From the chic city of Melbourne to the coral coast of Fiji and home again to Queenstown and Auckland, we review our favourite spas close to home and their best treatments on offer.
Chuan Spa, Langham Hotel in Auckland
Designed using the principles of feng shui and healing Chinese medicine, this spa focuses on wellness and relaxation. With an extensive range of treatments on offer, as well as a top class sauna, Jacuzzi, steam room and unique ice experience, there’s also a new nourishing Hydro Peptide facial, designed to perk up fatigued skin – namely mine. After a six-minute cleanse, a gritty vitamin C peel was massaged over my face, followed by a glycolic peel, a concoction that worked to unclog pores and lift dry, blotchy skin from my ageing complexion. After hot towels to remove the peels, my skin was slathered with coconut oil for a face and shoulder massage. My therapist lulled me to sleep with a heavenly massage to be woken with the final step, a purifying mask. Chosen to help budge the congestion from my forehead and chin (who would have thought I had congestion?), while it did its job, I enjoyed a scalp massage. Moisturiser, eye cream and sunscreen rounded off my 60 minutes at Chuan, where I was I led to the relaxation room for a pick-me-up tonic of sparkling water infused with lemon, lime, grape and ginger, followed by an Osmathis tea with nuts and dried fruit.
Allow: 60 minutes.
Pay: $165.
Visit: www.chuanspa.co.nz
Outrigger on the Lagoon’s Bebe Spa in Fiji
Nestled on a hill top above the Outrigger resort, a short buggy ride up the steep winding road gets you close to what I remember as heaven on earth. The Bebe (pronounced Ben-be) eight-room spa. The name means butterfly and the idea is that you arrive in a golf cart, like a caterpillar, cocoon inside the spa, and emerge a beautiful butterfly. Well, I was totally up for that. From the traditional wooden floor out on the deck of the open-air treatment room, the view of the Pacific Ocean below is breathtaking. And by the time I was face down with a pair of healing hands on my back, the hustle and bustle of this busy resort was just white noise. I chose the Pure Fiji warm seashell massage that begins with a warm coconut milk foot bath, and a sugar scrub. Next, the hot seashells (filled with a water activated hot gel) are rubbed over your body using the traditional Lomi Lomi technique, using the inside of the therapist’s arms to administer long firm strokes. An hour later, a warm shower awaits, along with a cup of fresh lemon-infused tea. Note to self: there is nothing like a glass of champagne after this spa experience, and if you walk up one level to the Kalokalo Bar, you can enjoy a cold glass of bubbles as you watch the sun set into the South Pacific – bliss.
Allow: 60 minutes.
Pay: $170.
Visit: www.bebespafiji.com
Spring Foot Spa in Queenstown
Getting a pedicure before summer is a given, but indulging in an alpine-inspired foot spa is a rare treat. Queenstown is a party destination all year round, and now, keeping up to date with beauty duties during your stay is but a phone call away. From a full spa menu, our pick is the Hangover Cure (the scalp massage soothes your headache while a foot massage revives your dancing feet) inspired by the town’s party reputation. We have to mention the minimalist decor; Queenstown has been crying out for a cool and caring pampering destination like this for years. Relax with an iPad (supplied) sip a cup of peach and ginger tea, and enjoy everything from world class eyebrow threading to reflexology.
Allow: 75 minutes.
Pay: $170.
Visit: www.springspa.com
Polynesian Spa in Rotorua
There is a reason Conde Nast Traveller (UK edition) voted this spa among the top ten thermal, natural or medical spas across the globe. Once you are there, you will not have a care in the world. The only rule is to soak for 30 minutes in one of the 13 tranquil private hot mineral pools to ready your body for a massage. Our pick: the hydro spa therapy’s aix massage, a combination of a hands-on massage with jets of warm water pounding your aches and pains away. It starts with an all-over exfoliation using a range of scrubs including the spa’s famous thermal mud recipe, followed by a massage with lashings of organic coconut oil. Divine.
Allow: 90 minutes.
Pay: $170.
Visit: www.polynesianspa.co.nz
Nicola Quinn Day Spa in Christchurch
Everything from indulgence to intense anti-ageing skin treatments, including fillers, is on offer at this five-star spa. Our treatment choice is the O Cosmetics Bio White Peptide Peel. For skin that needs to be ‘seasonally adjusted’ for summer, this treatment makes short work of dryness and brown spots, and the vitamin C antioxidant boost helps brighten. The most impressive part of this facial is the skin workout you receive with an eight-minute mask that tingles as it transforms.
Allow: 40 minutes.
Pay: $139.
Visit: www.quinnbeautyspa.co.nz
Aurora Spa Retreat at The Prince, Melbourne
Tucked away in the trendy suburb of St Kilda is the Aurora Spa Retreat. From the plush lounge area, urbanites can decompress in preparation for their treatment with herbal teas and spectacular views of the Melbourne skyline. Myriad treatment options ensures guests are spoilt for choice, and the Renew package option (think botanical facial and a peppermint bliss pedi), was met with an emphatic “where do we sign up?” The customised bouquet of natural skincare products including neroli, raspberry, rose and lavender, a range of which has been carefully selected by staff, deliver hydrating, clarifying or rejuvenating benefits based on individual needs. The spirulina mask was a highlight. This coveted superfood doesn’t disappoint, revealing fresh, glowing skin. The use of steam to detoxify and a choice of hand or foot massage is the cherry on top of this innovative facial experience. After a quick break in our new-favourite lounge, the peppermint pedi, described by the team as “a makeover for your feet” consists of a full hour of serious lower-leg and foot attention. Pressure and tension is melted away with a relaxing foot bath, exfoliation and massage, followed by full-service nail and cuticle care. Captivating scents of wattleseed and walnut, grapefruit and rosehip cultivate a true feast for the senses. While we wait for our polish to dry, another herbal tea is on the menu.
Allow: up to three hours.
Pay: $295.
Visit: www.aurorasparetreat.com.au
From the editors of Simply You Body & Beauty.
