Polished at the Polynesian

SUE FARLEY is rubbed and lathered to a healthy sheen at a lakeside spa.

How can something so thick and gluggy be so luscious and soothing? And how can something that comes out of the ground smelling like last week's laundry nourish and pamper the body like a week at the beach?

I pondered these questions as I lay in a rock-encrusted pool overlooking Sulphur Bay on Lake Rotorua, surrounded by warm water, wafting steam and the all-pervading sulphurous essence that is so familiar to visitors to Rotorua. This reputedly therapeutic and relaxing mud and hot water was a mystery that needed solving as I prepared for my promised body polish and massage.

The Polynesian Spa is a day spa, as opposed to one that is part of a resort or hotel. Not having to worry about the accommodation and feeding of its guests, the spa instead focuses on a specialised series of pools and therapeutic and beauty treatments that make the most of the unique range of geothermal water and mud.

There are acidic pools that flow straight from their pumice beds and are relatively uncontrolled in temperature and clarity. There are highly alkaline pools with soft water piped from a nearby boiling spring. And there's a freshwater swimming pool for the kids to play in while the adults relax.

The Lake Spa Retreat is the international standard health spa attached to the Polynesian Spa, and it was here I was to be rubbed and lathered to a healthy sheen.

My spa therapist, Helen, stressed the need for people to arrive at the spa at least an hour before their pre-booked treatment time.

"People need time to relax and unwind before they begin their chosen treatment. So we offer them a soak in one of the pools and then a cool-down before they actually start. It's important that people are relaxed both before and after their treatments for the benefits to sink in."

So, having soaked in several of the outdoor pools and sat in my thick red towelling robe looking out across the lake, I was ready to be pampered.

I had chosen a reasonably short treatment - a manuka honey and lavender body polish - which I figured was the ideal way to unwind after a busy weekend sampling Rotorua's geothermal and cultural attractions.

As many treatment ingredients as possible are sourced locally, including the manuka honey that was being liberally spread over my body and massaged in as we talked. Mixed with avocado and lavender oils, it was applied as an exfoliant to spruce me up and refresh my skin.

The rich waxy smell of fresh honey soaked the room as I lay looking out the window towards the lake. In the distance, green, rolling hills so typical of the North Island disappeared into the horizon.

Closer in, the banks on the far side of the lake were covered in a thick cloak of manuka - I wonder if that's where the honey comes from? - while just outside, the hazy blue lake lapped the shores of a nature reserve.

Many of the spa's treatments use the famous Rotorua mud, which is attributed with an array of relaxing qualities including relief from arthritic, rheumatic and skin conditions. It freshens and cleanses as well as detoxifies. The mud can be applied directly or in mud packs.

Once the manuka honey and oils had soaked in I was guided to the shower, an artful space of glass bricks and multiple shower heads that made an excellent job of washing me down. Also facing on to the lake, this was the kind of shower I would be happy to have at home.

Back on to the table for some more soothing oils to be rubbed in, my hands and fingers massaged and a quick rub down over my legs and feet. Then I was ready to go. But not too far, I was told, just out into the lounge where I should relax for another 15 minutes or so, have a nice warm drink, and let the treatment work its way through my body. Sounded fine to me.

Unlike a resort, where chances are that spa clients would then go and lie by the pool or in the shade of their balconies, here the temptation is to hit the streets and carry on with a busy day. So a quiet stop in the lounge is expected, and considered an important part of the whole deal.

The Lake Spa Retreat offers a good range of treatments, starting from $60 half-hour treatments with options like the Aix Spa Massage - a full body hydrotherapy treatment - a mud treatment for the back followed by a leg and back massage, and a stress therapy treatment, which involves aromatherapy and pressure movements on the back and scalp.

One-hour treatments at $120 allow for more intense procedures like full body wraps, full pedicure and manicure treatments and a total body wellness treatment to de-stress and detoxify the body.

If real pampering is called for, the package treatments are the way to go. These range from $200 two-hour combinations of several of the above to the full-day treatment for $620, which leaves no stone unturned and is finished off with a hair and makeup touch up as well.

But it's still hard to beat that first wilting moment when I stepped into the outdoor pool to begin my relaxation. If I shut my eyes I could hear the birds in the nearby reserve and the soft sounds of water falling into the pool next door.

I could smell that exotic steamy mud aroma in the air and feel myself unwinding by the minute. I knew it was going to take a lot to get me back into tourist mode after this had finished.

CASE NOTES

Where to find it

Polynesian Spa and Lake Spa Retreat, Hinemoa St, Rotorua. Just up the road from the Rotorua Museum and Blue Baths.

Ph: 07 348 1328, Fax 07 348 9486

Email: info@polynesianspa.co.nz

Open every day from 6.30am to 11pm. Book ahead for spa treatments.

What it costs

Retreat bathing: adults $30, children (accompanied, 5-14) $12.50. Adults only pools: $12. Family spa and private pools (per half hour): adults $12, children (5-14) $4, family (2 adults, 2 children) $28.