Rain Africa are world-renowed for their glorious natural soap, body and bath products, so when I found myself spending the weekend in the very town where the concept was created I knew I had to pay a visit to their beautiful shop…
Situated on the main street of Swellendam, the Rain Africa shop is a sweetly scented haven that provides a wonderful escape – not only is the shop really stunning, but they also have the Rain Africa Day Spa right next door which offers all manner of indulgent body and face treatments to enjoy in the forest-inspired space.
As this weekend was coming at a time when our whole family had been taking strain (renovations can do that to you!) I planned to treat us all to a spa treatment…. The girls would go first and enjoy face treatments, while the boys would go second and experience their first massage each!
Excitement levels were high and so we found ourselves arriving a bit early for our appointment… fortunately this meant us girls had time to browse and window shop in the Rain Africa store to our heart’s content.
As I mentioned the smells that greet you at the entrance are from another world. The space is clean and fresh and light and bright filled with an array of goodies that make bath time a treat!
My Abi was in her element smelling each soap and trying each tester!
After a while it was finally time for our treat at The Rain Forest Day Spa. Our trip down the tree-lined passage transported us to a forest world complete with nature sounds and scents. Abi and I donned our robes and climbed into our cocoon beds in the couples treatment room, ready for an hour of pampering, relaxing, and de-stressing!
I was able to float off during my Affimation Facial while Abi enjoyed a mini-massage and foot rub (we decided her delicate skin was probably too young for the facial despite the fact that all the ingredients are 100% natural!)
The Affimation Facial is a tender cleansing of the skin using Rain’s very own 100% natural Biologie product range. Packed with anti-oxidants, botanical extracts and plant based actives, Biologie has been formulated to represent Rain’s natural approach to health and wellness and encourages the idea that beauty comes from within and from living a healthy lifestyle.
The idea behind it is that we all wear invisible masks to protect and project ourselves from the outside world. This facial aims to “remove the masks” and affirm you for the person that you are. A gently facial scrub to remove dead skin and clogged pores starts the process of cell regeneration and renewal and then a soothing face mask is applied during which I chose to enjoy a head massage (always a treat!) The peaceful space and sounds of the Kalahari filled my headspace and I was able to think of nothing but just the beauty of the moment lying in a dark room with my daughter enjoying a similar treat right next to me! It was a special, unique bonding experience for us both and one we definitely hope to repeat over the coming years, again and again!!
Then it was time for my boys to enjoy their dad and son date! They were due to have the Elephant Walk massage and it was a first for them both.
(How classic is this pic!!?)
Let’s just say they LOVED it! I didn’t stop hearing about it from Ben all the way home – back to Cape Town! And he still fondly recalls the experience as one of the best things he has ever experienced! Sweet boy! The Elephant Walk inspires this massage technique as the therapists use calabashes to apply firm pressure up and down the muscles of the back followed by gentle pounding. As more and more deep pressure is applied the body begins to release the tension in the muscles resulting in blissful relaxation… Obviously I need to go back and experience this for myself now. It sounded incredible from their feedback!
Contact Rain Forest Day Spa
Tel: 028 514 1737 (Swellendam Spa)
Web: www. rainafrica.com
Other Rain Africa Day Spas are located at Cavendish Square & Willowbridge in Cape Town and at Village Ridge in Pretoria.
Visit their website for a more comprehensive listing of their other Rain Africa stores in South Africa and the USA.
Rain employs qualified therapists with a passion for natural wellness and beauty from within. As part of their upliftment program Rain also trains aspiring therapists from the disadvantaged segment of the Swellendam community with a view to employ them within Rain Day Spas in the future.
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Images: Kathryn Rossiter
