Stoned in Bora Bora

(No, that's not me. I just happen to think it is a great photo of the Vichy shower)

So James and I were at the Bora Bora Pearl Beach Resort & Spa and ended up having the most wonderful treatment at the Manea Spa. It was a bit like pulling teeth to get him to join me. He kept telling me he wasn’t a “spa kinda guy.” I convinced him we needed to do this for business — explaining we book trips for couples all the time and I’m sure there are lots of guys that feel the same way. I just wanted his honest opinion so that I could tell others of our experience. I mean, I like to think that’s one of True Tahiti’s distinguishing features. We can speak from experience and we’re not afraid to tell the truth! So reluctantly he joined me. Earllier in the day I had a chance to go through the spa menu and I love that the staff at Manea Spa is absolutely willing to create exactly the experience you want. Don't see what you want on the menu? Tell them and they will work with you. They have been voted one of the Leading Spas of the world and I can tell you, they are my favorite in French Polynesia! So back to our visit -- We got to the spa early and changed into pareos. James had never been in a sauna so I poured us two glasses of cold lemon water and in we went. As I sat back and took in a deep relaxing breath, he looked at me with dismay and said, “You’ve got to be kidding. You actually like this? This is f**king hell.” I had to laugh because he’s kind of right. I mean saunas do take some getting used to. We gave it a couple minutes then hung out a bit in the relaxation room. I tell you this spa has the most tranquil setting imaginable. The resort is on a motu (an islet within the lagoon) and the spa is on a motu within the motu. We were surrounded by a lake filled with waterlilies. It’s gorgeous. After having a few good laughs, our attendants arrived and escorted us to the outdoor vichy shower. We disrobed and the rain shower began. James was eying me as he still wasn’t too sure about the whole thing but sooner than later, I could see him starting to relax . We received a soothing body scrub with intermittent bursts of rain shower and by the time we were done, our skin felt like silk and we were ready for our hot stone massage. I had never had a hot stone massage before and I have to say the experience far exceeded anything I had imagined. They use smooth Tahitian stones of varying sizes. Because the stones are volcanic, they retain a tremendous amount of heat. Mixed with the monoi (coconut) oil, the stones are warm and soothing. With the expert care of my therapist, the pressure & warmth of the stones literally performed miracles on my body. I actually could feel the stress leaving. I kept falling in & out of consciousness and 80 minutes later when I was gently brought back to reality, I had to laugh. My husband was happily snoring away....