Body knead - in 60 minutes

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Body knead - in 60 minutes

Not weighed down by all the bells and whistles of a truly fancy place, Breakwater Spa at DoubleTree by Hilton in JBR gets you decent bang for buck, finds out Nivriti Butalia

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Nivriti Butalia

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Published: Fri 12 May 2017, 12:00 AM

Last updated: Fri 12 May 2017, 2:00 AM

There's a bridge you have to cross before reaching Breakwater Spa at DoubleTree by Hilton. A lot of people (I imagine) must stand there and take photos of the view. You can see the giant ferris wheel off JBR (The Dubai Eye, that has now been renamed Ain Dubai) before you enter the spa for one of their dozen treatments. More concerned with getting on with the pampering, I didn't stand there long and made my way into the functional, no-frills spa, with nice lighting and disco lights in the jacuzzi (as I was to later discover).
Breakwater has two signature treatments perfect for a weekend unwind: the Lavender Dreams Ultimate Experience, and the Signature Organic Aromatherapy Full Body Massage. I opted for the latter, which involves a free-style technique working on tensed areas using different levels of pressure.
The essential organic oil used was lavender. I was hoping for a more exciting fragrance. But the other option was eucalyptus. And since lavender is marketed as the ultimate essential oil for stress-relief, that's how we rolled.
I was happy to note that my favourite indulgence was taken care of: rolled-up towels were kept pat under my ankles while I was lying on my tummy. and, as a bonus, they covered my feet with yet another set of towels!
Therapy time
This is an hour-long massage, using (in my case) essential lavender oil - Kerstin Florin's Lavender, that you can buy off the shelf at the spa's retail corner (Dh168 for 100 ml). After changing into spa gear, I entered the treatment room, and lay face down, looking forward to perfect silence. This isn't a place where they play any soothing music. My competent masseuse, Supaporna, who's Thai, was pleasant and responsive to my pressure preferences. I had requested her to concentrate on my wrists and arms. On her own, she covered my eyes with a towel-mask, a need not every masseuse anticipates.
What we loved...
It's value-for-money and comes with minimum frills. Yep, that has takers. Breakwater's yellow-lit wall sconces in the therapy rooms served their purpose. Compliments to the designer. I also liked the 28gm pot of Manama honey served with Dilmah peppermint tea after the spa treatment.
What we didn't...
The convoluted approach to the spa - takes navigation chops to find the place. Rooms are not adequately soundproofed. You don't want to hear voices or music from neighbouring venues or doors being shut when you're trying to nod off. Needs a wider choice of essential oils.
Signature Organic Aromatherapy Full Body Massage
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Dubai, Jumeirah Beach, Dubai Marina
Reservations: 043749133
wellness.doubletreejumeirah@hilton.com
Cost: Dh380 (60 mins)


nivriti@khaleejtimes.com
 
 


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