My Balinese Foray into the Blissful World of Spas
My stay at Watermark Hotel & Spa Jimbaran was a purely luxurious way to wrap up my stay in Bali, but the cherry on top? Visiting the hotel’s LiANG Spa for my first ever massage and body treatment.
Watermark’s LiANG Spa
Call me a philistine, but, prior to my stay at Watermark, never had I ever treated myself to a professional massage. To be honest, I was a bit apprehensive. Lie on a bed and have a stranger touch me all over while rubbing oils into my back? If you’ve never experienced it yourself, you have to admit it sounds pretty weird. But, obviously, most of the world raves about the luxurious pleasure of massages, so it was time to give one a try.
The LiANG Spa is conveniently located in Watermark’s lobby, and they offer a large selection of spa treatments — so large, in fact, that my friend Arielle and I spent about ten minutes poring over the plethora of options while sipping on cool glasses of orange juice before making our final decisions. While Arielle would be treating herself to the Abhyanga massage and Shirodara treatment, I went with the Balinese oil massage and the lulur and yogurt body treatment — don’t worry, I’ll explain shortly.
Choosing our treatments over glasses of orange juice
Arielle and I were guided to our shared massage room and given robes to change into. Every last detail of the spa was fine-tuned to give guests the most relaxing experience possible, from the beautiful entrance to the warm staff to the impeccably beautiful massage rooms.
I began with the Balinese oil massage while Arielle was given an Abhyanga massage. Mine was a traditional full body massage utilizing aromatic oils and focusing on relaxation, while Arielle’s was firmer and intended to “expedite the flow of lymph, stimulate metabolism, and eliminate swelling and fatigue.” It did take me a few minutes to adjust to the foreign feeling of a professional massage, but, once I got comfortable, it felt like heaven.
In the massage room (photo credit)
Relaxed beyond measure after our hour-long massages, we transitioned to our second treatments. Arielle’s Shirodara treatment involved dripping warm oil on her forehead to invoke a meditative state while massaging her head, neck and shoulders to relieve stress. Meanwhile, I was coated in lulur, a natural body scrub made of rice flour, herbs, and spices, which softened and refreshed my skin. That was gradually massaged off and replaced with cool yogurt to tighten pores. All very strange, new sensations, but oh did it feel lovely!
In our newly zen states, we showered off, got dressed, and were treated to a cup of hot tea to bring us back to the real world… not that the “real world” of the lovely Watermark was too tough to go back to! The LiANG Spa at the Watermark was the perfect place for this newbie’s induction into the world of massages. After such a fantastic experience, how could I ever return to a massage-less world?
Looking for other relaxing stays in Bali? Check out the top 7 Best Value Hotels to Relax in Bali listed by HotelsCombined.
