Ah, The Cullinan. It’s one of those hotel’s you kind of forget about, I’m not sure why, but when you do pop in you’re all ‘Oooh, this is nice!’ And things have gotten even nicer thanks to a li’l revamp on their spa which has become a Mangwanani Boutique.

To celebrate the launch, myself and a bunch of media were invited to come hang out for a pamper session on a Tuesday avie. (I know, I know. Suuuuch a tough gig. But hey, someone’s gotta suck up midweek massages and mojitos and I’m glad it’s me. A nice pay out for having to sleep in headgear when I was 12. Thanks universe!)

Anyway, at the risk of sounding like a spoiled cow once more, I gotta level with you and say I’m often not impressed by spa launches. Generally they invite too many people into a crowded space, serve up sad salad skewers and, my pet hate, water with leaves and bits in it. You then stand on your heels for hours while they blab on about their amazingness and you get a ten minute hand massage before leaving with a few teensy li’l samples of the skin care brand they’re most keen on hawking. Being a busy girl, I’d rather just pay for my own full-service spa treatment and then get to go home and chill as opposed to sit up typing about them.

So! Imagine my surprise when I discovered The Cullinan had really rolled out the red carpet with dancing and singing spa ladies, bubbly that flowed like water, an array of delicious treats that ranged from duck wraps and prawn tempura to macaroons and mousse. Yes please! So glad I came! We also got to sample various treatments so my blogger bestie, Karisa, and I wasted no time in kicking off our heels to lap up a 30 minutes foot massage by the pool, bubbles in hand, while being waited on with cupcakes and chocolate mousse. (Sicking, right? You totally hate me, don’t you?) I pretty impressed with my therapist, Mickey. She was super friendly, very professional and wasn’t afraid to use a lot of pressure (as I requested) and her thumbs never got tired.

As for the spa itself, it’s a fabulously inviting, airy space that boasts two of the sexiest looking jacuzzis I’ve ever seen downstairs and treatment rooms up top.

The in-house trained Mangwanani therapists pummel and pamper your bod using the proudly South African brand’s exclusive range of spa products made using all-natural and locally sourced ingredients. I took a shot of those but it came out blurry so you’re going to have to deal with macaroons instead.

Treatment’s-wise, guests can pick from facials (R500 for an hours), massages (starting from R250 for 30 minutes) and Morgan Taylor manis and pedis (R170/R190 for an express shape and paint and R300/R350 for the works). The spa also offers packages like their signature treatment, a “Korean Scrub with African Rituals” (R550) which I assume involves a body scrub and massage as well as those that can be enjoyed alone or “coupled up”.

As you can see, the pricing is seriously reasonable.

After the launch, we left with a spoilicious goodie bag that included a voucher for an Izimanga treatment, a 60 minute full body massage with a hot stone treatment* (reeee!!!) and I can’t wait to return to cash it in. I’d also be very happy to return as a paying customer and recommend the spa to friends.

So, to wrap up, if you’re looking for a lovely spa in the city that feels like the last word in luxury but isn’t going to rip a hole in your wallet, The Mangwanani Boutique will be right up your alley.

Love, love

Leigh

*As an FYI, this treatment’s a super reasonable R500, especially when I consider that the last hour-long hot stone massage I enjoyed was a whopping, shocking R1 250! Thank God I didn’t have to pay for it – it was something I had to review for another website I work for – and even though it didn’t cost me anything the price tag really put me off. That and the fact that I then got hit with an intense product hard-sell afterwards that included not one but two overpriced, ineffective cellulite creams. Ouch!