The Ultimate Indulgence

Posted by Stacey

on February 4, 2009

I’ve been lucky enough to get the chance to visit a lot of spas over the years, and I have a pretty good track record. Other than the spa (and I use the word VERY loosely) that my friend and I ventured into in Budapest, I’ve almost always enjoyed my treatments. So up until this past month, I would’ve had a hard time picking my all time favorite visit. But then I visited Ole Henriksen for their Deluxe African Red Tea Body Cocktail and now we have a winner!

Ole Henriksen is located on the busy Sunset Blvd. in Los Angeles, but once you step into the spa, you’re worlds away from the hustle and bustle that’s taking place right outside the door. The spa is so quiet that I instantly felt more relaxed when I walked in – a great way to start my visit. The first thing I did was change into a comfortable robe and then I was led into a quiet room with a soothing waterfall on the wall. I drank some hot African Red Tea and relaxed some more while I waited for my technician to come get me.

To start the treatment, I was taken into a room where I disrobed and laid down on a table that was as comfortable as a bed. Then I was given a hand, foot and scalp massage that instantly de-stressed me. (Isn’t it funny how any form of massage can do that to you?) The short massage was followed by an organic purifying brown sugar scrub for exfoliation over my entire body. The scrub smelled amazing; I was half tempted to lick one of my hands to see what it tasted like, but I managed to restrain myself! It was really nice to get a “professional” exfoliation, too. You don’t realize how difficult it is to scrub hard to reach places (like your back) until someone else does it and you feel how soft your skin can get. After the exfoliation, I rinsed off with a tropical rain rinse, which came from a large group of showerheads overhead that released the water directly onto the table. It felt amazing – it was like walking in a downpour, except the “rain” was hot and I got to lay down while it was happening. So relaxing!

After I was rinsed off, the African Red Tea part of the treatment began. First, the juice from fresh oranges was squeezed right onto my body. Then the natural antioxidant exfoliating/ toning mask was put all over it. The mask is made from yogurt and African Red Tea (the tea is actually loose leaf, so it’s almost a little exfoliating itself) and feels soft and moisturizing as it goes on. (And again, the entire process smells delicious. I was glad I ate before I went; otherwise, I would’ve been hungry the entire time.) After the mask was applied, my technician put fresh orange slices all over my body and enveloped me in a warm wrap to allow the active ingredients to penetrate. (For those of you who are slightly claustrophobic, don’t worry – the wrap isn’t tight enough to freak you out, it’s almost like being cuddled up in a blanket). While the mask was working, a treatment was also put in my hair to help keep it moisturized. When the time was up, I was unwrapped and then given another one of the tropical rain rinses to get the ingredients off of me. (I really want one of them in my house someday. It was SO relaxing). My skin was so soft and silky when I rinsed off that I almost couldn’t believe it. I’m not one of those people who moisturize every day after I get out of the shower because I’m kind of lazy, but if it’s going to lead to skin that’s even a fraction as soft as it was after this treatment, I’m going to have to start.

But the best part of the deluxe treatment is that at this point, it was only half over. Next, I jumped into the “normal” kind of shower and got completely clean (the African Red Tea is stubborn and doesn’t want to come off, so the shower is definitely necessary). Then I got back into my robe and was taken into another room where I started the second half of my visit – an hour long relaxing massage. My technician was fantastic. She asked me what areas I thought needed the most work (my neck and shoulders) and then made sure they got special attention, so by the time the sixty minutes were up, they were looser than I can remember them being in a long time. By the time my two hour treatment was finished, I was super relaxed and stress-free and I smelled fantastic! The combination of different treatments was so great – my skin was exfoliated and detoxed, then moisturized and massaged. I was so relaxed that I could’ve fallen asleep right on the table and stayed there all night. It’s a good thing that wasn’t an option!

The Deluxe African Red Tea Body Cocktail is $210, so it’s definitely a splurge, but one that I would say is totally worth treating yourself to every once in a while. I walked out of there happy and promising myself that if I ever win the lottery, I’m going to book myself the treatment every other week. Or possibly every week. I might as well enjoy my millions, after all!

Ole Henriksen is located at 8622A W. Sunset Blvd. in Los Angeles. You can book an appointment by calling (310) 854-7700. To read more about the Deluxe African Red Tea Body Cocktail and their other treatments, check out olehenriksen.com.