Gentle music, soft lighting and friendly faces greet me as I enter the Noosa Springs Spa reception area. It’s my first visit and I’m in for a treat, having arrived for a sample experience of the spa’s Girlfriends Getaway package. With the year we’ve had, we’re all in need of a little pampering, and this is the perfect place for it.
I’m served a cool lemon drink as I fill out my details in the reception area, before being led into the change rooms, where I’m given a locker and key and a full explanation of how my morning will unfold. I leave my things in the locker (happy to switch my phone off for a couple of hours and lock it away) and change into a soft white bathrobe and guest slippers, before being shown around the extensive thermal suite. This is home for the next hour and my only job is to relax and soak it all up. Bliss.
The hydrotherapy pool is the star attraction – it’s a grandiose space modelled on the architecture of ancient Greece and Rome with a towering arched ceiling, columns and statues, transporting me to another time and place. I could easily be in a European spa. I slip into the deliciously warm water and slowly make my way around the large pool, equipped with 16 jets that target different muscle groups. Far from the unsatisfying jets you find in many spa baths, these jets really pack a punch. The calming sound of flowing water in the cavernous white space lulls me into a deep state of relaxation and I’m hesitant to leave this oasis, but there’s more to discover.
I venture into the steam room directly opposite and enjoy the moist heat penetrating my tense muscles. After the dry winter, the warmth and humidity feel fantastic on my parched skin. I pad to the bathroom to rinse off in a hot shower before stepping into the sauna, a pleasant woody aroma calming my senses as I lay my head back and close my eyes.
Next, I work up the courage to try out the Blitz Shower, which blasts cold water onto your body to help boost circulation – not for the faint-hearted – before popping back into the sauna to warm up again. I can feel my skin buzzing and tingling as my circulation kicks into gear.
Time for another shower before changing back into my white robe and strolling down the hall to the relaxation room to await my next treatment: a full-body massage. I recline on a comfortable lounge chair and gaze at the tropical garden view through floor-to-ceiling glass doors, already in a deep state of relaxation.
My smiling massage therapist Steph arrives to usher me towards the dimly lit massage room, warmed to a comfortable temperature. I indicate my preference for firm pressure and wow, she has surprisingly strong hands for a slight person. While she explains it’s a relaxation massage rather than a deep-tissue massage, she smooths oil across my body and proceeds to rub and knead all my aches and pains and knots away. I can feel my skin drinking in the oil as all the tensions from a difficult year dissipate.
I find myself wishing I had another hour on the massage table, so adept is Steph at her craft. But my hour slips away and Steph leads me back to the relaxation room to await the next indulgence. I’m served a beautiful, colourful platter of fruit and cheese, with a choice of juice or bubbly. I choose the bubbly (hey, it’s 5pm somewhere, right?) and nibble on fresh kiwi fruit, strawberries, grapes and soft cheeses, while I allow the luxurious two-hour indulgence to work its magic. It’s so easy to get caught up in life’s demands and I find myself questioning why I don’t take time out for myself like this more often. It’s so therapeutic.
I spot a lovely outdoor garden area that looks like the perfect place to sit in the sun and end my pampering session. It has been a truly decadent experience and I’m already compiling a list of girlfriends I would love to bring back with me for this luxurious Girlfriends Getaway.
As well as the Thermal Suite experience, it includes a choice of a full body massage or a facial, as well as a high tea and two nights’ accommodation in a spacious, self-contained apartment with access to all the facilities at Noosa Springs.
After this heavenly two-hour experience hidden away from the worries of the world, it’s wonderful to know you can stroll back to your accommodation and relax with a movie or another glass of bubbles with the girls, rather than having to get back in the car and drive home. We may not be able to travel overseas for now, but we can certainly treat ourselves to a getaway like this that’s just what we need to rebalance body, mind and soul.