Kevin Costner in a massage tanga? Bring on the algae treatment in Sheraton Bratislava

I won’t lie to you, hotels with spa are one of the best places on Earth! A health freak like me needs massages, different treatments and chilling out every now and then, preferably as often as possible.

A well-known spa was also one of the reasons why I chose Sheraton Bratislava hotel as the place of my stay in the capital in the end of January.

I usually try not to have any expectations so then I can only be surprised in a nice way. But the way I was treated in Shine spa in Sheraton surpassed all expectations I might have had.

I needed that peace and quiet after a tough week in Snina just before I got to Bratislava. And there’s all the silence you might ask for in Shine spa to completely relax your mind and become a smiling person again.

All the Shine spa staff are sweet and super friendly. They are of my age so I find it easier to get the personal approach I am always looking for.

Offering facial and body treatments, massages and rituals, hands and feet care and a combination of more, I decided to go for some of those I have not tried yet.

The first on the table there for me was algae body treatment. Something I had no idea of, so the moment of surprise was awaiting me. Woo hoo, fun times!

My masseuse Mary welcomed me at 9 am, let me fill in the form about my possible health problems and explained the necessary information just to be sure I wanted to get the expected results of algae treatment and not to be looking for something different.

She also showed me around the Shine spa first and the peaceful atmosphere got under my skin already on the way to my massage room.

The funniest thing was I had to come there just in a very comfy bath robe and slippers.

Mary handled me a massage tanga to put on.

the massage tanga I had to put on

I was holding them in my hand and staring with my mouth open. This was the only odd thing during the whole treatment as I am not a fan of this kind of lingerie.

And then I imagined Kevin Costner in the same massage tanga lying on the same massage table like me when he stayed in Sheraton Bratislava before. If he could make it, then I could too!

Because he indeed did during his stay in the hotel get his massages on the same bed. (There are a few separate massage rooms in Shine spa and Kevin Costner was in the same one! Heart beat was all of a sudden faster when I found it out…)

my massage table ready for me – and yes, Kevin Costner lied on it too!

Thinking of making my mum jealous telling her all this just after the treatment as she is one of Costner’s biggest fans, we moved on to the treatment itself.

First, Mary gave me a whole body peeling. It just felt so good! I’ve never had a peeling done by someone else but me and even though it was a female doing it, peeling became one of the most pleasant things ever!

whole body peeling

We also had a great conversation about life abroad, life back home, the attitude of people in the UK and in Slovakia, and traveling. We were both born in Slovakia but used to live in the UK for a certain time so the similar experiences made for an interesting topic.

Then Mary prepared towels and a shower of the right temperature where I got rid of the last peeling particles. My skin was a lot softer already and we haven’t even started with the treatment itself!

I went back to the massage table and Mary started to make the algae treatment dough mixing it with exact amount of water. It looked more like I was there lying doing nothing and Mary was going to bake a cake

going to prepare the algae dough

ready for the algae treatment

Then she explained me how fast she had to put it on my skin as it dries up within seconds. The algae treatment has slimming effects so the best part of the body to put it on were thighs and butt.

I lied on a huge transparent plastic, then Mary put on the algae ”dough” on the butt and thighs from the back, then I turned on my back and Mary wrapped me all around with the plastic. It was a funny feeling to be wrapped like that!

all wrapped up during the algae treatment

The treatment was supposed to take some 2o minutes so Mary wanted me to relax during that time. As I was lying on my back, she did a face and neck massage. Oh yes, please more! She also applied a series of different face creams explaining the effect of each one of them.

ready for face and neck massage

Then it was time to unwrap me, peel off the dried algae dough and clean off the skin with wet napkins. Afterwards, Mary applied a Comfort Zone anti-cellulite cream to the same area like the algae treatment; and a D-age body cream to the other parts of the body. 

peeling off the algae after the algae treatment

Comfort Zone products used after the algae treatment

It only took a bit more than an hour and a half of relax, amazing conversation, quality products, special treatment and Mary’s skills to make me leave like a new-born. And maybe the feeling of charming Kevin Costner presence on the same massage bed helped it a bit, too

I still clearly remember the night after the algae treatment … also the following morning when I woke up and needed a few seconds to think of the reason why my skin was so soft. Oh yes, the algae treatment was it!

My Shine spa algae treatment in Sheraton Bratislava was a press trip and part of Adventure and Spa project 2013. However, all the opinions in this post are mine. Many thanks to lovely Mary for everything she did for me. For more information, follow Sheraton Bratislava Facebook or SheratonBA Twitter.