Scrubbing up well – the chocolate way

It's not every day a stranger offers to lie you down and cover you in chocolate. In fact, in all of my 27 years I don't think anybody offered, before last week. It should have been appealing on so many levels, but let's not forget that when you're working with Thailand's newest imported spa product - the much talked about Panpuri range - the hands of ‘your other half', no matter how fine they might be, just aren't gonna cut the mustard. It takes a pro to hit the right spots, when we're talking an all-over body experience.

It was with a rumbling tum that I pulled up to the Hyatt Regency, and with hungry eyes I scoured the coffee and tart bar in The Kitchen - a great place for a prelude to a pampering. I scoffed some chocolate cake and wished it was as good for my innards as the body scrub is supposed to be for its impact on my thighs.

Pretty soon it was time for my treatment, and I was ushered into the changing rooms, complete with steam rooms for use as I pleased, plus inviting, fluffy bath robes and slippers. My masseuse soon appeared and with a beaming smile and promises of chocolatey goodness, she led me to the treatment room. Bring on the Galaxy, I thought. Come on Cadburys... hit me with the Hersheys... a number of cocoa concoctions flooded through my mind, but as I sat on a little stool I was instructed to sniff a few pots of various sensual-smelling ingredients, to see which my nose reacted to the best. One was to be for the scrub, and one for the massage afterwards. I opted for a slightly minty, jasmine fragrance, which combined with the chocolate (and coffee), filled my nostrils with a scent as exciting as unwrapping a sneaky After Eight mint on Christmas morning!

Soothing birdsong (and the obligatory panpipes) filled my ears as I lay face down on the bed, and the smell of chocolate as it was rubbed all over my body sent my mind right back to Willy Wonka's factory. In fact, as I turned over and was covered in towels, I actually felt like a giant cake, about to be baked by Oompaloompas. Not an entirely unpleasant experience. Coffee is one of nature's natural stimulants, helping to exfoliate and smooth the skin, as well as improve circulation. In turn, chocolate helps to nourish and detox. Such a shame it doesn't do the same for your insides!

The scrub smelled so good it was almost a shame to wash it off, but I had to hop in the shower so we could start the massage. My skin felt so soft at this point, I couldn't imagine what it would be like after the oils, but the all-over massage worked every crease out of my body and left me tingling in minty heaven. Even my hair was saturated in the calming oils (Dubai water can ruin it, apparently), and I was instructed to sleep like it overnight, for maximum benefit.

The Hyatt Regency Dubai's Club Olympus spa is the only one in the UAE to offer the exclusive Panpuri range, made entirely from the purest natural Eastern herbs. It's all completely Earth-friendly and you'll feel as slick as a new born coffee bean when you come out. The next morning I woke up refreshed and rejuvenated, having had calming, chocolate filled dreams, and once I'd washed my hair I skipped to the office with the spring of a new born lamb. Well, almost. One step at a time...

What we tried:

Coffee Choco Body Scrub
45 min Dhs 170 (members) Dhs 200 (non members)

Panpuri Journey
100 min Dhs 375 (members) Dhs 425 (non members)

Rebecca Wicks, News Editor, Ahlanlive.com
rebecca.wicks@itp.com