144 March 2015 www.bahrainthismonth.com marketplace A Dream Escape DESSANGE PARIS ANKITA MAMGAIN Take a break from your busy routine and treat yourself to a relaxing massage or beautifying treatment — a bit of touch therapy can do wonders! Let me start with a disclaimer — I am not a mum, but that doesn’t mean I don’t feel tired and overworked. Whether you are a full-time career woman or a stayat-home mother, there are times when you wish you could just run away to a happy place and do nothing! Thankfully, scribbled on my seemingly unending to-do list and amidst my deadline-centric existence was a task I simply couldn’t put off — a spa retreat. I headed to Dessange Paris in Adliya for a bit of pampering. Once I placed my belongings in a locker and changed into a robe, my attendant Chenda escorted me to the massage room. As I lay face down on the bed, gazing into a bowl of orchids, the lights dimmed, soothing aromas and music filled the air and Chenda started the Thai Hot Poultice massage. Starting from my feet, she eased out the tension in my calf muscles and went all the way up to my shoulders, without stopping. It almost seemed as if she was walking on me, I’m sure she wasn’t but it felt like it. After this initial warm-up she concentrated on each body part individually, constantly checking with me if the pressure was alright and I, in my sedated slurs, kept replying that it was “just fine”. There’s something about Oriental music and spas; it’s a match made in heaven. Soon I drifted off to my happy place. It looked somewhat like Teletubbie-land; bright sunshine, vast fields of grass and beautiful flowers. Soon after I was surrounded by the sound of rain, watching glistening droplets fall off luscious green leaves. How I managed to see an ex-colleague at a Barak Obama press conference amidst all this, I don’t know. “Snap out of it, snap out now,” I told myself. By now Chenda had moved on to the nape of my neck, the most painful and troublesome area of my predominantly desk-confined body. After a few irksome strokes, the knots d isappeared and she progressed, pressing herb-filled muslin bags on my body as they gently steamed away. I decided not to wash away the oil, and let my skin feast on its herbal goodness for a little while. After this tranquilising hour and a half, I had some ginger tea and fresh fruits before heading to the salon for some hair care. Following a quick consultation with my attendant, Rosie, I was prescribed treatment for normal hair. She applied a few, great-smelling potions on the roots before covering my hair with a mask to deeply condition the strands. This was followed by wash and blow-dry and I left the place feeling immensely energised. So mummies, give yourself a break for a couple of hours and book a pampering package now! Make sure you arrive a little ahead of your appointment so that you can use Dessange’s steam, sauna and plunge pool facilities as well. Happy Mother’s Day!
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