Best of Bali...way over the top

I wonder who is reading this blog besides my mom and my sister. Thanks you two! Before on the big trip, I sent out emails not a blog so I heard back from friends but now it’s a bit like writing in a vacuum. Is anyone there? Okay….let’s just see….
Volunteering and indulgence. Here I am seeing if I can help SOS grow stronger in Bali and at the same time, everyday breakfast is served to me, my room is cleaned, and I eat out…all very cheaply. It is a bit weird but in a very nice way. So, to put it totally over the top, I decided to jump into the indulgence end of the pool at the deep end.
Following Rita the Female Nomad’s Lead (she loves Bali) I went to the Nur Salon, one of the oldest spas in Ubud, for the full meal deal per Rita’s suggestion…it was to be a 3.5 hour extravaganza, Best of Bali they called it. Hard to even imagine getting pampered for 2 hours.
I entered through a stone fence entry greeted a beautiful stone Buddha and walked along a stone path through a beautiful garden into a small, thatched roofed hut with my masseuse. Inside a bath tub and a table. The entryway opens to the sky. “Take off clothes –put here. Lay down.” For forever hot woman getting naked seemed like a pretty cool idea. No top sheet….ass side up naked in Bali brings more than a little chuckle. But I’ve had lots of massages so no worries. She wasn’t the itty bitty little masseuse so it wasn’t too embarrassing.
I’d put this massage as pretty strong, lots of pressure, great on my feet, my face with a cool breeze right before the torrential rain came. So imagine being massaged and having rain splattering on the floor. Dreamy sensations and then thunder crashing outside really closeby. surreal. Sensory overload. After the massage, full body exfoliation and then. “Stand up please. Done.” So I stood and was handed a cup of yogurt to rub on. And then little buckets of water to rinse me. Nyoman had drawn a lovely hot bath in this big tub(like way longer than my toes could reach) filled with flower petals. I’m not making this up! Petals floating everywhere and clinging to my legs and face and even my boobs! Raindrops fall beyond the tub, birds sing in the tree and Gamelan music for the big Sat night ceremony was going strong. Rather like a dream sensation as I soaked, played with flower petals and thought about volunteering here.
After flower petal bath ended, wrapped in a sarong, lead though the garden to my next stop. What would happen next I wondered in this mystical spot. manicure, pedicure, facial. And if sensations were extreme before, over the top now. I was told to lie down on a low table. One woman took my hand and started the manicure, snip, file, massage. One woman took my foot, wash, massage, scrub, clip and yet another woman took my other foot AND can it be, yet another started my facial. That makes 8 hands on me everyone busy with their area. (Rita, I thank you…you do know how to travel!) I would giggle with the sensations living my Cleopatra life with slaves attending to my limbs. There was little snipping on my fingers, my feet put in buckets and washed and my face cleaned, steamed masked, oiled and rejuvenated…I really couldn’t keep track of what was happening where! Sensation overload. My crew was finished and had vanished.
With all work completed, I was taken downstairs to the creme hair shampoo the only part that hadn’t been cleaned! If in your life you have the chance to get a Balinese Crème shampoo you must go. The woman put all kinds of magical goo into my hair pulling it all to the top of my head. Then she started massaging my head like I’ve never had done. Strong fingers worked through every inch of my head ending at the top with a tug. Then she moved on to my back and shoulders. My hair was steamed with this hair dryer thing over my head. Once the steam treatment finished, she massaged my head again! Even writing about it I can’t wait to go back! After the rinse, my hair felt, smelled and looked magnificent. I couldn’t’ believe it. I floated on home saying thank you all the way. The entire treatment cost $55!! I am thinking that the hair part needs to be part of my life while I am here. How can I go back to washing my own head? Oo la la …life as a volunteer in Bali is sweet!