Facial/Spa/Hair/Nails

Essa Spa Offers A Tranquil Escape From The Daily Grind

September 21, 2013

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Single treatment room

There are spas all over Kuala Lumpur but there are so few truly excellent ones which impress you the moment you walk through its doors and bowl you over when you step foot into their treatment rooms. I’d read about Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur’s Essa Spa in beauty magazines and have always been a little curious as to whether the spa’s services and treatments.

What I didn’t expect was the sheer size of Essa Spa, tucked away on Grand Hyatt’s 2nd Floor adjacent to the hotel’s outdoor swimming pool. The spa is a very impressive 1,353 square metre (14,558 square feet) tranquil retreat from the hustle and bustle of the city below.

Essa Spa was designed by architects WATG, supported by project architects GDP and the interiors designed by Bilkey Llinas Design. The ambiance is par exellence, a sense of calm and elegance permeates every nook and corner of the spa. It has a circular design so you can enter the treatment room area via one entrance from the reception area and exit via another door back into the reception area. Claustrophobia? You will never feel cramped in at this spa. Natural warm earth tones are used throughout this well designed spa.

As I was ushered into one of the very spacious single treatment rooms by my therapist, I walked past the hotel’s 240-hour fitness centre. Hotel guests can gain access to the fitness centre by using their room key cards. The spa features 11 treatment rooms that consist of 9 single suites and 2 couple suites.

Sink area

Each suite has an adjustable massage bed and an integrated shower and washroom for the comfort and convenience if guests. The en suite washroom is easily the most luxurious I have seen in any spa as it has a changing area with a wardrobe (the robe is so woolly and fluffy but I didn’t wear it as it was not necessary), there are combs and brushes on the sink area next to the shower cubicle.

My treatment was the Malay Urut which is available as a 1 hour or 1.5 hour session + 15 minutes of head massage. I’m quite sure I had more than an hour of the body massage but how to count time when you are in such an utter state of relaxation? The bed was warmed up and I was lying under a duvet but first, I had a welcome drink of hibiscus, honey and kaffir lime while my feet were immersed in a tub of warm water and scrubbed.

Foot soak & welcome drink before the massage

My therapist is a trained physiotherapist and she has been with Essa Spa ever since the spa began operating in August 2012. She explained that for the Malay Urut, she would be using her palms, thumbs and forearms. Bioessentials oil would be used during the session. I have come to associate Bioessentials with the best spas in town. I completed a form and one of the questions asked was which part of my body I’d like the massage to focus on. My neck and shoulders, probably my back too as I spend long hours in front of the laptop.

The bed was so comfortable and I thoroughly enjoyed every single minute or should I say second of the Malay Urut as the massage strokes were firm and very much to my liking and preference, the rhythm was just right for me. It didn’t hurt even when the therapist started using her forearms to administer long, kneading strokes. She did focus on my neck and shoulders which emitted “cricking” noises as she did her best to ease the built-up tension there. I was in the hands of a true professional. As she massaged, I even extracted some physio advise from her in regard to osteoarthritis as some ladies around my age are suffering from that condition and who knows, I could be the next victim so it’s better to collect as much information as I can regarding this affliction which usually strikes ladies in their 40s and above.

After the body massage was over, it was time for the 15 minutes head massage. No pulling of hair here, that is a different treatment altogether which isn’t offered at this spa. The head massage is somewhat similar to pressure point massage. I didn’t have a headache but I found this to be extremely therapeutic and enjoyed it every bit as much as I did the body massage.

After the treatment, I went back to the washroom to change and tidy up my hair while my therapist prepared a little snack for me with a pot of lemongrass and ginger tea. I didn’t expect two delicious pineapple tarts to be waiting for me. Most spas will only offer cookies at most but this is Grand Hyatt’s spa where everything is a cut above the rest. My therapist waited outside the treatment room as I finished my tea and tarts.

I was given a tour around the rest of the spa on the way back to the reception area, Mages, my therapist explained that the spa also offers body wraps, scrubs, manicures, pedicures and facials. For the facials, the spa uses products from the June Jacobs Spa Collection. These signature treatments are exclusive to Hyatt spas so you will find the same treatment at the Grand Hyatt Seoul’s spa.

Double treatment room

Essa Spa’s signature facial is the HydraFacial™, available since December 2012. This facial treatment is for all skin types and there are 3 types of HydraFacial™. The Hydra Mini is ideal for those in a hurry (yes, that includes the majority of men) is like an express facial as it’s only 30 minutes long. Hydra Lux is 60 minutes while Hydra Lift is 90 minutes long. The treatment combines cleansing, exfoliation, extraction and hydration, all while delivering antioxidant, Hyaluronic Acid, peptides and other essential nutrients. The HydraFacial™’s benefits include enhanced skin tone and texture, reduced appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, hyperpigmentation and improved appearance of oily or acne-prone skin.

My first visit to Essa Spa left me with a very good impression. It’s not just for guests of the hotel or any hotel, this spa is for everyone seeking a calm place to unwind after a long day at work, a refuge and sanctuary for the weary and stressed. It will rejuvenate your body, mind and soul.

For more information on Essa Spa, please call 03-2182 1234 or visit www.kualalumpur.grandhyatt.com