I arrived at Spier Wine Farm feeling a particular kind of tired that I knew could not be cured simply by a good night’s sleep. It was the residue of too much stimulus – too many people, too many conversations, and too much movement from one place to the next. I was wound up rather than worn out. I felt overstimulated and ungrounded. Three hours at the spa’s Cape Herbal Bath House felt like a necessity rather than an indulgence. Nothing to read, nothing to respond to, nowhere to be but entirely present in my own body. I was looking forward to the spa’s signature ritual, which centres around touch therapy and the healing powers of nature’s apothecary.
Spier's spa is unlike any I have visited in South Africa. There is no cool minimalism. Instead, it feels like the gracious living room of a beautiful old Cape home – think deep-buttoned Chesterfield sofas, a wood-burning stove, lush indoor plants, and apothecary-style glass jars filled with the herbs, botanical extracts, and tinctures that are the fingerprints of Spier’s resident phytotherapist, Dr Caren Hauptfleisch. The palette is also grounded in the farm, from the greens of the vineyards and gardens to the earthiness of the rustic terracotta floors. Even at face value, it feels deeply, specifically local.
My therapist, Simo, came to collect me. She had a beautiful smile and the kind of unhurried warmth that immediately put me at ease about spending the next three hours in her care. In the short questionnaire that accompanied the indemnity form, I indicated my level of stress (moderate), how I wanted to feel afterwards (relaxed), and detailed areas I wanted her to focus on (shoulders, back and arms). Simo chose a relaxing aromatherapy oil blend for me, and explained what would follow.
The Cape Herbal Bath House ritual unfolds in three phases, each in a different part of a generous, private space set aside exclusively for this treatment. After changing into a beautiful paisley print cotton robe and relaxing with a cup of Farm Tonic herbal tea, I was ushered into the duck egg-blue tiled wet room, where I lay on a warm marble slab. Working from the feet upwards, Simo applied a refining body scrub to my skin, thoroughly but soothingly, before rinsing it off with warm water. The sensation of warm water sluicing over a freshly exfoliated body is one of those simple pleasures that is difficult to overstate.
From there, it was time to step into the bath – a deep Victorian tub filled with what I can only describe as a very large cup of herbal tea. This infusion of rooibos, rose pelargonium, gotu kola, and wild rose has been formulated by Dr Caren to calm the nervous system, support the skin, and draw out what the body no longer needs. A length of soft linen was draped over me as I lay in the water, keeping the heat in while also providing a level of modesty. The water was amber and aromatic, and Simo added extra hot water and the herbal poultices into the bath to enhance the treatment. While I lay back and steeped in the restorative brew, Simo gave me a head massage, working on my face, temples and pressure points to release tension. Depending on your tolerance, staying in the bath for 15 to 20 minutes is recommended. After 15 minutes, I was ready to climb out.
I felt very hot – noticeably so, my heart beating faster than usual – which, said Simo, was a combination of the heat and the detoxifying process. A chilled, herb-scented face cloth was waiting, which I pressed into my face and neck to cool down. I enjoyed a glass of freshly pressed fruit and vegetable juice, and snacked on a date ball and a crunchy biscuit, while my body temperature settled.
Already feeling extremely relaxed, I could hardly wait for the massage. Lavishing shea butter on my warm skin, Simo got to work kneading knots and tension out of my travel-weary shoulders and back, giving special attention to my arms and hands as I’d requested. I was suddenly overwhelmed by emotion, which can happen when distractions are removed and space is created for thoughts to enter and settle. My therapist picked up on it, and we spoke naturally and companionably, in the way that two women are capable of doing when one of them is finally still enough to feel what she has been outrunning.
Afterwards, I felt lighter – physically, because the combination of exfoliation, immersion, and massage is genuinely effective, but also mentally and emotionally. Less encumbered. It is easy to dismiss three hours at the spa as an indulgence, but harder to argue with the evidence of how you feel on the other side of it.
The ritual concluded with a wholesome spa lunch, which I chose from the Garden Room restaurant’s fresh, light menu. It is best enjoyed on the shaded verandah, overlooking the garden, although it would be just as lovely to sit by the pool on a warm day. A glass of Spier wine or sparkling grape juice completes the picture. Hydrating with plenty of water is also recommended after this treatment.
For women especially, who are often the last to receive the care they are first to give, this kind of deliberate, unhurried attention to the body is less luxury than it is necessity. Spier seems to understand this. The skilled hands, thoughtful extra touches and emotional intelligence of therapists like Simo make it possible.
The Cape Herbal Bath House is bookable for one or two guests and is priced inclusively – treatment, lunch, and wine. To book, contact spa@spier.co.za.