Yemaya Spa, Hair & Express Nail Salons

Pander to the deity within with divine health and beauty treatments

Bellabaci? Cupping? The first term brings to mind an Italian antipasto, the second, a rugby penalty; in fact, though, (and it was news to me), both suppositions couldn’t be farther from the truth. One of the signature offerings at the luxurious Cape Town Yemaya Spa & Hair – the flagship branch under the Yemaya umbrella – the Bellabaci Massage (also known as cupping therapy) is an ideal, yet indulgent, treatment for men and women suffering from tight, sore muscles, digestive disorders, joint pain, cellulite, stretch marks, spider veins and more.

Needless to say, with a shoulder knot as large as Everest and as callous as an actual sailor’s rope, I was willing to try anything, even this ancient Arabic technique: a practice that utilizes glass cups to create suction with the skin and thus remove stagnation (stoppages impeding the body’s energy and blood flow).

Plus, if there ever was a spa where it’s safe to be adventurous, it’s Yemaya (named after the African goddess of the ocean). From the get-go, it’s clear that you’re, quite literally, in good hands at this Mouille Point urban sanctuary. Taking its cue from the healing prowess and serenity of its divine inspiration, the spa is an oasis for rejuvenation and a spacious haven from the wear and tear of the outside world.

Thus, it was only after the gentlest twist of my rubber arm that I settled onto a mint-scented pillow to await the arrival of my therapist.

The Yemaya Express Nail Bars

“Bellabaci helps to eliminate the toxins and stagnations from your back and it stimulates circulation and allows fresh blood to flow to the surface,” sums up Gali Gaon, owner of the burgeoning Yemaya empire, after my lavish 60-minute treatment (my knot’s unravelled considerably and my head space feels less congested than it has in ages).

To find out more about the Yemaya concept, I’ve somehow managed to steal an hour of the savvy businesswoman’s precious time, no small feat when you take into consideration that she’s made something of a habit of being in 10 places at once; case in point, she opened six Yemaya Express Nail Bars in the short space between the end of 2011 and the end of 2012.

Quite uncoincidentally, the innovative manicure and pedicure hotspots were made for people just like Gali: women and men who feel that even a blink of an eye is time they don’t have to waste. Thus, the nail bars – there are five in Cape Town – boast a range of treatments, from gel overlays to foot massages to lightning-quick cut, file, buff, paint and polishes, that take no more than 15 to 30 minutes each and that don’t require an appointment. Though, while the manis and pedis may be super speedy, Gali isn’t one to pull a fast one on her customers. Prices are incredibly reasonable, even though she insists on using one of the best products in nail care, OPI.

Yemaya Spa & Hair

“When people want something, they want it now. If you want an eyebrow wax, you don’t want it next week Wednesday, you want it immediately. You’ve looked in the mirror and you’ve said to yourself, ‘God, I need a wax’,” she goes on.

A valid observation that, aside from making me self-conscious about my own shadow of a unibrow, forms the foundation of Yemaya’s overall outlook.

“That’s the whole idea. If you want a treatment, no matter what, we’ll make a plan,” Gali emphasises, quite earnestly.

A promise seemingly easily accomplished at the express nail bars and soon-to-come blow-dry bars and express beauty spas, but what about at the flagship Yemaya Spa & Hair, a sensory temple where people worship at the altar of restoration, relaxation and revitalisation?

Even at the oceanfront urban sanctuary though, Gali insists it’s no different. With 10 treatment rooms, a pedicure bar, an adjoining hair salon, an army of well-trained therapists and a little black book flush with emergency freelancers, the Cape Town luxury spa’s first lady is well equipped to handle everything from a last-minute pamper party (endearingly called ‘sparties’) to a couple’s much-anticipated romantic experience.

And it goes without saying that the salon and its devoted team are as adept at spoiling customers as they are at fitting them in as needed; from life-changing massages (think full body massages, hot stone massages, sports massages and more) and invigorating exfoliations to detoxifying facials and hedonistic day packages, there’s something to assuage all sorts of stress levels and to pander to all types of egos.

There are spa treatments for ‘Brides-To-Be’, options for those who happen to be ‘Perfectly Pregnant’, choices just ‘For Him’, novel inclusions for kiddies and combination packages – ‘Romeo and Juliet’ or ‘Moonlight and Kisses’ – designed to leave couples with a heavenly glow both inside and out.

Though, Yemaya Spa & Hair isn’t all undulating, ambient music and over-the-top doting; a broad selection of less luxurious, but no less in-demand ‘essential’ treatments are also available at this health spa: waxing, threading, laser hair removal, tanning, rejuvenation peels and even colonic hydrotherapy are all part of their repertoire.

“I believe in solving problems, and I believe in things that really work,” Gali tells me after we’ve had a little giggle over the thought of colon cleansing. “You also shouldn’t have to damage your body to beautify it.”

Premium health and beauty products at Yemaya

Once a wayward industry newbie – she didn’t know a manicure from a pedicure – Yemaya’s driving force is now a walking, talking homeopathic-cum-beauty encyclopaedia. When it comes to finding a resolution to a gripe or troublesome ailment, her reservoir of product knowledge is seemingly bottomless. I have to stop her mid-sentence as she starts to rattle off a list of what should be used to treat water retention, hair loss, cellulite, bad cuticles and more, and instead ask her to shift her attention to the vast array of internationally-reputed premium health and beauty products used in the spa.

Gali only stocks the Yemaya shelves with creams, conditioners and aromatic oils that she knows inside and out, a commitment that she swears she can back up purely by showing interested parties the insane number of product samples she has squirreled away in her home cupboard. Guinot, an industry leader lauded for its innovative technology advances, and Dermalogica, a health-focused skin care range known the world over, are the Yemaya mainstays, but a collection of red carpet, Hollywood celeb-type products also make appearances: Mama Mio, Kerastase and Paul Mitchell, among others.

Needless to say, even if you aren’t on the A-list, there’s no better way to make yourself feel like a movie star than by booking a treatment or two at this Mouille Point bastion of serenity (or any of the other Yemaya Express Nail Bars, for that matter).

Tip: While Gali and the Yemaya team will gladly bend over backward to accommodate walk-ins to Yemaya Spa & Hair, it’s recommended to make an appointment, especially during high season (December to March). To do so, call +27 (0) 21 439 2266.

— By Cape Town Magazine