It is about 7am on New Year's Day and we just got off a taxi. I still have U2's tune 'New Year's Day' in my ear. The musicians sang it in the taxi and one is still humming the melody. 'Nothing changes on New Year's Day' sing U2. So true! I might be dazed after a long night out and having consumed various alcoholic beverages, but I am not confused (reference to Led Zeppelin made here). I'm tired too. No wonder, I've been awake for 25 hours and danced half the night. What should change on New Year's Day? And why? Is there a reason for it?
'Come!' says one of the musicians, 'Don't stand there like a Greek statue!'
I'm standing in front of the building, looking at the entrance, various thoughts crossing my mind.
'Come! Move!' he says again.
We greet the porters and walk in. The spa is located in, from what it looks like from the outside, a normal building. A small entrance and a sign above it signals that it is a spa. It's a bit hard to find too. It's at the top of a steep slope located between other buildings.
Inside, an ample hall awaits the guests. Comfy leather couches, stylish tables made of glass and wood, many plants and marble floors invite you to sit for a while and enjoy the Roman style scenery. We have a seat and as soon as we are seated, some members of staff come to greet us and bring us bracelets and a red pin with a number on it. You have to wear the bracelet at all times, because it contains an RFID chip, with which you can open your locker and which will be used to charge you when you leave.
We have to take off our shoes and are given some flip-flops. The red pin with the number is attached to the shoes and the staff take them away. The shoes get a treatment too. They'll be cleaned and fragranced, so they smell nice. They'll be put in an air conditioned glass cabinet in the lobby.
The good thing about the spa is, that you don't have to bring anything with you. Whatever you need, towels, slippers, comb, etc. is provided. I give them my dead mobile phone to charge.
We stand up and are directed into the changing room. There, more personnel is waiting to serve and help you. They have a look at the number on your bracelet and direct you to the locker. They use the RFID on your bracelet and a second RFID to open the locker. Then you have to strip naked and put all your clothes inside. They close and lock it for you and direct you to the spa area.
Since it's past 7am and we haven't had anything to eat since midnight, we ask for some sort of pyjamas to go to the restaurant. There is a restaurant in this 24-h spa that serves food several times a day. It's included in the entrance fee.
So we walk to the restaurant to have breakfast. It's not continental or full British or poor Italian with a piece of bread and some butter, no, it's Chinese: dumplings, seafood, noodles, soup, some local delicacies, etc. Most of it it's spicy. You can eat as much as you like. There's a water dispenser with of course warm or hot water and plenty of tea.
After having breakfast we walk to the spa area. The area is ample and contains a large pool with various springs, there's a sauna, a steam room, a massage place and some cold water tubs. Above the pool is a massive screen that shows a Chinese version of Pop Idol. Marble everywhere. Quite luxurious I have to say. There are some washing basins in a corner with some baskets between them. In the baskets are toothbrushes and razors, and there's toothpaste and shaving foam.
The temperature of the water is 39 degrees and is it a pleasure to lie and swim in it. We sit in something like armchairs and press a button that makes water come out with force from all directions. A waiter brings us some plastic glasses with warm drinking water and places them on the floor behind us. Oh, this is nice at this time of day!
Opposite us are some Chinese men who stare at us all the time, smoke (!!!!!) and talk to each other without taking their eyes off us. Two things cross my mind while I stare back. Jing, my wonderful teaching assistant from Hull Uni, once said: We are yellow! I don't remember why she said that, but I have to say, yes, Jing, you are. Why did you say that Jing? What were we talking about?
My friend Yi, said a few days ago: You are alien to us, so get used to be stared at. Jing felt uncomfortable when I once took her to the club Ella Street Social in Hull. She planted herself on a stool and wouldn't leave the table. When I asked her why, she answered that it's too many whites in there. Hmm... But sharp as she is, nothing passed unnoticed. She scanned all the people and actions.
Looking at those men I get jealous. Not of their yellow colour, but of their skin. Hairless, spotless, no wrinkles, looks like a baby bum. Look at us whites instead... And we are red like lobsters due to the heat in here, but the Chinese look cool as ever.
After a round in the pool, trying out the various hot springs, we decide to have a shower and go upstairs to the massage place. As soon as you exit the lift on the third floor, you see something like a bar in front of you. There you can get coffee, tea and hot juice and various fruits. Behind the bar is the massage place on the left and the relaxation rooms on the right.
