Nomad African Spa

Once they’ve swerved past taxis, barely missed mall rats and seen their life flash casually before their eyes on Jan Jonker Street, those in the know will put their stress to rest after a sharp turn into Sanderberg Street where Nomad African Spa sits serenely just waiting to knead work and worry wounds out of bent backs.

Bathed in an odd air of silence quite unperturbed by the ceaseless city street, Nomad Spa sings you into another world as a trio of smiling masseuses beamingly beat drums while singing a sweet song of welcome that has one looking over one’s shoulder to identify the famed causing such fuss.

The welcome, however, is for anyone who steps into serenity. Whoever takes the trio’s offering of refreshment, follows them to the change rooms and jettisons their daywear for nothing but a sarong and a body seeking succour.

This is where I find myself along with my mother and sister, who have gamely come along to be prodded and poked.

Giggling at our semi-nudity and a little giddy from the sugar in our welcome drink, we lock our valuables away in the first room and follow a young lady to the next where three beds wait for three girls who can’t quite tame their tittering.

Eventually we do. The masseuses leave the room while we gradually grow up, climb onto the beds and calm ourselves enough to just lie there.

Not talking, not laughing, just waiting.

What we wait for is silence. A calm in the air and a calm in ourselves that sinks into a stillness that renders us alone in eternity.

Once we have attained this feeling, we barely hear the masseuses sneak back into the room but, quietly, someone, somewhere starts the music and there are whispers of welcome and instructions to lay this way and that before we’re each kneaded into our better selves starting from our toes to our top.

We’re having what Nomad calls a ‘mini pamper’. A N$450 treat that includes a 45 minute massage of our choosing as well as a lovely lunch and a dip in the pool.

So far it has been so serene and when I get to thinking about it, I’m struck by how intuitively my masseuse zooms in on my tight spots and gently breaks down the tension without having me howl in pain.

I have more of a tolerance for pain since living in Thailand. Like the locals, I would get a massage every other day and now I can be moved and manhandled without too much bawling.

Though there’s less lemongrass in the air, Nomad’s masseuses remind me of the Thai ones I encountered in Chiang Mai. They’re quiet and focused, gentle but purposeful and they don’t make you feel like you’ve stumbled into something sordid. What with the whole being touched totally naked prerequisite.

The massage is over before I have time to analyse it. I must have dozed off because it says 45 minutes on the clock and I know the job’s been done because we all feel a little beyond our bodies and we’re positively glowing from the homegrown marula oil that has been worked into our skin.

The name of the marula oil is ‘Futheni’ which simply means ‘breathe’. Breathe in and breathe out like the Thai monks always tell you to and take a break from life in a sanctuary of holistic rejuvenation. I like it. The smell is clean and simple and it doesn’t make you feel like you’re ready to be pan-fried.

Once we’re dressed again, we float to lunch under a lapa overlooking the pool. It’s a simple feast of lemon water and chicken salad replete with pink salt and rainbow pepper.

When we’re through, we look around a little and bask in the spa’s wholly African aesthetic. From massages done with gourds instead of hot stones to the outside showers and body scrub areas, photos of Himba woman and knobkerries, Nomad Spa is a celebration of African ingredients, influences and oral wisdom.

“Nomad African Spa’s philosophy is the wisdom of Africa and I believe holistic healing is within every girl child in an African family,” says pilot turned spa owner Mariane Akwenye.

“As our approach is holistic, we use what is naturally found firstly in Namibia, and Africa as a whole, including sea salt from Walvis Bay and Marula Oil from the North. Our product line is called Futheni and currently it consists of body butter, body exfoliate, marula oil and sea salt.”

Offering a range of treatments including healing and pregnancy massages, this Valentine’s Day, Mariane recommends a Couple’s Re-Balancing Massage. This massage starts with a guided meditation followed by a full body massage. Nomad Spa also recommends their ‘Spa Under the Stars’ which is a treatment of your choice followed by a candlelit dinner to soothe star-crossed souls under the light of night.

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