Long-time readers of the blog will know about my longing for far-off lands when the winter is at its worst. Ideally, I would spend as little time as possible in Finland during the winter, but some life situations just require staying put – as has been the case this winter.
My tropical dreams from the end of the year were transformed into a somewhat more realistic plan for mini-getaway at the best hotel in the city. I didn’t get to spend the night, but my dreams were fulfilled in every other way – by my friend Anne Kukkohovi, who took me to Kämp Spa for a proper pampering.
This pampering session took place last Thursday, in the middle of the working week, and threw my internal clock so out of sync that it took me a few days to get back into blogging.
Anne had booked us for a Balinese massage and an enzyme facial, amounting to almost three hours of indulgence. The treatments were done using the Espa -spa range which, while not natural, comes pretty close. I can allow something like Espa for the occasional pampering session, and the intoxicating combination of essential oils in the relaxing massage oil left was so arresting, that I might just have to go back and buy one for myself. After finishing our treatments, we made use of the spa’s steam saunas, and emerged five hours after we’d begun.
When I stepped out of the spa heaven and onto Kluuvikatu, I could no longer remember what day it was, or if I was meant to do something or be somewhere.
I love pampering treatments and facials, but my standards are so high that I often end up being disappointed over some small detail. A good facial should be comprehensively relaxing, and the treatment at Kämp Spa was just that: a luxurious and comprehensive day spa- experience, where one can leave one’s daily worries in the changing room along with one’s clothes, get wrapped up in a soft dressing gown, enjoy the steam sauna for as long as one wishes, finally settling down to be pampered.
The Kämp Spa left such a lasting impression on me that I’ve caught myself in wistful memories of it several times already, already planning my next visit. I prefer steam saunas to the traditional Finnish ones, and would gladly pay for the sheer pleasure of having one at my disposal.
I heartily recommend going on a mini-break in the middle of Helsinki! A hot tip for all you men out there: any woman would swoon if presented with a pampering gift like this.
Have a lovely International Women’s Day!
Photos Katja Kokko
Translation Katja Nikula
