I spent a very blissful Saturday afternoon at the spa at The Oberoi.

Offering a range of holistic massage therapies including Western, Balinese, Thai and Ayurvedic, The Oberoi Spa prides itself in using high quality organic beauty products that promote the much-needed inner calm we crave.

The latest addition to The Oberoi’s Spa Menu is ‘The Oberoi Experience‘; a 75 minute full-body massage session focusing on releasing mental, physical and emotional stress.

This was my very first visit to the spa at The Oberoi. Located on the 3rd floor of The Oberoi Dubai, entering the luxurious space immediately puts the mind at ease.

The bare minimum white interiors feels very zen, and the staff at the reception are very hospitable.

At every corner of the spa, as if by accident, are scattered orchids. Vibrantly purple, the sharp contrast is both aesthetically and mentally pleasing to the senses.

Upon arriving at the reception, I was guided to my room.

Furnished with beautiful mahogany accents, the room was dimly lit. Soothing meditative music played in the background, and the room was blissfully scented to ease the senses into a state of pure relaxation.

My therapist for the day was the lovely Hazel. What a coincidence, turns out Hazel is from my husband’s hometown, Shillong (India)! We don’t meet many people from that region here, and this common ground ensured we clicked right away.

Hazel has been with The Oberoi group for many years now, and has a strong background in massage therapy. So far she has only performed ‘The Oberoi Experience’ on 3 other clients, so I was quite excited at the prospect of being one of the first!

After our brief introductions, Hazel guided me to the bathroom where complimentary toiletries are available, along with a bath robe, disposable underwear and slippers.

We started off with a foot soak. The tepid water scented with a special blend of bath salts seemed to caress my tired, aching feet and Hazel proceeded to give them a firm yet gentle massage.

After the foot soak, we were ready to start on The Oberoi Experience.

Hazel asked me on how firm I wanted the massage. Medium-hard please!

She then asked me which massage oil I would like. Three special blends have been created for The Oberoi Experience. Using Jojoba oil as a base, there is one for mental stress, one for physical stress, and one for emotional stress.

Calm: Created for eliminating mental stress, the Calm blend is infused with Geranium, Lavender and Ylang Ylang essential oils.

Relax: The Relax blend is infused with Ylang Ylang, Lemon and Basil to help combat physical stress.

Uplift: The Uplift blend includes Rosemary and Lemongrass, and has been created to reduce the effects of emotional stress.

And let me tell you all three smell absolutely divine!

‘The Oberoi Experience’ is a full-body massage, and you can choose to use just one of the above oils, or a combination of all three for different body parts.

Physical, mental and emotional stress? Hell, I have them all! However, Hazel suggested it might be best to use just one oil blend all over, so I went with Uplift.

The massage beds at The Oberoi spa are very comfy, and lined with freshly laundered bed linen.

Face down on my back for the first round of massage, and I am greeted with a beautiful bowl of floating orchids. What a thoughtful touch!

Hazel has magic in her hands. With gentle yet firm strokes, she manages to knead away the built up tension I didn’t even realize existed. Her massage strokes are in tune with the body. She seems to know exactly where the pressure points lie, and with each part of the body getting special attention, the process elevates a healthy blood flow and relieves all kinds of stress, both mental and physical.

Half way through the massage, the orchids below me were a vivid blur. I was slowly fading into a deeply delicious slumber.

After both sides of the body had their fair share of prodding and preening, I was given a gentle head massage followed by a dhara flow.

Dhara is the Sanskrit word for ‘flow’. Taken from ancient Ayurvedic practices, this technique involves pouring a steady stream of liquid onto the forehead to calm an overactive mental state.

The dhara flow used for ‘The Oberoi Experience’ is rose water scented with a few aromatic essential oils.

After a luxuriously relaxing massage, the dhara flow was the icing on the cake.

To signal the end of my blissful session, Hazel rang the meditative Tibetan Tingsha Bell. I was then served a warm cup of Ginger-Honey tea.

The 75 minutes went by far too quickly. I stayed on in my cocoon of a room to breathe in the calm stillness as I sipped on tea.

Leaving The Oberoi Spa, I was a refreshed, new me and I would recommend ‘The Oberoi Experience’ to all my friends.

Given the crazy-busy hectic lives we lead these days, we all deserve a little pampering. Treat your body with ‘The Oberoi Experience’; I’m sure you’ll thank me for the recommendation!

For more details on ‘The Oberoi Experience’ or any other packages at The Oberoi spa, please visit their website.