Travel

Mangwanani Spa: Half-Day Couple Treatments

Mangwanani Spa is known throughout South Africa for being a consistently great place for relaxation and tranquility. So much so that this post probably doesn’t even need to be posted—but I’m running low on content so here it is😂. Husband and I were gifted a half-day treatment package from a high school friend of mine as a wedding gift💕. The package included; lunch, a full body & hot stone massage, neck & shoulder massage and foot & leg massage.

Some Arrival Admin

You’ll receive a pamphlet when you enter. This is where you write your name and preferences for massage pressure and oils. You hand the pamphlet to the masseuse for each of your treatments. Before leaving the spa they’ll ask you to rate each masseuse and leave a comment. They’ll also ask if there’s any special reason, such as a birthday or wedding, that brought you to the spa. If so you’ll receive a 10% discount voucher for your next visit to any Mangwanani Spa branch.

Lunch at Mangwanani

Our appointment was at 12pm so once we arrived we were immediately shown to our table where we had butter chicken and rice for lunch. We found the food to be slightly low on salt but otherwise a satisfying meal.

After our meal there was a gorgeous performance just for us newlyweds. The staff gathered and sang what I assume was a wedding celebration song—it even made me shed a few tears. We didn’t expect this moment at all and felt incredibly special.

Full Body & Hot Stone Massage

Our first treatment was a full body & hot stone massage. The masseuse worked through every tense spot and perfectly within my requested medium-pressure range. As for the hot stones, I was a bit nervous. I’d never tried this treatment before and was concerned I’d get burnt. I quickly realised there was nothing to worry about. The technique they use to place the stones on your skin allows for a gentle introduction of heat.

This was easily our favourite part of the package. It lasted about 50 minutes and had us floating out of the room with not a care in the world.

Neck & Shoulder Massage

After a short rest at our table, some sparkling wine and cake we headed off for our neck & shoulder massage. Initially we found this treatment to be good but after about 30 minutes it sort of stopped being as good. To be fair, I do carry a lot of tension in my shoulders and it didn’t seem like much of it was melting away. As for the head massage, I think I would’ve preferred to be lying down for that. Needless to say, this was our least favourite treatment. Not that it was bad—50 minutes just felt a little too long.

Foot & Leg Massage

The foot & leg treatment would’ve tied for favourite had we not both been so damn ticklish! They start by soaking your feet in some hot water then exfoliating. Next is the massage which may have brought back some of the tension that the first treatment got rid of🙈. Only because it took everything in me to stay composed while she massaged my arches. I honestly can’t quite explain it because I fully enjoyed the massage despite having to restrain myself. This treatment was also 50 minutes.

By evening we felt very relaxed, especially after our shots of Amarula. One thing I would recommend is taking a shower before leaving the spa. The oils on your skin and scalp are really soothing but not ideal to walk around with if you have post spa plans. Overall our Mangwanani Spa experience was very memorable. We’ll definitely be making use of our discount voucher next time we’re on home ground.