Zen The Spa: Candle wax massage
Many of the items on Zen The Spa’s menu sound… well a little, shall we say, exotic? If it’s not multi-person mud extravaganzas, it’s couple’s massages. If it’s not couple’s massages, it’s a treatment that involves someone being paid to drip very hot wax on your body. See where we’re going with this? But, despite what you might expect, the treatments themselves are so utterly wholesome and cleansing you feel bad for ever having suspected otherwise. The spa itself is pretty and feminine – it’s Asian-themed, with soft lighting, a gentle turquoise colour scheme, and fresh purple orchids strewn on the treatment tables. The whole place smells soothingly of aromatherapy oils and scented candles.
The treatment step by step:
The candle wax massage is a brand new treatment at Zen The Spa, and this is the only place you’ll find it in Abu Dhabi. First of all, the therapist showed us the rapidly melting candle that she was going to use, which was scented with citrus fruits and ylang ylang. She explained that it was made from plant and aromatherapy oils, which give skin a more intense hydration than conventional massage oils. Our treatment began with a swift foot wash using a steaming hot towel, before she uncovered our back to pour on the melted wax. We were slightly anxious that it would scald, but the wax just felt deliciously hot, and the masseuse swiftly smoothed it over our skin before it could burn. The strokes used were an unusual blend of techniques created especially for the candle wax massage, and we were thoroughly impressed.
She started off gently, and gradually increased the pressure on the same muscles, meaning it ended up being a very thorough, intense massage, but without any discomfort at all. Normally when a masseuse is using that level of pressure we end up gritting our teeth or suppressing muffled squeaks as they work out our knots, but there was none of that on this occasion. When we drowsily rolled over for the front half of the massage, the therapist slipped a piping hot dry towel under our neck and another across our shoulders, which relaxed us further still and kept us toasty warm as she massaged our scalp, arms and legs. As a final touch, she slid soft slippers on to our feet before telling us the massage was over. We had half expected to end up covered in dried candle flakes afterwards but this wasn’t the case – the melted wax stayed on our skin like a heavy oil
Pros: The massage technique was deeply effective and we felt thoroughly looked after throughout the whole process. We’d recommend you book this session primarily for relaxation, but it was also pretty good as a skin softening treatment too. It’s worth noting that the staff are extremely professional, warm and welcoming.
Cons: Don’t plan to go out anywhere after the massage as the candle wax is extremely sticky and gets absolutely everywhere. The therapist recommended we leave it on overnight to maximise the skin-softening benefits, but although we tried to stick it out it felt too uncomfortable for us. We had to take two long hot showers before the last of the melted wax was out of our hair and skin.
The verdict: This treatment is a total winner as far as we’re concerned. It is utterly relaxing, and there are plenty of considerate extra touches that show a lot of care has gone into creating the experience.
Dhs400 for one hour. Zen The Spa, Beach Rotana (02 697 9000).
