My awesome husband surprised me with a four-hour spa treatment for our Anniversary! Last Wednesday he stayed home from work and told me to make sure I didn’t have anything going on for the next few hours. I arranged for the kids to be taken to their Kindyroo classes without me and just waited excitedly about our adventure. He kept teasing me and telling me that the tooth whitening place we were going to was just above a reupholster shop so I could go ahead and bring with me the chairs I’ve been wanting to reupholster for a while now. Then, he told me to bring tennis shoes and mosquito repellent, which was later substituted by a bathing suit and a hat. I didn’t know what to think when we got on the car.

As we approached the Four Seasons Hotel I wondered if we were doing brunch again but he finally told me he had booked a couple’s spa treatment and that we would be there for the next four hours. What? Four hours? Four hours without screaming babies and spilled milk and juice? Four hours without worrying about any pending work for the associations I volunteer at? Four hours… Four hours of bliss!

As we arrived at the Spa we entered a complete different realm. I couldn’t believe we were still in Jakarta. Everything was so clean, aromas of jasmine and lavender filled the air and the dim lights set a very relaxing and calm atmosphere.  We were greeted by lovely staff that explained to us what the treatment was going to be like. My husband decided to do the “Cleopatra Bath”. Which included the following:

A relaxing journey starting with a Javanese massage where the techniques of skin rolling, long kneading strokes, acupressure and foot massage are believed to renew, strengthen and heal the body. After that, our skillful therapist will apply freshly prepared body scrub to exfoliate and smooth your skin. To complete the journey, you will be dipped into The Spa’s deep soaking bath with milk and rose petals. (From the Four Seasons Website)

As we went to the locker rooms I didn’t even had a chance to regret not coming prepared for this. They had everything available, from disposable underwear to robes and slippers and deodorant, hair spray and body lotion. They have a Sauna, Steam Room and cold and hot Jacuzzi available for guests to use. As we changed into our robes, our couple’s room was being prepared. While we waited, we sat at a lounge area where herbal tea and current magazines and newspapers were available for us to enjoy.

We were shown to our room and the ambience was just perfect. Great music, excellent lighting and beautiful decoration. The first thing we had done was a short foot massage and cleansing. The Javanese Massage was One-Hour long. We were able to pic the essential oil of our choice. The exfoliation process took about 45 minutes. This was my favorite part. I could feel all my pores opening up and I couldn’t wait to feel what my skin would end up like after the scrub. This was followed by a 30 minute milk bath in very warm water full with rose petals and finalized by a short massage with hydrating lotion.

After we were done. We were suggested to use the steam room for a while and later led to the health bar area where cold lemon water and hot herbal tea was available for consumption. They had an a la carte menu with fruit smoothies and sandwiches but we decided to get out of the Spa and visit the Deli at the Hotel.

The Deli had a great variety of choices and we were a bit overwhelmed by the selection. They had all kinds of fresh bread and pastries and a lot of different kinds of cakes and desserts. We love sandwiches and the fact that they had over 15 choices was so exciting for us since they are not really available anywhere in Jakarta. We decided to share a soy chicken , alfalfa and vegetables sandwich. It was delicious and for 118 rupiahs ++ it was a great deal since we were sharing. We later shared a chocolate muffin and we each had our own drink. The drinks were quite pricey for our taste. Iced Tea was 50,000 rupiahs ++ and a Root Beer was the same price. Half of our bill consisted of  drinks.

Overall we had a great time. We loved the massage and enjoyed relaxing at the Spa and later enjoyed the food and being able to get out of the routine for a change. I cannot recommend this place enough. It’s great for a city- escape and a good place to take guests. I really want to take my mom and my mother-in-law there when they come visit. Make sure you make a reservation. Especially if you want a couple’s massage because they only have one or two rooms available for this purpose. If you have a diplomatic kitas make sure they take your taxes off and don’t forget to ask about the monthly promotions. The Cleopatra Bath was the special treatment available for the month of May and it was cheaper than a regular treatment including similar services.

What can I say? We had the perfect anniversary celebration and the best part was spending the whole day with the love of my life and my best friend.

The Spa at the Four Seasons Hotel
Jalan H.R. Rasuna Said
(+62 21) 252 3456 ext. 7880.