Sometimes…. you feel stuck in a black hole and life starts to feel like an episode of Mr Robot, or worse, the Walking Dead. In an attempt to help me see out the hole, my partner purchased a WikiDeal spa voucher at the Sugar Hotel and Spa. This simple, kind act meant so much to me. Sure, a massage isn’t going to stop things from going wrong but a bit of self-care and indulgence can help you feel more ready to deal with life’s lemons.
Sugar Hotel & Spa WikiDeal
Booking
I called the spa and made the booking for the last day that the deal was actually valid. They were happy to oblige. The person I spoke to was friendly and helpful.
On the day
Being the anxious person that I am, I worried that I never received a call / sms / email to confirm my appointment. I like that many spas tend to send you a reminder message on the day of or the day prior to your appointment. It puts my mind at rest and stops me from stressing about silly things (like, I’ll get there and they’ll have no idea who I am – not that this has ever happened). In the end, I didn’t bother calling, I told myself that all will be fine.
I know someone who has been to the spa before so I knew that they didn’t have any facilities (spa, sauna, etc). No use packing a swimsuit.
Parking & Surrounds
I’m sure the hotel has space for parking but since there was plenty of parking in Green Point Main Road (on a Saturday, lunch time), we parked in the street. We were there about an hour early as we wanted to grab breakfast (FYI – my weekend breakfast would be someone else’s lunch).
The hotel entrance is on a side road (Boundary Road). As soon as we entered the hotel, I was glad about the choice my partner had made. The hotel foyer was small but luxurious. I handed in my voucher and asked about breakfast. Unfortunately, Marc’s Table was already closed.
The hotel is situated in a quieter part of Green Point Main Road, close to many other small hotels. We took the 5-minute walk and our options were Pigalle (out of budget), KFC (a bit too budget) and Limnos. So, like Goldilocks, we settled for Limnos.
Breakfast at Limnos, Green Point
While I can’t say the breakfast was anything to write home (or blog) about, the Brazil nut latte was dessert disguised as coffee. Pretty damn good.
The massage at The Sugar Hotel and Spa
At the Sugar Hotel and Spa foyer
We walked back to the hotel with not much time to spare. The masseuse (I feel bad that I didn’t catch her name), walked me to the treatment room. I changed in the darkly lit room to the relaxing sounds of whatever it is that spas play.
She asked whether I’d be having the Swedish, Aromatherapy or Hot Stone massage. I don’t really like hot stones, I feel like I’m being burnt and then made to freeze. I opted for the Swedish and told her I preferred medium pressure.
The masseuse got down to business but I noticed she didn’t do the whole cleaning feet thing. Different places seem to do different things in this regard. I prefer it as a standard even though I always shower before I have a massage.
The room heating was perfect and I had a great massage. I truly enjoy having my legs massaged – it was heaven after doing the Parkrun earlier that morning.
I liked that they put tissue paper down on the spot where you lay your face. Have you ever left after having a massage with towel marks all over your face? Is it only me? Does it come with age?
Initially, I could hear a lot of noise (a door opening and closing). It sounded like there was a kitchen nearby. The masseuse apologised to me, walked out and I presume she told them to quiet down. Thank goodness she did that as the rest of my massage was only filled with relaxing spa music tunes. If you book an appointment at this spa and your time is pretty flexible then I suggest asking them about the best time to have a massage when the spa is quiet.
In Summary,
…I thoroughly enjoyed the massage. It didn’t come with the perks of a sauna, shower or any of that BUT if you’re looking for a simple, no-frills, good massage then I’d recommend trying the Sugar Hotel Spa. It was just a bit of tranquility needed to resume to my normal kick-ass self.
-Rif
Website: http://www.sugarhotel.co.za/
If you’ve noticed the lack of self-taken photos, my day at the spa marked the sad day that my phone and memory card decided to die a painful, sudden death.