room washed over with calm – soft music sets the mood perfectly, candles create a gentle amber ambience.

The treatment starts with a quick shower to prepare the skin and open the pores. Then a brief foot soak in rose petal scattered water allows just enough time for the therapist to explain your session.
The Herbal Press Massage is a traditional practice from Thailand, a technique that apparently dates back thousands of years. A poultice of herbs and spices is warmed and applied to the skin, targeting tension-prone areas; a firm massage using essential oils then soothes the skin, improves blood circulation and helps the natural goodness from the pouch sink into the skin. Or at least that’s the theory.

Lying down on a treatment bed, we’re draped in a cloth and the poultice is applied to the back, directly on to the skin – first through the cloth and then without. We’re expecting to wince at the heat, but it’s a rather pleasant warmth that penetrates deep into tight muscles; we’re soon relaxing and beginning to unwind.
That is, until it’s applied to our calves. Apparently legs are a little more sensitive than the back. We just about manage to stifle a few yelps and flinch only a few times as it works over our tightened muscles.

The massage however soothes away the slight sensation of burning. The therapist, advised on how we like the pressure of the massage before the start of the session, works with vigour on some of the more stubborn knots and aches in the shoulders and back.
By the time the session’s over we’re wondering if we have enough dirhams at the bottom of our bag to sign up for another 90 minutes straight away. Practically floating out of the hotel, we feel the heavy tensions in our body completely eradicated.
We may not be returning every other week for a regular massage, but we will be hinting to all in earshot that it’s our birthday/anniversary/any occasion we can think of just so we can return for another visit – but it’s more than worth it.

What? Thai Herbal Press Massage
Where? Anantara Spa, Emirates Palace (West Wing)
Cost: AED 650
Why? Quite possibly the ultimate spot for parting with plenty of dirhams in exchange for a goddess-like afterglow
Why not? Unless you happen to have bought into the oil business, chances are that this won’t be your regular beauty spot ...
Rated: 9 out of 10       
Contact: 02 690 9000

Charlie Kennedy