Just like a caterpillar becomes a beautiful butterfly, Kay Woodward rises glowing from her visit to eforea Spa at Hilton Doha.
It doesn’t matter how many times I see the Hilton Doha, I never fail to be impressed. This morning, I take a moment to tip back my head and appreciate the tall, slender hotel that’s been a constant in the ever-changing Doha skyline for 16 years. Perched at the edge of the West Bay diplomatic area, with an enviable view of the Arabian Gulf, Hilton Doha has a private beach, two outdoor pools and an eforea Spa. Incredibly, the spa is somewhere I’ve never been. But that’s something I’m about to put right, at last.
I admire the hotel’s impressive lobby before descending the grand stairs. At the foot of the hotel, guests can step outside to enjoy the sandy beach and pool area. Beyond, the azure sea sparkles. I swerve left into eforea Spa, which nestles cosily behind the gym. It’s cool and calm, with butterfly motifs fluttering all around.
I’m greeted by Maja, the Spa and Resort Manager. As I sip cool water infused with lemon and mint, she tells me that the concept behind eforea centres around the life cycle of a butterfly. Clients may enter the spa feeling as slow and lethargic as a caterpillar, but they leave as lively and sprightly as a butterfly. ‘Emerge brighter’, says the brochure. Yes, please. eforea Spa uses some of the best skincare products out there: ELEMIS and Charme d’Orient. And the first step of my butterfly transformation is the ELEMIS Intensely Cleansing Salt Scrub. The choices are lime and ginger or frangipani – because these creamy-yellow beauties are my favourite flowers in Qatar – I opt for the latter.
My therapist today is the wonderful Ernie and it doesn’t take long to work out why most of eforea Spa’s clientele is made up of residents who return time after time to be rejuvenated and refreshed. Ernie is, quite simply, amazing. She’s from Bali and – like all of eforea’s therapists – has been traditionally trained. It shows. I’ve never experienced a salt scrub before and if I wasn’t awake before, I certainly am afterwards. The firm assured pressure of the salt scrub combines extreme zinginess with a soothing, calming aroma, banishing dry skin. Goodbye rough; hello smooth.
Then it’s time to relax. The eforea Signature Massage is simply sublime. When I comment that my shoulders are a little stiff, Ernie delves deep. Knots vanish and tension dissolves little by little until I feel nothing short of fabulous. If you are in dire need of destressing, choose the Deep Tissue Massage. You won’t regret it.
If you are short of time, it’s worth considering eforea Spa’s signature treatments, an addition to their already comprehensive menu, designed to be mixed and matched depending on each client’s needs. The mini treatments focus on key areas of the body – head and face; shoulders, neck and scalp; or feet. But what’s special is that all of them – each lasting 25 minutes – are designed to be performed on someone facing upwards. So if you’re feeling particularly exhausted, just relax, drift off and wake up refreshed, revived and ready for the rest of the day. I’m told that two of these mini-therapies also fit neatly into a lunch hour.
There are more than 90 eforea Spas around the world and the one I’ve come to visit was famously the first in the Middle East – it’s been here for 10 years. And if today’s experience is anything to go by, it’ll be here for years to come. Tiredness and dullness have been scrubbed away. I’ve been massaged so, so thoroughly that I’m sure I’ll be feeling the benefits for days. As eforea promises, I do emerge brighter.
Now all I have to do is work out when I’m going to come back to visit Ernie to experience an ELEMIS Superfood ProRadiance Facial or a traditional Thai Massage (or perhaps both). Because even though a caterpillar can metamorphose into a butterfly just once, I would rather like to do it every single week.
For more information and to book an appointment, please call
eforea Spa at Hilton Doha on 4423 3441 or
email eforeaspa.doha@hilton.com
@hiltondohahotel