Partners in pampering

If you’re looking for ultimate couple’s relaxation, Spa at Jerusalem’s David Citadel Hotel could hit the spot.

By RUTH EGLASH
David Citadel Hotel 311 (photo credit: Courtesy)
David Citadel Hotel 311
(photo credit: Courtesy)
The couple’s massage at the David Citadel Hotel’s Spa could be the perfect getaway for busy partners, especially those with young children.
If there is simply no time to take days off work for a romantic trip somewhere or no one around to look after the kids, then a few hours of pampering and relaxation (together) at this Jerusalem spa could be the solution you need to recharge your and your partner’s batteries.
With an interior design created according to the basic principles of feng shui, including crystals hanging from the ceiling and water gushing at every turn, Spa offers among its vast treatments’ menu a 75-minute couple’s massage. Featuring hot almond oil, followed by relaxation time in a double Jacuzzi, the experience is further enhanced with champagne and fresh seasonal fruits.
The couple starts off in the dimly lit, aromatic waiting/relaxation room, which is replete with light refreshments, and is then invited to enter the room together. While the anticipation of getting a massage is always exciting, sharing it with the one you love enriches it all the more.
After taking off the white fluffy robes and the classic spa slippers, the two lie side by side on parallel treatment beds and wait for the two massage therapists to enter.
We opted for the mixed massage, a combination of Swedish and deep muscle techniques that worked our weary bodies and put our minds a million miles away from the stresses of jobs and caring for our three young children.
As with most great treatments, the massage seemed to be over much too quickly. But fortunately, that was only the start of the pampering. After our two therapists left the room, we were free to enjoy the luxurious double Jacuzzi and partake of the champagne and fresh fruits.
If we didn’t have children waiting for us at home, we could have spent hours at the Spa. In addition to the treatments, Spa clients can use the hotel’s facilities such as the swimming pool and the gym. But even if you don’t feel up to sports after a relaxing massage, then the separate men’s and women’s changing rooms offer a wet and a dry sauna.
Spa, which opened in 2009, is Jerusalem’s first all-inclusive spa. It is open to hotel guests, residents and visitors to the capital who want to indulge themselves for an hour or two.
As well as the couple’s massage, Spa offers a wide variety of treatments, such as a massage with hot stones, peelings and heat wraps, as well as facials and numerous spiritual options.
The prices are standard compared with most other spas around the country. A 45-minute Swedish massage costs up to NIS 270. The less common treatments, such as the highly recommended Seven Chakra treatment, lasts 75 minutes and will set you back NIS 430. The Spa also offers pregnancy massage treatments.
While the treatments are obviously the draw, the overall atmosphere of the Spa is also very compelling, and the professional, courteous staff makes the whole experience worth the time and the money. Definitely a sublime gift for the person you care about.
David’s Citadel and the Spa are owned by the Alrov Group, which also owns the nearby Mamilla mall and the Mamilla Hotel.
■ The writer was a guest of the David Citadel Hotel.