I love Southeast Asia. 

How can you not when the average spa treatment costs $10-$25?  Yup, you heard me right.  This isn’t a myth told by a friend who traveled there twenty years ago and still remembers “the good old days”.  July 1^st, 2013 I walked out of a small spa in Bali having paid $15 for an hour-long facial.

$15!!!

The best I can do at a spa in Toronto is $100, and there isn’t a private driver to escort me to and from their front door like at a Bali Spa.

Obviously there’s a quality difference, you say.  It’s the Target-version of a facial, when we all really want Ralph Lauren.  I’m not an expert on spas, I leave that roll to Ava, but I had no major complaints when I left.  In fact, both the treatment and the price left me feeling blissful, so much so that perhaps their name, Bliss Spa, is less of a catch line and more of a promise.

About an hour earlier I had been picked up by a driver from the lobby of my hotel.   The drive had been a short one along the busy streets of Ubud, Bali to a small, private parking lot that fronted on a mass of tropical greenery.  Off to one side, a path beckoned, promising respite, relaxation and relief from one’s hectic life. 

I didn’t hurry, this place didn’t allow for it.  Instead, I strolled down the long and winding path, trees and foliage reaching far overhead but still impenetrable at my eye-level.  The air was fresh, somehow cooler than the streets I had just left, and after several turns the path opened onto a landscape highlighted by the lush green rice fields Bali is so famous for. 

The spa was at the very end of the path, a seemingly small building made of rich brown wood, a creek trickling softly past the front.  The attendants were waiting in the open lobby, all smiles as they held out a small glass of chilled ginger tea.  Nothing was rushed, but neither was it pretentious or slow.  The heartbeat of Bali moves as it pleases, and you cannot do anything but to follow leisurely along.

I was lead to a private room where a spa table was laid out.  A solitary flower rested on the bed, delicate in the heat.  The attendant handed me a robe to change into and we began. 

I had chosen a detox treatment meant to revitalize tired skin.  It was an ideal option for frequent flyers and when it was over and I looked in the mirror, I couldn’t help but grin.  Definitely an improvement. 

The facial also included a head and neck massage, as well as a massage of your arms and lower legs.  These extras weren’t nearly as comprehensive as a full body massage, but a nice touch that left me feeling mellow.

I continued to feel mellow as I paid that $15 bill, thinking that unlike at some spas, the point at which I pulled out my credit card wasn’t the point at which I was brought back to reality.  But then that’s Bali, authentic fantasy from start to finish.

For those considering Bali as a spa destination, here are 3 pieces of advice that will help you along: 

1.       Don’t be scared off by the low prices, the experience really is spectacular. 

2.    Do your research in advance, choose a place and make a booking.  There are an impossible number of options, but don’t chance your top pick being fully booked.

3.    Go.  Stop making excuses, book your tickets and set out to see the world.  Stop along the way at one spa or many.  That part doesn’t matter so much.  Making the choice to go does, and it’s one of those choices that you won’t regret.

Guest Post from Jamie Foley – Please enjoy this guest post from a true jetsetter. I met Jamie in an airport club lounge of course! Here we talked about our mutual love of spa travel. Here are some of her fact: