Bliss, however, is not ignorance.

Also guest blogging at Backseat Radio: Judging this book by its cover.

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After being on the edge of my seat for more than two months, what better way to let it all go in a whoosh over a spa session with some of the people who share the same stress over the same period in time. Although it is commonly known that a lady does not need a reason for relaxation, but it is always fun to have one nonetheless. After hearing there is such a thing as a ‘sparty’, best gather up some of your female colleagues for a different kind of bachelorette party.

Generally, a sparty is a party at a spa for, say, about 10 or less of your closest friends. You girls get to do stuff there together, like a steam bath, chilling at the patio, getting your own choice of massage – maybe not the in the same room, because face it, we will probably never be that close – and enjoy a spa cuisine with practically the whole spa outlet to yourselves.

Elaine from Energy Health and Day Spa hooked us up at their Mont Kiara branch for a few relaxing hours on a lazy Saturday all to ourselves. We got to choose from a few kinds of massage we would like, such as a facial treatment, a body wrap treatment, and a few different kinds of massages. I was torn between going the conventional treatment of a Shiatsu massage, or a unchartered territory of a Hot stone massage. After some not-so-deep consideration, I went for the latter, and boy was I up for a treat.

After changing into our own robes at their changing room, we all got into a few minutes of steam bathing. Basically, it is just to lock yourselves up in a small room, where there is constantly steam gushing out from a scorching pipe. This is to open up your pores and get all the icky stuff out of your skin. Half of the time while I was in there, I could barely see who I was talking to. And I was wondering if I were going to pass out anytime soon because the weather outside was not exactly a cooling one that day. I think we were only in there for about 15 minutes, and all of us scurried out before we turned into lobsters.

We took a time out at their patio that has been reserved for us only. Sipping over a cup of tea with a cooling towel over your face, you could just sit back and relax as the world goes by around you while you listen to the rustling of the leaves around you.

However, being in Mont Kiara, where the area is still under heavy construction, and being just next to an apartment swimming pool, you cannot really get the total tranquility you would hope for with all the machines hammering and the kids screaming and splashing in the water. But, the atmosphere is there and if you could channel the right wavelength, you could actually find peace.

Next, would be the main course of the sparty. I was escorted to a curtained room where I would get my massage treatment. The masseuse uses these black stones that are probably the same ones decorating the floors of the patio outside. The stones are of different sizes and they are warmed up in a pot of boiling water. The stones are supposed to work with your body’s blood circulation or something, and eases up your tensed muscles.

There is no direct contact between the stones and the skin; there will always be a towel to prevent first degree burns. The masseuse placed a line of stones on my spine first, and every passing second, I was holding my breath for the heat to hit, and when it did, wow it burned and half of the time I was contemplating if I should just call the thing off.

Unlike a Shiatsu massage, which I would fall asleep to all of the time, I was constantly driven awake whenever the masseuse rubbed the stones over my body. It took a while to get used to the heat. Sometimes, it felt like I was putting myself through more torture than easing everything up. Like asking someone to please burn me to death with a fire torch, and eat me up crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

I will not lie that I did not really get a lot of ‘relaxing’ time with this kind of massage. But once it was over, it did felt nice. Whether it was nice because it was finally over, or because the stones have perfected my muscles and blood circulation, I would have to come back to you on that. It is going to be a while before I go through that again. Perhaps I am more used to hands doing the massage rather than stones.

We finished off our sparty with a tête-à-tête at the patio over a glass of fruit juice and over some salad thingamajig. A jumble of capsicum, salad greens, pineapples, chickens and the likes that taste sweet, salty and sour all at the same time. Perhaps it was the massage, but I was chomping down the food like I were to go back to the jungle the next day with no food to eat. I am even putting things in my mouth I would never do that on a normal day. Except the greens, because I do not eat greens. I just make them. Heh.

All in all, it was a well-deserved escape. Quiet time to throw work to the back of your mind and just hide between the seconds of euphoria. I would definitely look forward to something similar to this in the near future, though not too near as not to kill the novelty of it. Ladies, do try something different like this once in a while too with your girl friends to get all the pampering you deserve. In fact, do it with your man. I am sure most spa outlets out there have couple treatments now. I do not know about you men, but you can probably try that with your guy friends if you all are into this kind of stuff. Or not. Heh.

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Energy Health & Day Spa
Damai Sari, Mont Kiara Damai
3, Jalan Kiara 2
Mont Kiara
50480 Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia
T: +6 03 6201 7833
W: http://www.energymindbodyspirit.com

Tags: Energy Health and Day Spa, Hot stone massage, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Massage, Mont Kiara, Spa, Spa cuisine, Sparty, Steam bath