Coffee…It’s Not Just for Breakfast Anymore! (Eric-Jen's Husband, March 5, 2005)

When your wife is as into spas as mine is, it’s only a matter of time until she drags you along and chooses spa services for you.  I can tell you I’m indifferent when it comes to spas, or spa-ing, as she says.  I can take it or leave it; so if it wasn’t for her, I most likely would never set foot in a spa unless it were to pick her up from her latest Let’s Go Spa consultation.  She first tricked me into getting a standard massage on a cruise.  Then, after our wedding, she suckered me into getting a facial.  She claimed that we just had to get these side-by-side treatments because we were on our honeymoon.  Yeah, I fell for it.

Her latest ploy came while we were in the Bahamas .  She took one look at the spa menu and immediately picked my treatment.  After about 4 days of hearing her hint around to see if I’d be willing to get the treatment, I finally told her “just tell me when to be there”.  Now, if there is one thing I can tell you about myself, it’s that I am a coffee lover.  So I guess it wasn’t a big surprise that she booked me for the Caribbean Coffee Scrub at the Mandara Spa at Atlantis.

Now, I couldn’t tell you what color the walls were or whether there where scented candles or even if there was soothing music playing.   Those details are just not my thing.  I’m sure they were there, but I would be lying if I said I noticed them.  What does matter to me is the actual service, and this service was very unique.  My treatment started with a standard massage, nothing special, but very relaxing and it was a perfect appetizer for what was to follow. 

The scrub started with hot oil poured all over my body.  Real Caribbean coffee beans, freshly ground, were then sprinkled over me and rubbed all over my body.  Though I think some people would find this type of scrub too abrasive, I really enjoyed the sensation.  After showering off, I was left with one of the best tans of my life as the coffee actually darkens the skin for a day or so.  I learned after my treatment that sometimes the oil and coffee grounds are pre-mixed rather than applied consecutively.  But, if given the option, I would choose not to have the pre-mixed approach as I really enjoyed the feeling of the hot oil being applied separately.

Once my treatment was over I was shown what else the spa has to offer.  The Mandara spa has a very large Thalassotherapy pool located outside in the Garden Terrace.  It’s a huge hot tub filled with seawater and metal platforms.  Unfortunately, my spa expert wife forgot to tell me to bring my bathing suit so I had to wear my regular shorts in the pool.  Despite my wife’s failure to prepare this novice spa-goer, the pool was very enjoyable.  You almost float on top of the water above the platforms because of the salt and bubbling water.  After several minutes of what felt like floating on clouds, I went inside and tried out the steam room and fog shower.  The steam was so thick I couldn’t see if anyone else was in the room or whether or not I should be wearing my shorts still, but I did.  I later learned it was a Co-Ed, so I made the right call.  I finished off my enjoyable experience by spending a few minutes in the sauna, followed by a quick rinse in the spa’s tropical rain shower.  All in all, it was a pretty good couple of hours that I would definitely do again…as long as my wife tells me where and when.