Ummelina's International Spa

Both the trip to Tanzania and the general stress of having to get a million things ready for college caused my mom and I to organize a spa day to get some much needed rest, relaxation, and cleansing.  This morning, we had a ten o'clock appointment at Ummelina's International Spa.

We checked in and where then escorted to the changing room where we abandoned our belongings in exchange for a comfortable robe and some quiet time.  Then, we walked back to the 'Sanctuary' which was a room containing a number of chairs which looked out over a shopping square in the city.  We were given some tea, and then joined by our masseuses for an exfoliating leg rub and a tub of warm water for our feet.

Next, we were each escorted to the spa showers.  These showers were absolutely incredible because they are not the everyday shower.  The spa shower was made up of two shower heads - each placed in a different place - and four jets on each side (a total of eight) all pointed at a single spot.  This created a perfect sphere in which to stand and be soaked from every direction.  It felt incredible!  Of course, there were a number of shower products also - shampoo and conditioner, face moisturizer, and some exfoliating scrub.

After the wonderful shower, I returned to the 'Sanctuary' where I was joined by my masseuse and then led to the massage room.  The massage had a couple of interesting aspects.  The first was some sort of brush that felt great and presumably removed dead skin.  The second was a nice sort of lotion - which I believe was called the desert sands treatment.  Finally, the massage.  Having identified the main areas of tension during the first two aspects, my masseuse focused mainly on my neck and back.  It was incredibly relaxing and absolutely wonderful.

With the massage over, I returned to the 'Sanctuary' again where I met the woman who would do my facial, Kat.  We went to yet another room, where the facial would take place.  It began with some moisturizing lotions (probably), which felt cool and smooth.  The next step, was a fruit enzyme which ate away dead tissue, with the side effect of a fairly unpleasant stinging.  While the enzyme was left to do its work, Kat massaged my arms and legs, and then placed my hands and feet in some heated cozies.  These were really comfortable and enjoyable.  Next, came the worst part of the facial, the cleansing of pores through force.  Kat used some sort of tool to scrape my pores clean, and while it was not fun to have done, looked great.  Finally, she applied a cleansing mask to my face and placed some warm stones on my stomach and chest.  At this point, she left the room to create the basket of products that they would try to sell me at the end.  With the warmth of the stones and cozies, and the soothing background music, I think I managed to doze off for a few minutes until Kat returned.

Again, I waited in the 'Sanctuary' where I was rejoined by Mom who had been having the same treatments somewhere else in the spa.  Together, we were escorted to our final destination, the manicure and pedicure room.  Here we had a basically normal manicure and pedicure experience, barring one aspect.  First nails were clipped and shaped with a nail file, then the cuticles were pushed back with the help of some sort of liquid and their cuticle shaping tool.  The nails were buffed and shined, and at some point during the whole process, we had our hands and feet massaged with a nice lotion and placed in the same warming cozies from the facial.  An interesting, and unusual, step was when both our hands and feet were dipped in a tub of hot, melted wax.  They were completely and thickly coated, then left to dry and relax.  When the wax was no longer needed, it came off cleanly and easily and was thrown away.  This was very strange, but looked and felt very cool.  Finally, I had my toenails painted a light pink, and my fingernails painted clear (to avoid chipping).

We returned to the 'Sanctuary' for the last time in order to give our nails some time to dry.  When this was done, we exited the 'Sanctuary' and returned to the changing room.  Here, we changed back into our normal clothes, checked the time (three o'clock), and entered the lobby.  We paid for the spa experience (and some of the products they recommended) and left, greased, content, clean, and relaxed.  It was an incredible experience and I really enjoyed the pampering.  It was much needed and a great use of the day.