In the midst of our day-to-day stresses and after months of neglecting essential physical and mental needs, a massage treat would always sound like a heavenly idea. But what’s even more heavenly, is getting one of those in a place far away from the city where you don’t have to worry about getting stuck in traffic on your way back and tensing up all those untied knots all over again.

The Cascades Spa & Thalasso at Soma Bay  is where I enjoyed one of the most relaxing and unwinding massages I have had in a long time.

I was meant to spend just a couple of hours taking a tour in this rejuvenating escapade. However, I had secretly planned to leave my company for an hour to treat myself to a session my body and mind have been craving for way too long. As I sat down for lunch at their Breakers hotel enjoying the fresh air and beautiful energy of kite surfers and divers around me, I found myself asking for the spa’s brochure and going over their many tempting options.

After spending too much time trying to make up my mind, I ended up booking for a 50-minute back, neck and shoulders massage (65 Euros) through Soma Bay’s hotline, 16390, which easily put me through to the spa.  You can take a shuttle to just about anywhere within Soma Bay but a friend kindly dropped me off for my 4:30pm appointment.

The second I walked through the spa’s entrance, I could instantly breathe in the relaxing aroma in the air. You know, that scent of serenity that hits your mind but only in the right kinds of spa who know how to set the perfect ambiance. I was taken to the locker room, given a robe and comfortable bath slippers and when I walked out I found my therapist waiting for me. On the way to the massage room, I already felt my body relaxing as I was taking in the spa’s positive and relaxing vibes.

The room was perfectly dim with the right amounts of light and the perfect transition for my eyes as I left the hallways and got onto the bed. The music was spot on and for the whole duration, not for a second did I want it to skip a beat or fade away — a feeling I got at several other spas. The oil was heated up to the right temperature, warm enough to feel it get through to your deeply tensed muscles and tissues, without it being too hot.

My therapist’s hands were of the perfect pressure and just a few seconds after she started working her way through my obviously knotted up nerves, she asked if the pressure was okay and I was already too relaxed that I could only muster a murmuring “yes.” I’m terribly ticklish so for me to feel that comfortable and not request a stronger massage is pretty much a miracle. I usually drive the masseuses insane as I giggle and ask them to skip this part or adjust the pressure. But that day, my back was in massage heaven.

What I specifically loved about my treatment was that the masseuse was not following a rhythmic technique that she learned. Instead, she worked on every spot the way she felt it needed to be handled.

My therapist’s hands did not leave my body for a second, and even when she wanted to add more oil, she used just one hand to gently pour a few warm drops over my back. She didn’t walk away and leave me unattended, something I also experienced in other spas that always got me thinking “Where did she go? What is she doing? That was too good why did she stop so abruptly?”

Sadly, my time was up and the moment I never want to come hit me like a sad little kid wanting another good cookie. I was too relaxed, had a tranquil mind that reflected through one of those silly smiles that are normally induced by happy drugs.

As I walked back to the locker room, which by the way I needed help to find as my brain was too relaxed to function, I couldn’t help but mentally plan for my future treatments.