There isn’t a soul amongst us who doesn’t love a good massage, that feeling of Zen and relaxation that accompanies strutting out of a good session with limber muscles and clear mind.

With that in mind 2OV’s Aimee Everleigh set off for Ginkgo Spa at the Arniston Hotel full of excitement. Here’s what she had to say…

Matt [my boyfriend] and I headed for the Ginkgo Spa this past weekend straight after a trance party, stuffed and muddy and dirty. At least we were feeling fresh, a good sober party will do that to a person.

The build-up to arriving was a little less than perfect. It was pouring with rain and the wind was kicking up a real stink, and to top it all off my phone died en route so I missed the message from owner Peter Krug. He had advised that we push the date back a week, the one road into Arniston flooded and conditions not at all safe.

Blissfully unaware we soldiered on, the drive taking a painstaking four hours until we arrived in Arniston. The first thing that struck me was how pristine the town is – no litter, no vandalism, a shining clean haven that has been immaculately maintained. The beach looks like the set of a movie, the quaint scene making for a few postcard-perfect pictures.

When we finally arrived at the Arniston Hotel I was delighted with the room we were allocated, the best sea-facing room with a clear ocean view and all the charm that the town has become famous for. Due to the crummy weather conditions we stayed in, the restaurant cooking the tastiest home-style traditional South African food and delivering it to our door in fine style. The waiter arrived in his waistcoat with silver trolley in tow, charming our socks off with the kind of service that you rarely see these days.

After wonderful night’s rest we woke up bright and early and made our way over to the Ginkgo Spa. The interior is very posh but this is a spa with a difference, owner Peter having designed it with wellness in mind rather than simple massages and manicures. He insisted we tried out something called the RASUL, a traditional Arabic cleansing ritual.

Matt and I had to smear each other’s bodies with a substance similar to mud, then sit in a hot steam room that sprayed us with mist and lots of water. I have to admit that at first it was horrifying and I almost died, but afterwards I felt absolutely amazing and the day was off to a great start.

Then we had what I would call the best massages ever, specifically aimed at deknotting the body. The real treat here was an approach that used acupuncture, meaning that the masseuses were able to figure out where we were holding pain, stress and ‘blocked energy’. This was exactly what we needed. I sometimes feel like getting a massage can be an invasion on my personal bubble, and I can become very bored and restless after 5 minutes, but this experience was epic and I happily lay through the 30 minutes without a winge or a tantrum.

The spa has a wide range of treatments that are very popular, their trademark ‘Elixir’ massage famous for its ability to uplift. The BABOR Spa Energising Body Treatment is another that has to be tried at some stage, stimulating blood circulation and kicking the metabolism into gear.

We left feeling invigorated and ready for the week ahead, but not before we snapped a picture from our room with the sun out and Arniston’s full beauty on display. I told you it was a sea view…

Our visit to Ginkgo Spa and Arniston couldn’t have gone any better and come rain or shine you’ll find us headed back for another round of rest and relaxation in one of the Western Cape’s hidden gems.