Turbo-boost your beauty sleep with these sci-fi-style spa-bed treatments

From the Ritz Carlton to an idyllic boutique hotel in Gardens, Cape Town, come two new innovative spa treatments that are about to change the way we unwind.

Nestled in the prime location of Kloof Nek Road, Cloud 9 Boutique Hotel & Spa is home to the revolutionary Welnamis Deep Relaxation and the Psammotherapy Gold Quartz treatments that aim to provide you with ultimate relaxation and speedy rejuvenation and are guaranteed to have you coming back for more. 

As the only spa in Southern Africa to offer these one-of-a-kind treatments; the Deluxe Spa & Hair, within the Cloud 9 Boutique Hotel, also boasts four treatment rooms, a sauna, a plunge pool and a heated pool and serves as the perfect hidden gem where you can catch up on your beauty sleep. Intimate, bright and with plenty of natural light, the atmosphere is tranquil and brings the outdoors in with hanging greenery and trees forming part of the decor.

WELNAMIS DEEP RELAXATION

When seeing the Welnamis concept bed for the first time, you may feel like you’ve stepped into a sci-fi movie. Standing in the middle of a darkened room with a glow from interchangeable LED lights emanating from its centre, this futuristic concept bed is nothing you have ever seen or experienced. 

The water-filled bed uses a combination of gentle sound waves of specially designed music, a vibration massage system and the techniques of meditation and mindfulness to achieve deep relaxation by slowing down the brain activity and aligning the body’s energies.

The Binaural Acoustic & Dynamic Stimulation, a computer-controlled acoustic and vibrational therapy used in the Welnamis, ensures that you feel relaxed but mentally present from the first session.  Stress relief, mindfulness, awareness and power naps — we could all use one of these. Thanks to four settings to choose from during a session, you are able to target exactly what your body needs.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Don’t be surprised by the hands-free approach of this treatment, the bed is designed to do all the hard work so you can let go and relax. Once you're in a robe, the therapist will assist you onto the bed, check your comfort level and help you adjust your positioning accordingly.  You'll be covered with a blanket, have a weighted eye mask fitted snugly over your eyes and a pair of noise-cancelling headphones over your ears. When the music starts to play, the therapist will leave the room and then it’s night-night for the next 30 minutes.

THE EXPERIENCE

If you’re not sleeping well, struggling to relax or feel burnt out — this bed is a godsend. Through the headphones soothing music has been created to tap into different brainwaves, from alpha to theta, while the Welnamis vibrates with what feels like the rumbling of jacuzzi jets, creating a massaging motion.  At first it’s hard to turn your brain off and thoughts keep filtering in and out.

After a few minutes, your muscles start to soften and you begin to let go of any subconscious tension held in the joints. Feeling hypnotised and sublimely relaxed, you lose track of time, your mind clears and suddenly — you’re asleep. Only you don’t realise you’ve entered the deepest sleep until the therapist massages your shoulder to gently wake you up.

THE VERDICT

“I have never felt more relaxed and well-rested than I did after this treatment. I wish I had Welnamis bed in my home for this feeling every day. I was amazed that in just 30 minutes I could feel like I had got eight hours of high-quality sleep. It’s recommended to take a few minutes to reorientate yourself and wake your body up as you almost feel ‘drunk’ with relaxation — euphoric even. As you slowly find your bearings, energy levels feel replenished and throughout the day you will feel increasingly more energised, alert and recharged.”

• Welnamis Deep Relaxation, 30 mins, R595

PSAMMOTHERAPY GOLD QUARTZ THERAPY

Take it from us — this is not your average spa experience. Inspired by the Ancient Greeks who have made use of the soothing powers of sun-heated sand for hundreds of years to treat rheumatic, arthritic and respiratory conditions, Psammotherapy (psammo is Greek for sand) is a thermal treatment that uses gold quartz sand, singing bowls, traditional massage and herbal poultices to bring balance, harmony and total relaxation through a holistic sensorial experience. 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

While the treatment room looks like any other spa you may have seen, the bed is a new sight and experience. Made to mimic the feeling of lying on a sandy beach on a mild-tempered summer’s day, it is a trough filled with warm gold quartz sand.

THE EXPERIENCE

First, the therapist covers the quartz sand with a sheet, on which you lie face down.  Once comfortable, the therapist will mould the sand around the contours of your body, into the curvature of your waist and shoulders, and then elevate your wrists, ankles and feet on tiny mounds of quartz sand. 

When done, you are treated to a relaxing full body massage using heated oil and a combination of hands and herbal poultices to ease tension and stimulate lymphatic drainage from head to toe.

At intervals, the bed is elevated or reclined depending on which part of the body is being massaged to promote blood circulation and maximise the impact of the massage. The same process is then repeated while lying on your back.

As the last part of treatment, the bed’s built-in undulating massage component is turned on, allowing the sand that has been moulded around you to act as the perfect massage medium to work out any remaining tension for a 360° experience. To relax you further (and essentially send you to sleep), the therapist uses the singing bowls to trigger your brainwaves, finishing with marma point face therapy, a soothing facial massage using heated pebbles.

THE VERDICT

If you have 60 minutes to spare, run — don’t walk — to treat yourself to a Psammotherapy Gold Quartz treatment. This innovative therapy will give your traditional massage experience a run for its money. Multisensorial, luxurious and holistically transformative, your body has no option but to sink into total relaxation. 

• Psammotherapy Gold Quartz Signature Treatment, 60 mins, R995

SPECIAL OFFER

Stay longer and pay less this winter with Cloud 9 Boutique Hotel & Spa’s winter deal, valid until August 31. Enjoy an unforgettable stay at the luxurious hotel, with a special promotion that includes a relaxing spa package, use of the heated pool, sauna and jacuzzi as well two glasses of bubbly — all for R2,599, a saving of more than 55%. T&Cs apply. 

Visit www.hotelcloudnine.com, phone 021 424 1133 or email stay@cloudninehotel.com