Walking into the vichy shower room at Mudd the Spa, one thing comes to mind: waterboarding. The beauty treatment involves a wooden bed, with a towel on top, with seven water jets aimed at it. And the pillow at the head of the bed indicates I'll be facing up for this. I make a mental note to lock my secrets into the deepest parts of my mind.
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Minutes later though and all thoughts of interrogations are long gone. The treatment begins with a luxurious full body exfoliation - you can choose between a lemongrass or lime scrub - first on your front, then your back.
And then things get wet.
Just one nozzle in the middle of your back is turned on first so they can get the temperature right - and then one at a time, they're all turned on. The feeling of the full wall of hot water raining down on your whole body and the repetitive pressure of the droplets is incredible.
The therapist is with you the whole time, moving the row of nozzles back and forwards across your body, and also operating a single hand-held nozzle, which is a little bit hotter and little bit harder. The best way to describe it is like a car wash for your body - which is far more pleasant than it might sound. Listening to the running water alone is relaxing, like rain on the roof, but you're also getting the massage from the sheets of consistent rain drops.
The water goes for long enough to well and truly wash off the body scrub and then some. Then you flip back over onto your back, and the same thing happens again.
For the treatment, the therapist wears swimmers underneath their uniform, and is almost as drenched as the client by the end. They go get changed into a dry uniform, while you get up and dry off.
Once you've left the wet room, you're taken to a dry room where you lie down on a clean, dry treatment bed, covered in a fleecy blanket. As if the first portion of the massage wasn't enough, the therapist then massages a nourishing mineral balm into your whole body, and you're good to go.
Verdict: Leaving the vichy shower was the cleanest I think I've ever felt. On a sombre note, no shower at home will ever feel as satisfying again, but I practically floated out of the day spa. I didn't expect the water massage to feel as good as the pressure that a regular massage provides, but something about the rhythm of the droplets took it to the next level.
Details: You can try the Vichy shower at Mudd The Spa, underneath Hotel Realm in Barton. The treatment is $135 for 60 minutes. It's suitable for both men and women. There's only one vichy shower room so it can fill up quickly - book well ahead of time. See mudd.com.au.