We have something to drink, I go for the hot juice, the others for a cup of coffee, we also have some fruit and walk to the massage place on the left. There, some ladies receive us and direct us into rooms. The entire session lasts an hour. There's soft music playing in the background and after a few minutes I drift off to Morpheus' realm. The masseuse wakes me when she's done, and this is when I find myself in a dazed and confused state (yes, Led Zep again). I walk across the floor to the relaxation rooms and go to sleep for a while. That's the other good thing about this place. There are rooms with beds in it you can use. No need to go to a hotel or even home, you just sleep here.
I have no idea what time it is when I wake up. Hunger brings me back to reality, so I get dressed in my pyjamas and go down to the first floor to the restaurant. It's not time to eat yet, I am told. There's another hour to go. So I go to the spa. I find one of the musicians in the pool, half asleep.
'Where are the others?' I ask.
'No idea!' he says. 'Might have gone home or still sleeping upstairs.'
We spend a while in the pool going from spring to spring under the close observation of some Chinese eyes... We smile at them and they smile back. Who knows what they're thinking! A horse! A horse! My Kingdom for their thoughts! I say and we burst out laughing, which irritates the Chinese a bit, but they continue staring. It feels like as if small boys look at their wieners and compare the size. Sorry guys, western men have longer ones.
We go to the restaurant to have .... what time is it? What are we having? Lunch? Brunch? High tea? Dinner? The menu consists of Hot Pot, various soups, seafood, various salads, rice, meat, noodles. After an extensive lunch (?), we go back to the changing rooms.
At the exit we return our bracelets and a computer screen tells us what we had and how much we have to pay. It's 15 GBP each. It's only 7 GBP without the massage. As soon as we pay, we are directed to the comfy leather couches and our shoes along with a glass of hot water are brought to us. I haven't seen my shoes that clean in a long time! I also get my mobile phone back.
It is still bright outside, so it can't be that late. It's 5pm reveals a glance on the wristwatch.
Our clothes smell of smoke and sweat from last night. I wish they had a laundry service too.
I say goodbye to my friend, walk a bit through the streets before I hail a taxi to get home.
What a wonderful way to start a new year!
U2 New Year's Day (opens in a new window)
Led Zeppelin - Dazed and Confused - extra long version (opens in a new window)
If you would like to read more by me, here are my novel and my diary from Ar'ar, in the northern Saudi desert. Both available on Amazon as soft and hard copy.
'Come!' says one of the musicians, 'Don't stand there like a Greek statue!'
I'm standing in front of the building, looking at the entrance, various thoughts crossing my mind.
'Come! Move!' he says again.
We greet the porters and walk in. The spa is located in, from what it looks like from the outside, a normal building. A small entrance and a sign above it signals that it is a spa. It's a bit hard to find too. It's at the top of a steep slope located between other buildings.
Inside, an ample hall awaits the guests. Comfy leather couches, stylish tables made of glass and wood, many plants and marble floors invite you to sit for a while and enjoy the Roman style scenery. We have a seat and as soon as we are seated, some members of staff come to greet us and bring us bracelets and a red pin with a number on it. You have to wear the bracelet at all times, because it contains an RFID chip, with which you can open your locker and which will be used to charge you when you leave.
We have to take off our shoes and are given some flip-flops. The red pin with the number is attached to the shoes and the staff take them away. The shoes get a treatment too. They'll be cleaned and fragranced, so they smell nice. They'll be put in an air conditioned glass cabinet in the lobby.
The good thing about the spa is, that you don't have to bring anything with you. Whatever you need, towels, slippers, comb, etc. is provided. I give them my dead mobile phone to charge.
We stand up and are directed into the changing room. There, more personnel is waiting to serve and help you. They have a look at the number on your bracelet and direct you to the locker. They use the RFID on your bracelet and a second RFID to open the locker. Then you have to strip naked and put all your clothes inside. They close and lock it for you and direct you to the spa area.
Since it's past 7am and we haven't had anything to eat since midnight, we ask for some sort of pyjamas to go to the restaurant. There is a restaurant in this 24-h spa that serves food several times a day. It's included in the entrance fee.
So we walk to the restaurant to have breakfast. It's not continental or full British or poor Italian with a piece of bread and some butter, no, it's Chinese: dumplings, seafood, noodles, soup, some local delicacies, etc. Most of it it's spicy. You can eat as much as you like. There's a water dispenser with of course warm or hot water and plenty of tea.
