I’ll admit it, I love a little pampering, ok, a lot. And I’ve probably had more than my fair share. But l will never forget the divine treatments I experienced with my bestie during a girly afternoon of indulgence at Stephanies Spa Retreat at the recently refurbished Sofitel Brisbane.
There are day spas and then there’s Stephanies. If you think the name sounds a little ordinary, rest assured the ambience and services are anything but.
Owner Stephanie Shepherd believes in fusing ancient beauty rituals with the latest technology which is how I found myself with a paintbrush in one hand and two dishes of mud in front of me inside something called the Opal Rasul Temple. A deluxe steam room barely lit by candles and a galaxy of stars on the domed ceiling, the rasul is made for friends and couples to relax together. You leave your robe at the door and begin body painting as the mosaic-tiled room gently fills with steam. Once covered in detoxifying mud, it’s time to lie back on the benches and drift away. Time passes quickly and soon enough it’s off to the adjoining shower room in preparation for a massage.
Just don’t ask me to describe the massage in any real detail. Once on the table I was in that lovely state of near-sleep, praying it would never end. But even the best massages reach a conclusion.
Robed up again, my girlfriend and I met up in the luxury pedicure lounge to sip green tea while enjoying the most dreamy foot treatment ever. Two words: happy feet. As for the rest of me, well, I’d been spoilt like a Bollywood star top to toe. And if there’s one thing better than a blissful afternoon at a day spa, it’s having a friend there right beside you.
What’s your idea of a luxury beauty treatment?