I reported a couple of weeks ago about going away to see friends and visiting a spa. Well, here's a full review.

I had been ogling the Helsinki Day Spa on the web for some time, after I had run into people who had been there and gave it rave reviews. The place appeared pretty nice on the web, the treatments sounded fab and the place is next door to one of the most exquisite hotels in Helsinki, Klaus K.

The spa seems incredibly busy. I called to book for a treatment three weeks ahead of my trip and was told 'sorry, no times left'. I did not give up though, and called again later and managed to get a booking for a Thai yoga massage.

Photo from the web - origin unknown.

Upon entering the spa, I was given a light pajama-like set of shirt and pants to change into. Yoga massages (and shiatsu alike) are done thru clothing, never on bare skin. I was guided to the dressing area and was invited to relax in the lounge after changing.

I have been to quite a few spas in my travels. While I could see that this spa matches any of the others I have seen with its very relaxing atmosphere and astoundingly beautiful premises, the dressing areas left something to be desired. They looked very nice, with bamboo and wicker furniture, nice recessed lighting etc.. but the dressing room cabinets were tiny! If you went there after a full day's shopping (which I imagine a few women do) you would have serious trouble in finding enough space for your things.

Anyway, I had been smart enough to leave most of my things at the hotel next door and slipped into my outfit and moved to the lounge. It is a gorgeous room: beautiful reliefed paneling on the walls, generously spaced wicker loungers, huge windows (which unfortunately also bring in too much light for my spa taste). Green tea, water, fruit and little snacks were arranged on tables, along with magazines and picture books for enjoyment.

I leaned back on one of the lounges and leafed thru a magazine and was soon called into the treatment room. It was a relatively big room, with a futon on the floor, nice subtle music in the background - but again, too much light. In fact, I could see traffic on the streets thru the window in the room. The window was partly covered, but in any case, I feel this would be a big no-no in any other spa.

The woman giving me the treatment was from Thailand. We tried to communicate in English, at times successfully. I thought she was rather abrupt with the way she started the treatment, but once we got going and she could see that I had no problem relaxing and letting her do her thing, things went fine. A big part of yoga massage seems to be stretching which was absolute heaven for my tight muscles.

The 50 minute massage seemed all too short but was enough to put me in a tranquil state. I continued this bliss with some green tea in the lounge, kicking back with a beautiful book of Scandinavian nature paintings, which was based on an exhibition touring a few art museums in Scandinavia and the US. Below a picture of one of the exquisite paintings.