Day spas are the stuff of luxury and relaxation, whether you've got a hard work week or a weekend of Down South surfing to ease out of your system. After seeing Spa Oya doing the social media rounds(how else do you find out about anything?), we thought we'd stop by for a quick massage sesh.
Services & Prices
Massages range from between Rs. 5000 to Rs. 7500, and you can choose from various options like Thai stretching, aromatherapy, and Balinese. There are lots of other therapies available too, like body scrubs (lots of different types, all between Rs. 4000 and Rs. 5000). If you really like the oil used during your massage, you can even pick up a bottle at about Rs. 1600.
There are also plenty of separate options for men, teenagers, and nail grooming. While the massage prices are a bit lower than your average Colombo spa and quite a bit lower than the Down South hotel spas, the manicure/pedicure prices are quite high, at about Rs. 5500 for a 90 minute pedicure.
Service & Experience
The service here was exceptional. The Balinese therapists were very nice, clearly well-trained, and ready to welcome us the second we walked in with some scented icy wet towels and delicious herbal ice tea. We were then accompanied to a lakeside canopy to rest with our tea and look over the menu.
The service itself was wonderful. I opted for a 50 minute Balinese healing massage at Rs. 6500 as the therapist was Balinese herself and suggested it. With slow strokes and gentle muscle relaxation, this is the perfect therapy for everyday tension and tenseness. My therapist was always careful to check on me, adjust her pressure, and ask me if I needed any particular attention on problem areas.
The only issue I had here was that of slight lack of care. For example, the pool was cloudy without filtration, and the linen, towels, and robes used here were used before and were damp with a previous customer's oil. It is possible that they didn't wash it in hot water too, but either way it was off-putting.
Ambience
Shortly after we chose our therapy, we were taken to change into Spa Oya bathrobes and into the lovely open lake-facing massage pavilions. With the soft music and fresh breeze, this was immediately relaxing (despite the power shutting off a couple of times) and full of natural light.
The tapered landscaping makes excellent use of the beautiful lakefront property, with a rambling lawn, lots of canopied beds for relaxation, a rustic pier (to receive customers arriving via boat from Tri or other hotels on the Koggala Lake), and a lovely pool to get a couple of laps in after your massage.
Overall
The ideal spot for yoga retreats, group massage days, or a relaxation session, Spa Oya is a serenely beautiful spot on Koggala Lake. We loved the service from the Balinese therapists too. We can only hope they sort out the kinks with upkeep of the pool and linen soon so we can come back whenever we're Down South!
