Ghana Travel Plans? Three Ways to add a Relaxing Massage to Your Trip
In January 2024, I had a chance to make my first trip to Africa and visit several regions in Ghana. I took this opportunity to see how massage therapy is offered in Ghana and possibly find ways to enhance services offered at fibre: A Homespun Spa in Silver Spring, Maryland. The discoveries made by experiencing the following three massages will be presented in the approach seen in my posts about European spas (e.g., Serenity in Portugal, Ritz Carlton in Vienna):
In Accra, a 90-minute Swedish and Deep Tissue massage at La Villa Boutique Hotel.
In Elmina, a 60-minute Swedish massage at the Lemon Beach Resort.
In Accra, a Foot Reflexology session at the Resense Spa in the Kempinski Hotel in Accra.
Please click on the plus (+) to expand each section and see how you can arrange similar sessions for your trip.
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I spoke with the Front Desk receptionist to arrange a 90-minute massage on the afternoon we arrived in Ghana. This helped tremendously with jet lag and dissipating discomforts from the red eye flight. The massage therapist, Dorcas of LLuvia Day Spa, set up the table in the spacious room then stepped out while I go on the table. The portable table featured an opening for the face which she draped with a cloth and tissue. Using a few large towels and one pillow from the bed, the therapist proceeded to provide one of the best massages I have had. She used Swedish and Deep Tissue techniques including Trigger Point Therapy. The massage was a great way to recover from the overnight flight.
The therapist packed up all of the used items and a person from the lobby helped remove the table. I got her contact information in case I had time for another session before leaving Ghana.
Recommend: At La Villa Boutique Hotel, you may find brochures from several providers offering massages or beauty treatments. I highly recommend, Dorcas of LLuvia Day Spa, who provided my in-room, therapeutic massage. You can contact the Front Desk to schedule your appointment.
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Lemon Beach advertises “BODY MASSAGES” in which a “professional masseur knows where to press your body, which muscles need to be touched.” Thinking of the therapeutic session I received in Accra, I looked forward to the 60-minute afternoon session I scheduled at Lemon. It would be a relaxing bridge to evening activities after a full morning of walking the beach and exploring the town.
The front desk told me the massage would be held in the conference room on the second floor. For most people, a second floor location is no big deal. For me, a person with an unexplainable fear of heights, I felt uneasy climbing stairs with open risers. My very considerate partner walked me up the sturdy staircase.
The stock photo used for Lemon’s website doesn’t come close to the environment setup for the massage sessions. In the conference room, I saw a portable table being set up near the front. The curtains had been pulled across the windows to provide privacy as several guests had rooms on the second floor and would have been able to see into the space. The closed curtains reduced sunlight entering the room and helped create some ambiance in a space seemingly setup for a lecture. Noting the absence of music, I opened my Insight Timer App and selected a track to play for the session.
I saw no place to privately disrobe. The therapist asked me to undress and place my clothes on a chair then patiently waited until I got on the table and slipped under a towel.
The session proceeded with little use of Swedish or Deep Tissue techniques. Because the therapist said she had been providing massages for four years, I spoke up only when limbs were being placed into uncomfortable positions.
This session underlined the importance of working with a skilled massage therapist. When the therapist applies massage techniques appropriately, the location and ambiance may be overlooked.
Recommend: To schedule a massage, coordinate with the Front Desk. WhatsApp may be used to contact the resort before your arrival. I recommend signing up for the guided tour of Elmina Castle or the batik workshop. Enjoy the sounds of the ocean and the delicious meals.
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The Resense Spa is part of the Kempinski Hotel. If you’re not staying at the hotel, I recommend making the trip to get a massage here. The spa responded to email messages and allowed me to schedule without talking to them directly. Very easy to arrange after you determine the service you want.
The hotel has a gated entry to monitor vehicles accessing the property then another screening process when you reach the lobby. To get to the spa area, you’ll take an elevator to the second floor then walk through two different calming passage ways before arriving at a quiet lobby for the spa services.
The beautiful artwork displayed throughout the spacious and elegant facility are worth the visit. The sense of calm and peacefulness has been thoughtfully designed into the facility.
The large reception area is warmly lit and offers several seating areas. A staff member checked me in for my session and gave me a warm cloth and a fresh guava juice; nicely presented on a small tray.
Moments later, another staff member led me into the locker area. I received a full length robe, spa shoes, a large towel and a key to a large locker. A few toiletry items were provides in the locker and in the showers.
I waited for the massage therapist in a large room furnished with upright chairs and ottomans covered with lightweight blankets. A couple sat in the center of the lounge discussing their plans for the evening. I don’t think they knew how their conversation disrupted the relaxing setting.
Soon the therapist came and walked me to the very spacious treatment room.
The foot reflexology differed from the the integrative reflexology protocol which is used at fibre: A Homespun Spa in Silver Spring. The therapist started and ended the session with a few shiatsu-type compressions on both legs. A brief massage of my neck and shoulders concluded the session. The hydraulic massage table was used to elevate my knees and later to lift me to a sitting position to get off the table.
Recommend: Any massage services except the foot reflexology because it’s only 50-minutes and you’ll want to stay longer. I didn’t have time for a longer session because we had to catch our flight home.
How to Make the Most of your Visit to Resense
Arrive at the hotel 30 minutes before your session. This gives you time to enjoy the journey from hotel lobby to the spa entrance.
There’s an the elevator at the end of the passage through the salon; the elegant staircase leading to the lower level sort of upstages the elevator.
Ask for a tour of the lounge area to understand the self-guided options available to you.
How these Massages Helped Enhance Services at fibre:
The three different massages inspired the following enhancements to sessions provided at fibre: A Homespun Spa in Silver Spring, Maryland:
Resense provides an opulent space for relaxing that would require building new structures at fibre to create the feeling of openness. Instead of a new structure, we are upgrading the sheets and blankets to be “visually pleasing, sumptuously soft, and environmentally friendly”.
Using a tray instead of a large dish to present individually packaged snacks after the session. Displaying fewer items may be more calming, reducing decision fatigue.
Bringing elements of Thai massage into the protocol for integrative reflexology sessions. The prescribed process used for reflexology will be carried out then supplemented with Thai massage, as warranted.
Many existing practices at fibre will be continued (e.g., foot bath before the session, feet wiped with a warm cloth after the session, sound used to signal the end of the session) while a few new ones will be add.
As a thank you for reading this post, please use this code for a 15% discount at fibre: A Homespun Spa in Silver Spring, Maryland:
GHANA
Code expires 15 March 2024.
*New clients, see the online scheduler for a code that never expires.