Sofitel Spa experience

Location

Last month, we had a girl’s day out for my little sister’s hen’s party. Hen’s party nowadays are not very much the same as it was when I had mine (13 years ago). We had a low-quality pampering session at my place, then we went out for dinner and went bar-hopping. It was quite fun back then, but I wouldn’t want any of that right now and neither did my sisters. So, we decided to start the celebration with a bit of pampering, lunch, an escape room experience and dinner. We went for a spa package which included a 60-min spa treatment and a 3-course lunch. The spa is located within the Sofitel Hotel complex and the place is really beautiful and bright and clean. The restaurant was also the hotel restaurant so we didn’t have to walk far. They do offer free 4-hr valet-packing for non-hotel guests that are having 60min+ treatments. All you have to do is park outside the drop-off area, give the keys to the front desk clerk and they will give you a little card and you need to display the card when you collect your car. Otherwise, there are some public pay-and-display car parking around the area with flat fee charges.

 

Pricing

The Spa & Lunch package we went for included a 60-min spa treatment along with a 3-course La Maree set lunch menu for $189 (weekday) and $199 for weekends. The offer is listed on their website under Curated Offers. The options of treatment were massage or facial. For massage, you get to choose from: Swedish, Traveller’s revival, Hot stone, spa foot ritual or Sothy’s exhilarating body massage. For facial, you get to choose from Sothy’s Fundamental, Rejuvenating facial or Nellie Tier Relaxing Facial. These massages and facials are usually $180 each during the weekend. The 3-course lunch menu was of a value between $67 and $82 depending on the option you chose. The value of the package meant that you only pay $10 more for a 3-course lunch, and we all thought that was a bargain!

Before the treatment

Before the treatment, we had to fill out a short information sheet about ourselves and what we want to achieve from this treatment, etc. We were also given a bottle of still or sparkling water (which costs about $5 at the restaurant). Then we were given each a thick towel bathing robe as well as a pair of disposable slippers. Then we were taken to the ladies changing room. I think the one thing I wasn’t really happy with is the changing room area. It was small and had a round sofa in the middle which was already occupied by another guest at the spa. There were 3 mirrors with a small little countertop. We did not end up using this area because it was occupied by two other ladies and we ended up using the countertops near the basins near the WC. There are 3 WC cubicles if you are a little reluctant to change clothing in front of other people.

We got into our bathing gowns and slippers and pop our belongings in complimentary lockers which were quite small. I wore a long coat and a medium-sized tote bag, so it was a little hard to fit everything in there along with my shoes. Once we are ready, we got back out to the reception area to meet the receptionist again (which was a little awkward in our bathing robes). She directed us downstairs to the treatment area where the lights were dim and gentle acoustic music was playing. At this stage, you can keep your face masks on until your treatment, but you can also take them off as soon as you get changed into the robe. We waited for about 5 minutes in this area and were greeted by our therapists (our sisters were relaxing in this area after their massage earlier on).

We were then led into a large room with 2 beds and minimalist decor. There was a sink and a trolley with some tools and basically no product bottles. The therapists have prepared the skincare products in little trays for the treatment. We had to remove our robes, and preferably remove our bras and lay down in our beds with a thick blanket over us. The room was warm and quiet with very gentle music.

Sothy’s Rejuvenating Facial

She started with a double cleanse with an oil cleanser and then a milky cleanser with plenty of face massage. Then she wiped toner (Sothy’s Vitality Lotion) over my face and then applied a glycolic acid peel solution over my face (GL Glysalac Peel). During the 5 minute wait, she gave me a neck and shoulder massage which was so so good! After a good 5 minutes of good tingling, she removed the peel with water and then applied a serum (unsure what product it was) over my face. Then she applied a moulding mask on my face and proceeded with a head, neck, and shoulder massage. After peeling off the moulding mask, she wiped my skin with toner again and applied serum and lotion over my face. I wasn’t sure if she applied SPF, but I applied some of my own afterwards.

60-minutes sure fly by quick, and I thoroughly enjoyed the facial experience. We then got dressed and headed out to the relaxing area. There were 3 chairs with curtains that you can pull back. They serve some tea, and you can relax as long as you like before heading back to the changing room. We were also able to use the sauna and shower facilities, but we did not in this instance. Once we are dressed, we headed back out to the reception area to purchase some Biologique Recherche products (Lait U cleansing milk and Lotion P50). Sofitel Spa is the only retailer stocking BR products in New Zealand and I knew I would be getting something today. We left feeling rejuvenated and refreshed. My skin was glowing and felt really nice. Not at all greasy or burdened with heavy products.

3-course lunch at La Maree

After our facial, we headed to the other side of the hotel for lunch. La Maree has a lovely bright interior with full-height windows and we were there on a lovely day. It wasn’t a very large restaurant, but the staff were very nice and did not bother us a lot. Our package included a 3-course lunch with a selected menu. I opted for a caesar salad, grilled market fish and a chocolate and hazelnut tart. Other options included chicken liver pate entree or a cauliflower steak for mains and orange cake as dessert. Our meals came with complimentary bread rolls to start and a side salad with our mains. We also ordered a bottle of rose because why not?!

My classic ceasar salad had the perfect amount of Parmigiano Reggiano, croutons and bacon pieces. It was such a delightful starter. The portion of the chicken liver pate that my sisters had was very generous along with cornichons, mustard and green leaves. They all devoured their portions.

Our Rameau D’or Petit Amour Rose was really refreshing and light to complement our meals. We all chose the market fish as our mains and the portion was perfect as well. It was seasoned very well with lemon, caper and butter sauce and cooked perfectly.

I am not usually one to have dessert during lunch, but I prepped myself with having a salad and white fish for entre and mains so I was not too full. I was really looking forward to the chocolate and hazelnut tart because that is one of my favourite chocolate pairings (choc and mint is my other favourite). The dessert did not disappoint and was super impressive! I would definitely order this again if I come again. I’m not a professional food blogger, so I’m not clued up on the terminology, but the chocolate sorbet on the side was so smooth, that it melts in your mouth. The middle part of the main dessert had a hard shell with hazelnut cream on top and chocolate cookie as well. I even finished off the chocolate disc at the base! Did I mention the chocolate dust with edible gold shimmer? That detail made the entire dessert a work of art! I thought this was the perfect finale to this amazing meal.

Overall

We all agreed that we would definitely recommend this package to our friends and family for a pampering day out with your girlfriends, or just by yourself! I love the 4-hr free valet parking because I simply hate looking for parking in town. This package is amazing value and the food was great. The hotel had a bright and relaxing interior and I would love to stay here one day.  Hopefully, I have covered everything, but if you have any questions, please feel free to ask me here or on IG!