A Thai massage and mud treatment at a Dead Sea resort opens Ashraf Helmi's pores and mind to what such therapies can do for the metrosexual male.
I’m not a typical old-fashioned, chest-thumping man, but when someone asks me to dip my feet in rose-petalled water, I’m most probably going to say “no”.
However, that was exactly what my spa therapist, Pim, asked me to do before my mud treatment and consequent Thai massage.
This was my first visit to a spa — I was at the Dead Sea, surrounded by natural skin and body therapies and remedies, so I thought I might as well give it a go.
Pim, who had come from Thailand to settle in Jordan almost ten years ago, is an expert in Thai massage.
She is from the famous Anantara Spa at the Kempinski Hotel in Amman.
The moment Pim starts her massage, her hands turn into something completely inhuman — clamp-like and robotic, hammering away at my shoulders and neck.
It’s painful. But it’s clear she knows what she is doing. Pim is a consummate professional — clinical, even.
I, however, have no idea what she is doing and lie motionless, feeling a mild sense of terror.
De-stressing for men
It turns out my unease is ill-founded. Men are getting on the spa-treatment act almost as much as women are.
According to Patricia Collins, general manager of the soon-to-open Grand Anantara Spa at the Dead Sea, the “metrosexual” man of our age needs some time out too.
“Men are far more into grooming and looking after themselves these days,” she says, as she places hot ginger tea in front of me.
“Businessmen come to the spa to unwind and get away from their stressful schedule. They get pampered here, which, after all, is what everyone wants,” she adds.
The new spa will have over 20 treatment rooms, outdoor water-therapy lounges, a Whatsu pool, Rasoule chamber and various local salt-and-mud treatments.
It will be the biggest of its kind in the Middle East. “We are catering [to] more and more of our Arab guests.
"Both men and women from the region [enjoy our] treatments and it’s an ever-growing market,” says Collins, who was also instrumental in the launch of the spa centre at the Burj Al Arab in Dubai.
In fact, more and more male-only spas are coming up in the region.
No idle indulgence
H20, at the Emirate Towers, caters to the business traveller who hops from meeting to meeting and from one time zone to another.
According to them, spas are no longer an “idle indulgence” but a “necessity”.
So, as Pim kneads my back as if it were dough, I contemplate the fact that attitudes such as mine towards male grooming are becoming less and less prevalent.
Just don’t ask me to wear those fluffy slippers again.
Go there ... Amman
From the UAE ... From Dubai
Return economy on Royal Jordanian.
3 nights stay, twin-sharing.
Fare: Dh2,805
— Dnata Holidays.
Ph: 04 4298576
From Abu Dhabi
Etihad flies four days a week.
Fare: Dh3,170
— Etihad Airways
Mud, water and salt: For a brand new you
Many holidaygoers come to the Dead Sea not just for relaxation — it’s also one of the premier places in the world for treatment of skin conditions.
Located between Jordan and Israel, the Dead Sea is the lowest point on Earth.
Ever wondered why it’s called the Dead Sea? It’s because its salt concentration is so high there are no living creatures in it — except microscopic bacteria.
But it’s the high level of salt — up to eight times higher than the Earth’s oceans — that helps in the treatment of a variety of skin conditions.
It also means you’ll float more easily, so you can get that famous photo of reading a newspaper in the water.
Just make sure the water doesn’t get into your eyes.
Dead Sea mud is also believed to have therapeutic properties, so rub it on yourself generously when you head out to the beach.
The higher atmospheric pressure there is also thought to be beneficial for respiratory disorders.
