Sacha Walters, Staff Reporter

The interior of the spa suite at Fern Tree, the new spa at Half Moon Hotel, is one of the new features of the newly opened facility. - Contributed

A cherub-faced lady, who stood close to my five feet two inches, wearing brown framed glasses similar to mine, greeted me in the lobby with a smile. Already I felt at home.

"Hi, I'm Suzette," she said with an extended hand. Suzette Carey is the professional who would be administering the Cerasee Body Scrub, one of the Fern Tree Spa'swet treatments, to me.

Not sure what to expect, the pleasant woman explained the process while giving me a quick tour of the rooms I would visit. I changed into a robe, shower cap and rubber slippers and entered the first room.

There, I mounted a cushioned table, wrapped with a blue cloth cover with pleasant smiling suns.

Suzette showed me the mixture she would be using: a combination of ground corn, dried cerasee leaves, grounded, and mixed with bath gel to create a lather.

Using two loofah gloves, she applied the mixture to my skin, in a gentle rubbing motion to exfoliate the skin.

HEAL, CALMS SKIN

"The cerasee helps to heal and calm the skin," Suzette said, while the cornmeal acts as the exfoliant.

While she rubbed, I used the opportunity to chat.

Eight years at the Half Moon Spa, Suzette enjoys her job and said she always had an interest in spa treatments. Originally a hair dresser, she went and got certified at the Face Place, among others.

Suzette is looking forward to moving over to their new state-of-the-art spa, Fern Tree, the spa at Half Moon, which officially had its launch last weekend. She is soaking up the extensive training they are presently going through to learn the new treatments.

FAVOURITE

However, this body scrub, one of the traditional treatments, is one of her favourites.

"When you're finished, your skin will feel like a baby's," she said.

When done, she turned on a shower which was mounted over the bed with three shower heads and gently washed off the mixture.

I washed the excess mixture off and joined Suzette in the next room.

On a massage table, she applied a light moisturiser which consists of lavender oil and aloe vera gel. She gently massaged the mixture into my skin.

"Mmmmm," she was not kidding about that smooth feeling you get, couldn't stop touching my arms. I still have the memory of the heavenly moisturiser from the smudge on my notebook.

Feedback: Sacha.walters@ gleanerjm.com