Page 39 of Seashells at The Summer Hotel Lovely Bay
‘Text me when you get back from the spa.’
‘Will do.’
23
Over another cup of tea sitting on the balcony, Nina reflected on her day. When she’d returned to the hotel, she’d felt exponentially tired and hot. She blamed the drastic change in climate and the cloying humidity for her exhaustion. On top of that, the many thousands of steps and the long flight had also taken their toll. She chided herself that she should have drunk more water, realising that she’d probably let herself get dehydrated. She made a mental note that whilst in the tropical climate, glugging down water had to be front and centre. Cups of English tea were not quite enough.
After spending an hour or so pottering in the room, unpacking a few more things, and taking on as much water as she could, she made her way to the spa located in an outbuilding a stroll away from the pool area. As she walked through the tropical gardens and followed a winding pathway flanked by gigantic palms, banana plants, and ferns, she still felt as if tiredness was her new best friend. The spa treatment was just what she needed.
As she got closer, the spa building didn’t disappoint – a traditional, Thai pitched roof, open building and an expanse of shutters and intricately carved wood. As Nina approached,calming music welcomed her at the entrance, and on either side of oversized doors, huge orchid-shaped bowls brimmed with water where goldfish swam amidst water plants. As if by magic, the doors opened, and she stepped into a reception area scented with jasmine and lavender and lit entirely by the soft glow of tiny tealight candles. The famous Thai smile she had heard so much about was very much in evidence every which way she looked as she removed her shoes, put on a pair of silk slippers, and followed the smile.Welcome to paradise Bangkok style.
Nina instantly felt calm and almost floated as she was led to a long, low timber table where a welcome ceremony had been laid out for her on a beautiful pink silk runner. A woman brought a pot of jasmine tea to the table, poured it into tiny bowls, and placed a stack of silk napkins on the table. On a chair, a basket with a silk robe, towel, and a pair of slippers was ready for her and the woman explained that once Nina had finished her tea, she would change into the gown and begin with a reflexology treatment, followed by a ninety-minute full-body massage with warm oil and hot stones. She would then progress to a cleansing ceremony and finish with a yoga Nidra guided meditation and a cacao ceremony – whatever that was.
Nina wasn’t quite sure about the cacao ceremony; it sounded mildly disturbing, but she did exactly as she was told, taking a seat on the bench, dipping into the beautiful platter of exotic tropical fruit, and sipping the jasmine tea. Before she knew it, she was dressed in the silk robe and sitting on a specially made chair, her feet in a porcelain basin where frangipani flowers floated on the surface. Things were good and got better.
After ninety minutes of massage bliss, during which Nina felt herself slip away, she found herself in the middle of a circular room with a pitched timber roof and an old-fashioned colonial fan, the space entirely lit by candlelight. After the cacao ceremony, which was really just a bowl of hot chocolate and alot of orchids, and the Nidra meditation, she floated back to her room, feeling almost delirious as she got ready for bed.
The combination of the day's humidity, the multitude of steps she’d walked, and then the joys of the spa treatment conspired to make her feel more tired than she ever had before. She fell into bed, barely able to keep her eyes open, plugged in her phone, sent a text to Robby, turned off the bedside lamp, and plunged into sleep faster than she thought possible.
The next morning, Nina woke from a deep sleep. For a moment, thanks to the impressive effectiveness of the traditional shutters on the hotel room windows, she didn't know where she was, what day it was, or, to be quite frank,whoshe was, either. She blinked a few times as her brain shifted into gear, recalling how she’d collapsed into the hotel bed the previous night and fallen asleep almost instantly.
She inhaled deeply, stretched her back, and gazed at the tiny slivers of light peeking through the shutters' tops. Slipping her hand beneath the sheets and onto the nightstand, she picked up her phone, keyed in her code, and nearly dropped it when she saw the time. She’d been asleep for nearly thirteen hours. The massage and magical properties of the cacao had clearly done their jobs. Shifting to the edge of the bed, she fumbled around for the hotel slippers, slipped on the plush white robe, went to the loo, washed her hands and face, and finally opened the shutters and balcony door to be greeted by a slam of humidity. The air conditioning in the room had been so quiet and efficient that she had completely forgotten how overwhelming the heat and humidity could be.
She eased herself onto one of the balcony chairs and sat for a while, absorbing the lushness of the garden and the scent in the air as she fully awoke from the deep, restorative sleep. Returning indoors, she made a quick cup of tea, took some fruit out of the fridge, and sat by the window staring blankly into space.
Despite the long and deep sleep, as Nina pottered around the room thinking about her plans for the day, her limbs felt heavy and she had an odd sort of tightness in her neck. The massage had been amazing but it had clearly shifted something in her that had made her muscles sore. She almost felt as if she was bruised and despite the mahusive sleep in the gorgeous bed, she still felt more tired than she had in alongtime. Putting it down to being on holiday and away from her regular routine, she shelved her plans for further Bangkok exploring in the heat and decided she’d spend the day reading and relaxing by the pool. Life had been worse.
She picked up her phone and dialled Robby's number to let him know she was okay after her huge sleep. He answered on the first ring.
‘Morning. All good with you?’
‘Hey, yep, I’m fine.’
‘Great.’
‘You won’t believe how hot it is here this morning. Is it the same there?’
‘Absolutely.’
‘I love it, but I mean, as soon as you step outside, it’s like walking into a sauna. The heat just hits you full-on! I went out onto the balcony this morning and couldn’t believe it.’
Robby laughed on the other end of the line. ‘Sounds intense! But you love the sun, right? A nice change from British weather, eh?’
‘It is, but this is something else!’ Nina looked down towards the bar area as she chatted. ‘I’ve decided I’m going to hangaround here and chill today. I’m tired, and it’s beautiful here, so why not? It's so lush and tropical, with gigantic palms and ferns everywhere. It feels like I’m in paradise. We definitely made the right choice.’
‘Thank goodness. What about the spa? How was the treatment?’
‘Out of this world,’ Nina gushed. ‘It was in this traditional Thai building, all open with carved wood and these huge orchid bowls with tropical fish swimming around.’
‘Book me in, ha!’
‘And the treatment, wow. Heavenly. I’m talking next level. I felt delirious when I got back here. I literally fell into bed.’
‘What did they do to make you feel like that?’
Nina chuckled. ‘Whatdidn’tthey do? It started with this reflexology thing, which was just what my feet needed after all the walking. Then, I had a full-body massage with hot stones. Honestly, I think I drifted off to another dimension! Amazing. More than.’
‘Stop, you’re making me jealous!’
