Tucker's Point spa takes you to a romantic era

FRIDAY, JUNE 1: I decided to go for a deep tissue massage during my trip to the revamped Tucker’s Point spa — Sense — in the hope of easing the tension I have in my shoulders and the pain in my lower back.

Deep tissue massages are not always pleasurable in their entirety — they border on painful at times but my masseuse Karla found the right balance.

Using a splash of oil, she used mainly her palms and fingers to apply the pressure and occasionally she would come in with an elbow and lean some of her body weight down on me.

When she did this I could feel the tension being eked out of my shoulders and back muscles — it felt great.

At one point she asked me whether I would like more pressure and I had to decline which is unheard of for me — I am always in the “press harder” camp but any more pressure would have been too much.

At the start of the massage Karla asked me whether there were any particular areas I would like her to focus on which is always a good sign.

I told her about my shoulders and my lower back. While she worked on the tight spots in my shoulders, she did not find the area of pain I have in my lower back.

But above all, my back got full attention as I’d asked, with just a short foot massage, facial then head massage.

I regretted it a little bit afterwards because she started giving me the most amazing invigorating head massage but I only had time for a few minutes of it before my time was up.

While the bulk of the spa still looks the same as before, I noticed something new from my last trip — the beds are now covered with luxurious, heavy ‘Kashwére’ blankets which are so soft you can barely feel them on your skin.

Then, climbing on to the bed I noticed it was warm — aside from the comforting feeling, it is recommended that muscles are warm to increase the effectiveness of many spa treatments.

A trip to Tucker’s Point spa is rarely just about the treatment, the whole spa, and hotel grounds are breathtaking. My friend and I had every intention of spending a couple of hours by the serene Reflection Pool, enjoying some light lunch and a glass of wine.

The hotel’s grounds are a cut above the rest in terms of the magnificent view that cascades from the croquet lawn, across the infinity pool, down into a valley and to the water beyond. It really does transport you to another place in a more romantic era.

I also had a little peek at the hotel gardens — as part of the new spa set up there is the Explore Bermuda four-hour spa journey. Guests can hand-pick the ingredients for their treatments during a tour of the Bermuda botanicals that grown there.

Sarah Lagan received her Tucker’s Point massage for free but paid for all other expenses.