Tried & Tested: Mandara Spa, The H Hotel Dubai

Tried & Tested: Mandara Spa, The H Hotel Dubai

I’ve been toying with the idea of ‘review’ type posts for a while now and as I have plenty of fresh content from all my recent escapades, I thought I’d make a start with a spa review.

After a tough few weeks, the weekend before last needed a recipe for relaxation, and an afternoon spent at H Hotel Dubai‘s Mandara Spa was certainly a key ingredient in this. A friend and I were keen to use our Entertainer Body before their expiration this month and the prospect of a 90 minute body massage and one hour facial, plus the use of the jacuzzi and spa facilities was too good to resist.

The spa is Balinese so we decided to stick with their speciality of a Balinese massage and were not disappointed. All the therapists are Balinese and evidently take pride and care in what they do. Once you have chosen your oil and enjoyed a ginger tea, the experience starts with a foot wash and reflexology mini foot massage to get you in the mood. The entire experience is a minimum of 90 minutes and feels incredibly luxurious. I love Elemis products and the combinations the spa offers provide everything from rejuvenation to relaxation. My therapist was amazing and gave what I think is probably the best massage I have ever had in Dubai.

On this occasion we also followed up the massage with a facial (the vouchers were due to expire!) this meant the pampering lasted for a whopping two and a half hours, which in all honesty is too long for me to be lie still, so I think I would definitely spread out the treatments in future to ensure I make the most of each one. The facial was given by a man, which was a novel experience, although he did a fantastic job and was a credit to the rest of the team.

Once the treatments were over and Little Miss Restless here was able to move, we made full use of the wide beds available in the relaxation area to relax and drink our tea. One of the nice little touches I particularly liked here was a bowl of tiny ribbon-tied scrolls, each of which had a motivational message. The final indulgence was a  dip in the lavish jacuzzi before dragging ourselves kicking and screaming back into reality.

It was not a spa that would have jumped to mind, and I probably wouldn’t have thought to try it were it not for the vouchers, but I’m very glad I did. I would definitely return and would highly recommend it (especially if you hold the Entertainer Body book)!