Can an at-home massage live up to the standards of the big luxury hotel players?
We don’t know whether it’s a holdover from lockdown times, Dubai’s ever increasing traffic or simply sheer laziness, but these days, we rather enjoy spending time at home. No transit time, no taxi fare, and no crowds – this is our new idea of heaven. Luckily for us, in Dubai, you can get most things to come to you – the hairdresser, the vet, even the petrol pump. One thing we haven’t experienced in a mobile format, however, is the spa experience. An at-home massage just never sounded like it could live up to the (admittedly rather high) standards we have from being pampered at the city’s top hotel spas.
Solace Home Spa, a new player to the home spa game that aims to bring a slice of Balinese relaxation to Dubai, gave us enough hope to risk dipping our toe into the world of pampering al fresco. Of course, you can ask Solace Spa to perform your massage anywhere in your home, but we felt that poolside with the balmy summer evening temps would be the perfect setting for that ‘Balinese’ experience.
Our Solace Home Spa therapist arrived smartly outfitted in uniform, and quickly assembled the massage bed (and a rather plushly padded one, at that). The set up was full of luxurious details, from a bowl of flowers being placed under the headrest, to burning incense and a choice of massage oils (we chose the lemongrass). Balinese music floated delicately from the Bose portable speaker provided, much to our delight – a relaxing soundtrack is possibly the element we find most important in creating that quintessentially ‘spa’ vibe.
Each service comes with a post-treatment gift of some delightful Jasmine Dragonpearl tea from Haiyatea, which is where you should shop if you’re looking for the very finest tea in Dubai.
Our Verdict.
We absolutely loved our massage and would rebook in a heartbeat. Solace Spa is the brainchild of Panchali Mahendra (President of Atelier Hospitality), the force behind much loved restaurants such as Mohalla and RSVP – so she knows a thing or two about hospitality – and those touches are evident in the finer details of the service Solace provides. They’ve done the best job we’ve seen so far when it comes to delivering a true 5-star spa experience, and the convenience of not having to leave your home more than makes up for extra spa amenities afforded by the big hotels. Add to this pretty competitive pricing (less than that of major luxury hotels), and Solace Spa is an easy choice.
P.S. Solace Spa now also offer at-home nail services – what more could we want!