The Racha
Muang Phuket, Thailand

Dawn’s easy ocean breeze pulses a soothing swish from the palm trees. Water gurgles from the pool’s fountains and birds’ trill an aria to accompany each morning’s walking meditation at Anumba Spa.

A quiescent opening to a wind-down day. Over cool lemongrass tea, Anumba’s spa-cialists help you decide where and how to be pampered. Unlike most spas where the where is either here or there, Anumba's 25,000 square foot home has a where for most every mood.

Couples can spend a VIP day in one of the couples’ suites luxuriating in aromatherapy, personal plunge pools, steam rooms and outside rain showers. For the full tropical island effect, there are open-air Thai massage pavilions. And, of course, the more prosaic air-conditioned treatment rooms.

From Thai Flower Ritual Soaks to traditional (walk-on-you) Thai massage and from Yoga classes to Andaman Sea Salt Scrub—Anumba can minister to what ails you.

I went for the full-out—just relax me—variety of massage, called the Oriental Oil Massage. It was a sole to soul reviver. Treatment began with me face down and modestly sheeted head to toe. My masseuse knelt between my legs and using the palms and heels of her hands, pressed both legs into yielding some strain. Next, with her fists and thumbs, she struck into my soles, clearing tension all the way up my spine. Then swishing warm oil, fragrant with citrus, on an uncovered leg, she continued with strokes as smooth as Thai silk.

Climbing onto the table, my tiny Thai masseuse placed one knee on my back, pulled one of my feet over her shoulder to work the back of my legs. Starting at my toes she massages up to my knees and stretches my leg. Back on the floor, the ins and outs of my feet are in for more ardent attention. Hopping up on the table again, she works each limb into a similar limbo.

To be honest, I was so relaxed I lost track of what happened next. I’d entered that deep place of ease where my mind aimlessly wanders. I do remember a wonderful head massage towards the end that included this lovely twisting and pulling of my hair so even the tippy-top of my scalp relaxed.

Eighty minutes after my treatment began, I drifted back to my villa, feeling blissfully at one with the sea’s sweet-sounding swells.

Kate Crawford        June 2007