Spa Review: Views Boutique Hotel & Spa, Willderness

Being a beauty writer certainly has it's perks, but it also sucks the joy out of a few of the pleasures of life. Like spa treatments, for example. They're just not the same if you're doing them for a review. If the spa knows you're there for review, you get treated like royalty. Which doesn't suck, but you never quite switch off and zonk out. I keep listening (and peeking) to check if things are being cleaned, protocols are being followed, and then I often need to ask questions to make sure I know exactly what's happening in order to describe it to you lovely lot. I also often have therapists looking at me with expectant eyes as if they're waiting for a report card or grading, which can sometimes (always) get a little awkward (I don't grade them). 

To shorten this long story: I went for a relaxing spa treatment that I paid for myself, and enjoyed it so much that I decided to review it anyway. Go figure.

While on holiday, I dragged The Man with me to Views, where we had booked back massages. The weather was disastrously miserable - think rainstorm - so our sightseeing ended earlier than expected. We headed to the spa much earlier, and decided to book a session in the floatation tank before our massages. This is an awesome way to shut out the outside world - you float weightlessly in a pool (rougly 2 x 2m) in a private, dimly lit room. The water is full of minerals (it's that salts that make you float) and it is believed to have regenerative and healing properties.

After bobbing around for about half an hour, we relaxed in the Pool area - there is a Vitality Pool, Sauna, and Rasul & Steam Room in addition to the Floatation room. We were whisked off the the dual treatment room for superb massages. Our therapists, Cleo and Sarita (Cleo and I go waaaay back), had phenomenal hands and were extremely professional (but still warm and friendly). At one stage I suspected that my therapist had ninja skills - she made a warm compress appear out of thin air without missing a beat. I'm trained as a therapist myself, and I have no idea how she did that. 

This is where you can chill before/after/inbetween treatments

All in all, a wonderfully relaxing afternoon. Reasonably priced at R300 per 30 min massage and R150 per floatation session per person. You can get a massage for half the price, sure. But you'll be in and out of a salon on the street in half an hour, and the only extra you'll get will be a glass of water. Factor in lounging around a luxury spa for a couple of hours an making use of the complimentary facilities, and you'll see which one wins. 

I can't recommend this experience enough - visit the Views website or phone them on 044 877 8010.

C xx

PS - We had the most amazing dessert in the upstairs restaurant - Deep Fried Bar One (Ja ja health spa blah blah). That was really awesome too. Also, if you're taking someone with you that isn't a frequent spa-goer (or you aren't one yourself), a dual treatment room makes things a little less intimidating - as long as you don't mind getting nekkid in front of each other, of course. You can help each other prep - for example, I've seen people get so nervous that they would go lie on their stomach if they're there for a facial. Therapists are (mostly) not as evil as they look, ask questions if you're not sure what to do. Lastly: Spa treatments in winter are awesome. They keep you warm and snug, it's usually less crowded, and you're more likely to get good specials. I have no idea why spas are busier in summer - I love doing these things in winter. 

THE END.