Male spa

CLUB OLYMPUS FITNESS & SPA WAT PO THAI MASSAGE

WHAT IS IT?

Wat Po is the name of a temple in Bangkok often regarded as the birthplace of the traditional Thai massage. Wat means temple of monastery.

SETTING THE SCENE

Club Olympus Fitness & Spa at the Hyatt Regency Dubai offers a range of health packages for guests and visitors. The hotel, located on the Deira Corniche, is a short walk from the famed Gold Souk.

True to its name, walking into Club Olympus is like going to a fitness centre. The spa only comes later, once you've been shown the gym's locker room, given clothes to change into and then ushered to the treatment room where you are greeted by a smiling therapist.

Inside, it's sparsely decorated and dotted with aromatic candles set in extremely low lighting. Because Wat Po massage uses thumbs, palms, hands, elbows, knees and feet, the mattress is placed on the floor. As the room fills up with strains of soft traditional South East Asian music, I was ready for my healing.

LETTING GO

Originally from Chiang Mai, Manakhun, my therapist asks me if I'd like the pressure soft, mild or hard. With all the tensions brought on by the current status of the world, I didn't need to think. "Hard," I tell her, and she immediately set to work, starting from the soles of my tired feet.

The next 90 minutes would be the highlight of my day, as Manakhun worked her magic. The traditional Wat Po Thai massage technique incorporates assisted stretching and pressure-point work. As my rather inflexible frame was twisted and contorted in ways I could never myself achieve, I felt the tensions ebb away.

I was twisted, squeezed, scrunched, kneaded and mangled – and I liked it. I could hear it too, and it felt good. So good that I drifted off at some point, waking only to stretch some more.

When it finally ended, and I awakened from my stupor, I was told to relax for a while and step out only when I was ready. I took it all in with one deep, final satisfying sigh and walked out. For a moment, the world I came from seemed far too bright, noisy and confusing.

SECOND HELPING

The traditional Wat Po Thai Massage costs Dh450 for 90 minutes. While the quality of treatment is excellent, I'm not sure if it's tempting enough for people living in the "newer" side of the city to make the journey to Deira.

APRIL OFFERS

Both guests and visitors can take advantage of Club Olympus Fitness & Spa's April offers on a range of treatments and massages. The brand new Eminence facials for men and women comes highly recommended. To find out more, visit dubai.regency.hyatt.com

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