What a brilliant start to my holidays: an invitation to enjoy a one-hour ‘Bliss for Two’ massage at Librisa Spa and then Afternoon Tea at the iconic Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town.
 

Excited, I emailed my friend Kerryn to ask her to join me and got an instant ‘yes please!’ reply.
 

I arrived early, so after being shown to the change room, I relaxed for a few minutes in the steam room, jumped in the private plunge pool then wafted through to the spa reception in my robe (love that word, robe) to meet Kerryn.
 

The spa is housed in a beautifully elegant heritage home at the edge of the hotel property and both Kerryn and I oohed and aahed at the spa’s exquisite interiors as we were whisked up a spiral staircase to our tandem treatment room.
 

Think hand-painted silk wallpaper, hand-blown glass and natural driftwood accessories mixed with Victorian-esque touches like romantic Venetian mirrors and hand-embroidered throws. My best? The modern take on a cool classic: a Willowlamp Chandelier hanging in the entrance.
 

Uber plush interiors - the perfect setting for serious pampering!

Feeling decidedly snazzy, we both collapsed on the heated massage beds and succumbed to the strong hands of our massage therapists, who used a sensational mango and vanilla body balm from the locally produced Victorian Garden range, to soothe our tired bodies into a state of utter bliss.
 

I’d never heard of this product range before, but was so taken with the scent of the mango and vanilla body balm she used on me (that left my skin smelling good enough to eat for days afterwards) I had to find out more about it.
 

Apparently a local herbalist and aromatherapist hand makes it, using original formulae that date back to Victorian times. The spa’s whole focus is on the power of natural healing, so all their products use healing herbs and botanical extracts and they are the only spa in the country to stock Victorian Garden… Nice!
 

After the massage – which I never wanted to end – the two of us literally floated across the manicured lawn to the classic Mount Nelson tea room for Afternoon Tea. The hotel, which is 110 years old, is steeped in local history, and spending an afternoon relaxing on the terrace really does make you feel like you’ve stepped back in time to a simpler, yet grander, era.

Feeling virtuous after our holistic massage experience, I ordered a herbal loose-leaf tea (all their tea is from Nigiro, the authentic oriental tea room at Origin Coffee Roastery in De Waterkant) but couldn’t resist a fat slice of cheesecake that was temptingly evil in its deliciousness.
 

Sigh, it was the happiest of days.

From left: my nemesis and other sweet seductions...