Taman Merah "A Rosy-red Glow"

taman merah, which translates into red garden, is a contemporary wellness and beauty hub. affordable and homey, this spa will get you ready to paint the town a radiant red

the look
Akin to their contemporary wellness theme, Taman Merah Spa’s décor is very clean-cut. Red dominates the colour palette of their interiors, but with a balance so as to give my eyes a screaming bloodshot itch.

I have always thought of minimalist interior design as an excuse to not put in too much of an endeavour, and there is a fine line between finely designed minimalist interiors and those that just scream “low-budget-low-effort!”, but Taman Merah Spa is definitely not the latter.

The path leading to the front doors are stone steps set in a way so that they seem to be floating on a beautiful flow of water. In fact, water flows through each of their treatment rooms, granting me calming sounds of splashing tranquillity.

the touch
I was treated to the Taman Merah Glow package, which entailed me to a 30-minute sauna to get rid of toxins, an hour-long Balinese massage, a carrot body scrub and was finished off with a papaya enzyme body mask to polish down the skin and give it a warm, even-toned glow.

The massage was of the right pressure, with the masseuse climbing on the bed to fully coax my tense muscles into sedation.

The carrot body scrub and papaya enzyme body polish were the highlights of the whole treatment though. The therapist applied the papaya enzyme elixir onto my body with a large, soft brush, and that alone tickled my fancy, but that’s only the beginning; I could literally feel the enzymes working on my skin, as it felt tingly, like my pores were being cleaned out by a cool breeze.

the ingredients
I chose the Tropical Oceanic essential oil, which has a more refreshing sweet scent. The other option offered by the spa is the Musk Oceanic oil, which smells, well, musky.
Taman Merah Spa’s treatment products are all natural, as were my carrot scrub and papaya enzyme body polish, which makes it safe to repeat the treatment a couple of times per month.

the exceptional
I must say that the best part about the Taman Merah Glow treatment was the look on my face as I looked in the mirror afterwards. My skin was literally glowing, which resulted in a smile on my face. It’s a rarity to have a beauty treatment work so instantly, so I was giddy.

I looked radiant, an even-toned tan-like colour emanating from my shoulders and cheeks and the rest of my body. Even my legs (which were bruised from a previous bike accident) looked more vibrant than before the treatment.

The spa manager explained that the more often you do this treatment, the better your skin will look. I totally believe her – and I won’t take her word for it. As Arnold Schwarzenegger said, “I’ll be back.” •

Taman Merah Glow is priced at Rp. 750,000

Taman Merah Spa, Jl. Petitenget,
no. 469, Kerobokan, T: 0361 736 656, www.islandvillasbali.com