The Royal Treatment
By Alexis Yap
IF YOU haven’t been to London to look at the Queen, well, there’s a quaint little place in town that may give you a little taste of some British royalty. With the lush interiors and indulgent services of Afternoon Tea Spa, owner Jerry de Leon stays true to his promise in offering some upscale experience with a price tag not too steep, and of course, unlimited English tea for all his guests.
But it’s not only tea he promises thee. Chocolate is on the menu and is not only intended to pleasure the mouth but also the skin! Cocoa butter from no less than The Chocolate Chamber is used in some treatments here for its high contents of natural oils and anti-oxidants that nourish the skin. Check out the Chocolate Indulgence Package where you get to have your chocolate and eat – and drink it, too!
The Prince Philip Nail Care Package is a treatment fit for royalty indeed. It includes a foot scrub and spa, classic mani and pedi, a 15-minute head, shoulder and hand massage, and a hand scrub and spa with 24K gold.
The Repair Package delivers what it promises. It starts with a Hot Stone Foot Massage on the reclining seats. Even then, you’d already fall asleep in the bespoke ambience that Jerry has masterfully concocted. After your foot massage, you are then transferred to a private massage room that has a sliding door as the middle wall that easily converts into a couple’s room.
Swedish style massage has always been my preference but incorporating hot stones and melted cocoa butter in that technique is just heaven. Hendry, my therapist was only half my size and weight yet the rhythmic motion and pressure of his hands against the hot stones released all the unwanted and persistent tension from my back. He’ll do this repeatedly and it will be your favorite thing in the world, I promise.
The session ends with a head massage and with a head like mine, it’s easy for most therapists to really go all out in this much-anticipated finale. What makes this one special is the stone-warmed, cocoa-moisturized hand that easily glides from the upper back, to the neck, then onto the head. The rhythmic motion and sporadic surges of pressure are the true keys to the head massage.
And like most things, all good things must come to an end. However, there’s more English tea after the treatment! Thank you. Jerry tells me of some guests who actually spend eight hours in the spa, trying out everything on the menu. Not hard to believe and so easy to do since the moment you step inside and breathe in the calming room scent, you’d definitely want to stay for some royal treatment.
Afternoon Tea Spa is located at the Upper Ground Level of the new Chong Hua Hospital in Mandaue. They offer a wide range of services aside from the usual massage including nail care, waxing, and threading. Everyone at the spa are Certified Massage Therapists (CMT’s) by the Department of Health. Call them to book an assured appointment at (032) 255-8156.
