The only downside to a massage is that is ends. Wishing you could stretch the hour (and give your body an even better stretch), it appears a spa day is the only solution. So we made plans for one at the new M Spa & Fitness at Genting Grand. Admittedly, we were a little skeptical, not typically associating Genting Highlands with the laps of luxury. But with its makeover in August 2018, curiosity and tired post-yoga muscles had us up and ready for a drive up the hills at 10am. A fun extra? The cool weather found some 6,000 feet above sea level makes for a nice change from the city.

M Spa & Fitness is an all-in-one gym, studio, nail parlour, hair salon, cafe and spa. In-house hotel guests can opt for a stay package that includes gym and spa access, but it’s also open to walk-ins. The space is elegant with plenty of light. Think along the lines of hardwood floors, flowers, Tibetan bowls, and a glass window walkway framed by pebbles and stones.

Even before sporting its new ‘do, the spa scooped up a handful of honours, including Spa of the Year and the Award for Excellence (Best Spa Concept) by the Hospitality Asia Platinum Awards (HAPA). Now with a massive gym, more thought put into the treatments and a sleeker space, M Spa will surely continue to attract spa enthusiasts.

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So what does a spa day at M Spa entail? It begins, should you please, with a workout at the M Fitness indoor gym. We squeezed in a quick session with a private trainer, and there are also top notch German equipment by Technogym. If you can rally the girls for a day trip of relaxation and pampering, surprise them with a High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) class, group Tai Chi or even sunset yoga with views of the misty highlands.

Spa treatments here are, like many other spas in Asia, inspired by elements of Eastern and Western philosophies of wellbeing. Therapists hail from Bali where they were trained at the Bali Saraswati Spa Academy. Highlights off the menu include the Healing Stone, Signature Elements Body Scrub, Balinese Massage and Foot Work Therapy. And while all those sound tempting, none are more so than literally, The Temptress Divine. All treatments here represent a different earth element, and this water-inspired treatment had us at “wine”.

The Temptress Divine is a three-hour-long holy grail treatment: massage, scrub, and a nice long bath.  Every step of the way used a different blend of ingredients that was deliciously invigorating. The massage oil was a blend of coconut oil and vitamin E; rice, oats and lavender were used in the scrub, and even our hair was treated to a nice coconut oil, lavender, cinnamon and rose massage. Unfortunately for us (jumping the gun at the mention of “wine”), there was no drinking involved, and instead only grape wines used for the face massage. Still, we loved every minute of it.

For more information on M Spa & Fitness, Genting Grand, call +603-61052692 or log on to www.rwgenting.com.