After having breakfast we walk to the spa area. The area is ample and contains a large pool with various springs, there's a sauna, a steam room, a massage place and some cold water tubs. Above the pool is a massive screen that shows a Chinese version of Pop Idol. Marble everywhere. Quite luxurious I have to say. There are some washing basins in a corner with some baskets between them. In the baskets are toothbrushes and razors, and there's toothpaste and shaving foam.
The temperature of the water is 39 degrees and is it a pleasure to lie and swim in it. We sit in something like armchairs and press a button that makes water come out with force from all directions. A waiter brings us some plastic glasses with warm drinking water and places them on the floor behind us. Oh, this is nice at this time of day!
Opposite us are some Chinese men who stare at us all the time, smoke (!!!!!) and talk to each other without taking their eyes off us. Two things cross my mind while I stare back. Jing, my wonderful teaching assistant from Hull Uni, once said: We are yellow! I don't remember why she said that, but I have to say, yes, Jing, you are. Why did you say that Jing? What were we talking about?
My friend Yi, said a few days ago: You are alien to us, so get used to be stared at. Jing felt uncomfortable when I once took her to the club Ella Street Social in Hull. She planted herself on a stool and wouldn't leave the table. When I asked her why, she answered that it's too many whites in there. Hmm... But sharp as she is, nothing passed unnoticed. She scanned all the people and actions.
Looking at those men I get jealous. Not of their yellow colour, but of their skin. Hairless, spotless, no wrinkles, looks like a baby bum. Look at us whites instead... And we are red like lobsters due to the heat in here, but the Chinese look cool as ever.
After a round in the pool, trying out the various hot springs, we decide to have a shower and go upstairs to the massage place. As soon as you exit the lift on the third floor, you see something like a bar in front of you. There you can get coffee, tea and hot juice and various fruits. Behind the bar is the massage place on the left and the relaxation rooms on the right.
We have something to drink, I go for the hot juice, the others for a cup of coffee, we also have some fruit and walk to the massage place on the left. There, some ladies receive us and direct us into rooms. The entire session lasts an hour. There's soft music playing in the background and after a few minutes I drift off to Morpheus' realm. The masseuse wakes me when she's done, and this is when I find myself in a dazed and confused state (yes, Led Zep again). I walk across the floor to the relaxation rooms and go to sleep for a while. That's the other good thing about this place. There are rooms with beds in it you can use. No need to go to a hotel or even home, you just sleep here.
I have no idea what time it is when I wake up. Hunger brings me back to reality, so I get dressed in my pyjamas and go down to the first floor to the restaurant. It's not time to eat yet, I am told. There's another hour to go. So I go to the spa. I find one of the musicians in the pool, half asleep.
'Where are the others?' I ask.
'No idea!' he says. 'Might have gone home or still sleeping upstairs.'
We spend a while in the pool going from spring to spring under the close observation of some Chinese eyes... We smile at them and they smile back. Who knows what they're thinking! A horse! A horse! My Kingdom for their thoughts! I say and we burst out laughing, which irritates the Chinese a bit, but they continue staring. It feels like as if small boys look at their wieners and compare the size. Sorry guys, western men have longer ones.
We go to the restaurant to have .... what time is it? What are we having? Lunch? Brunch? High tea? Dinner? The menu consists of Hot Pot, various soups, seafood, various salads, rice, meat, noodles. After an extensive lunch (?), we go back to the changing rooms.
At the exit we return our bracelets and a computer screen tells us what we had and how much we have to pay. It's 15 GBP each. It's only 7 GBP without the massage. As soon as we pay, we are directed to the comfy leather couches and our shoes along with a glass of hot water are brought to us. I haven't seen my shoes that clean in a long time! I also get my mobile phone back.
It is still bright outside, so it can't be that late. It's 5pm reveals a glance on the wristwatch.
Our clothes smell of smoke and sweat from last night. I wish they had a laundry service too.
I say goodbye to my friend, walk a bit through the streets before I hail a taxi to get home.
What a wonderful way to start a new year!
U2 New Year's Day (opens in a new window)
Led Zeppelin - Dazed and Confused - extra long version (opens in a new window)
If you would like to read more by me, here are my novel and my diary from Ar'ar, in the northern Saudi desert. Both available on Amazon as soft and hard copy.
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