Health Spa Reviews - Spirit and Soul 5 Senses Day Spa - uMhlanga, Durban

    

Review by Liesl Grobler

While many beauty therapists have tried to be successful at having a spa or beauty salon at their homes, not many have truly succeeded. Farhana, owner of Spirit & Soul in the beautiful suburb of Umhlanga Ridge, is one of the few who has truly succeeded in every facet. Her retreat can not be called a home based beauty salon. It is a state of the art spa in every sense of the phrase despite it offering all beauty salon treatments in addition to spa treatments.

To me there are two sweeping prerequisites for a truly indulgent spa, big picture aesthetics and attention to detail. Spirit & Soul gets a thumbs-up for both. The space Farhana has appropriated for the spa is luxurious. Big glass panes separates only the elements from the inside while both the inside and outside spaces are secluded without creating a feeling of containment. One inside area flows effortlessly into the next and once you understand the purpose of each area it all makes perfect sense. A large pool hugging the entire one side of the spa brings with it tranquility and a sense of quiet away from the world's everyday stresses.

Spirit & Soul operates on bookings alone which ensures absolute privacy. Aside from near perfect aesthetics and extensive attention to detail, a big driving force for Spirit & Soul is homely hospitality. While pure, professional and clinical spas have a definite place in the beauty and spa industry, a warmer, more people friendly environment also has a definite and distinct role to fulfill. Warm colours, loads of candles, inviting couches to catch your breath on arrival and even muffins and juice add to the experience.

It is clear that Farhana spared no expense in ensuring her facility lacks no comfort at the spa's conceptual stage. The well planned flowing space boasts a state-of-the-art steam room. Not a common feature in residential spas. This, and other facilities and technologies ensure that while the environment is homely none of the professionalism required for true indulgence is lost and absolute quality is maintained in all treatments. For anyone who has ever had the luxury of a body exfoliation - it is just so much more complete and effective with the steam room experience included.

Spirit & Soul is a place to unwind. If you are in the area on holiday, live close by or need to take a bit of a drive - this spa is worth it. I was treated to a full body exfoliation (including the steam room experience) and a luxurious hot stone massage by Sylvia, one of the therapists. It is a place to take your best friend or partner for an afternoon of spoiling and a few unrestricted laughs. Complete privacy in decadent surroundings with hospitality and comfort, all the ingredients for a happy satisfying experience which inevitably follows you home through feeling relaxed and pampered. This spa is definitely worth a visit.

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