Review: Wellness screening and personalised massage at Six Senses Spa, Al Bustan Palace, Muscat

Six Senses spas the world over offer a variety of wellness packages, but the one that piqued my interest was the wellness screening and personalised massage at Muscat’s Al Bustan Palace, Ritz-Carlton hotel.

The Six Senses Spa at Al Bustan Palace in Muscat, Oman offers a selection of wellness programmes and therapies in a relaxed beachside setting. Courtesy Ritz-Carlton

Wellness has been a buzz word for quite some time now, but thanks to the ever-increasing attachment we all have to technology these days, it’s perhaps even more pertinent that we make time to find the balance that often seems so elusive.

Six Senses Spa the world over offer a variety of wellness packages, but the one that piqued my interest was the wellness screening and personalised massage at Muscat’s Al Bustan Palace, Ritz-Carlton property. I decided to give it a try to find out just how out of kilter my life really is.

The experience

Before my appointment I purposefully didn’t do any reading past the very basics around what I was to experience. I wasn’t sure what to wear or whether the ‘testing’ they talked of would be intensive fitness type testing or something more techy.

I was collected in a buggy and driven to the spa entrance, which in itself was a great way to start. Once inside, I was introduced to Mohamed Hanafi, the physiotherapist/wellness consultant, who would be assessing me.

He instructed me to take my shoes and socks off, and after a brief explanation hooked my finger up to a digital impulse-measuring oximeter, and asked me to place my palms and soles of my feet on four pads.

The finger device monitors the heart rate, tissue oxygen levels and distribution, stiffness in the arteries, and stress, while the pads are Electro Interstitial Scan-Galvanic Skin monitors. They measure things like resistance to the flow of gentle electric currents through interstitial fluid (fluid between you cells) throughout your body.

The takeaways

I knew that it wouldn’t come as a shock to me that I am not fighting fit and well-balanced. I haven’t been for years, but actually I was quite saddened by just how ‘stressed’ my body screamed that it was/is.

The normal range for stress is between 50-200 and that I am a whopping 345, whammy number 1. While my liver, cholesterol and heart are all presenting well, my insulin is on the high side. High insulin is a sign of insulin resistance and can lead to problems with glucose control and put you in pre-diabetes mode.

I admit to having difficulty sleeping, and he says that is a result of stress and the fact that the assessment shows that I have a high level of stress from my nervous system. I am advised that feeling tired all the time is stress-related, and that I would do well to work on a pre-sleep routine and meditation as a way of lowering the stress levels will do me wonders.

I walk out of the consultation, before my massage with a list of things I will work on, eating more protein rich foods, bettering my breakfast menu, getting a yoga class into my routine and just trying to focus on me more, not working all the time.

I would recommend this assessment for anyone wanting or needing a reality check. God knows, I had one and am now working on getting the things that are a health challenge rectified, after all I am only 38 and don’t want to keep going on this path.

What we loved

The ease of the analysis, who would have thought putting your hands and feet on something and relaxing for a few minutes would be so comprehensive, ahh technology.

What we hated

Just how neglectful I have been with myself, it is a big wake-up call and some life changes are required, stat.

The details

The 30-minute wellness screening and 50-minute massage costs from OMR 49 (Dh490). For details visit www.sixsenses.com/spa or log on to The Ritz-Carlton Al Bustan Palace website www.ritzcarlton.com/en/hotels/oman/al-bustan