Africa holds endless magic, and only those who have been there truly understand what I mean. Today, I’d like to explore a particular aspect of wellness practices that, when experienced on this continent, have an incomparable effect.
Hot stone massages, herbal and clay baths, self-care and wellness rituals — even when offered under the same names elsewhere in the world, nothing quite compares to experiencing them in Africa.
My most recent “business” trip to South Africa was an opportunity to discover three properties located in the Karoo, a beautiful region of the Western Cape (the province home to the famous city of Cape Town). The area is known for its magnificent mountain formations and almost desert-like landscape dotted with succulents. We were fortunate to see it transformed into a green carpet covered in flowers, as we visited at the beginning of spring, following rainfall that is generally rare in the region. The scenery was simply breathtaking.
The three properties we visited — Aquila Private Game Reserve & Spa, Inverdoorn and Kuganha — place great emphasis on their spas and wellness treatments, and we were lucky enough to experience several of them. At Kuganha, the focus on wellbeing is so strong that its 320 m² luxury tents are essentially private spas, featuring state-of-the-art wellness treatments within the comfort of your own accommodation.
At Kuganha, I experienced what they call the “welcoming ritual”, which included three minutes in an ice bath (it took all my meditation skills to get through that!), dry and steam saunas, a salt bath, and herbal and clay baths. The entire ritual lasted around three hours. By the end, I was so deeply relaxed that I felt completely surrendered, body and soul. There was simply nothing left to resist.
As a way of giving back some of the care I had received, I also had the honour of leading a meditation session for the hotel staff. I asked if they would like to participate, and they happily agreed. It was such a beautiful experience! They told me that they are so used to taking care of others, and this time, they were the ones being cared for. I created a special affirmation for them, and each person repeated it in their own native African language. The session lasted 30 minutes, and you can watch a short excerpt here.
Being in the middle of nowhere — in a Big Five game reserve deep in the Karoo, completely removed from civilisation — took the magic to another level.
This continent is truly extraordinary. I never stop falling in love with it.
By Tati Isler
