Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Gaash Spa and Hot Springs – a pampering day near Tel Aviv

Gaash Spa and Hot Springs offers a full day of pampering – spa treatments, thermo-mineral hot springs and saunas. It is only 30 minutes drive from Tel Aviv.
Gaash Spa and Hot Springs – a pampering day near Tel Aviv
To celebrate my birthday, I was invited to a girls day at Hamei Gaash Spa. While I don’t really need an excuse, it is always good to have a reason for a party. The plan was – a pampering spa treatment at Gaash Spa, bathing in the hot springs, spending time at the saunas, and a good meal. We entered Hamei Gaash via a pedestrian wooden bridge on a beautiful sunny autumn day. I got a robe and spa slippers, and a key to a locker. In a few moments I changed to a robe and headed to the spa.

The Spa
Hamei Gaash Spa is located on a hidden area. It is surrounded by pastoral lawns. The spa offers many types of treatments of different length (from 30 minutes to 70 minutes, depending on the type of treatment). Among the treatments are: Holistic Swedish massage, Pots massage, Bamboo sticks massage, Reflexology, Shiatsu, Reiki, Hot stones massage, Thai massage, and many other types. There are also combinations and massage to pregnant women as well as cosmetic treatments. During my previous visit to Gaash Spa I did an excellent Hot Stones massage that I highly recommend!

Gaash spa terrace
Already at booking, Gaash Spa coordinator was very professional and made sure I know what are the types of massages available in my spa package and made efforts to book it at the time that I chose. I decided to try the Holistic Swedish massage “a pampering massage with oil to relax muscles and improving circulation”. The oil is an almond oil with fragrance, it is available in 4 scents among them vanilla and berries. But I chose citrus smell that turned out to be an excellent choice!
At Gaash Spa there is a pleasant waiting room. There’s a coffee, tea and cookies corner and a pleasant terrace with seating area. The Spa massage rooms are pleasantly decorated and the whole area has a very relaxing atmosphere.

gaash spa
The massagist that welcomed me turned out to be very professional. Without speaking too much she made sure the strength of the massage is well-suited for me. She combined a number of styles, from gentle massage with long motions accompanied with dripping warm citrus scented almond oil (that I chose earlier), continuing with exact pressure to relax muscles but without pain, and finishing with light stretching especially of the arms, legs and neck. An excellent massage that is so pleasant to receive and gives a wonderful feeling that the body is soft like new!

Hamei Gaash Hot Springs
After (or before) the massage, you can enjoy the multitude of Gaash hot springs pools and saunas. Unlike other spa centers, where you will find a Jacuzzi, Sauna, or Hammam at the most, at Gaash, the hot springs are a significant part of the spa day, there are 4 thermo-mineral natural hot springs water pools at different temperature and a large sauna complex.
The “Cool Pool” is not really cold; It is quite warm and packed with massage jets. It is a kind of a big Jacuzzi and the water is salty and rich with minerals.

The central building has 3 pools and a large Jacuzzi. The temperature is a little higher here.

The warmest pool is of 39-40 degrees C (102-104F) – that’s very hot!

The water at Gaash hot springs contain sulfur and other minerals that are pumped directly from Gaash-2 well. While they are rich with minerals and are not friendly to your swimsuit, they don’t smell.
There’s also a large swimming pool and toddler’s pool outside during the summer!

The sauna complex is quite large in Israeli standards with dry sauna, wet sauna, a thermo mineral jets bath, shower, etc.

The Kosher Restaurant “Nostalgia”
There is a dairy kiosk and snack bar as well as a kosher meat restaurant called “Nostalgia”. The restaurant offers lunch and dinner deals. We at a business lunch that was part of the spa package. The meal included salads, a main course out of a set menu, and drinks.  We were served with 9 types of salads, which were refilled by request. The salads were served with a fresh and warm Moroccan Ferna bread. The salads were tasty, although some were a little spicy.
For main, we ordered Schnitzel (breaded chicken breast) with fries and Fish Schnitzel with root vegetables. Both plates were generous and tasty. The chicken was thin and crusty and the fish was soft.
gaash hot springs – restaurant
The meal was very good, tasty and pleasant, and the service was excellent!
As we headed out, we gave back the robe and the locker key and went home fresh and relaxed!
Some practical information
·         There is a store on the premises, where you can buy swimsuits, towels, hats, sportswear and natural cosmetics.
·         There are drinking coolers everywhere
·         There is a spacious sitting area for picnics
For additional reading
Disclosure: I was a guest of the place

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