Spa Spotlight – Marion Mizzi in Malta

I have been to spas all over the world, local spas, five star spas and resort spas.  The Marion Mizzi Spa is located at the Palace Hotel in Sliema, Malta.

The staff was far from welcoming.  In fact, there was no one at the reception desk when I arrived and three staff members were busy chatting away in a nearby staff room for most of the first 15 minutes.

I do not like spas that make you complete a dossier before treating you, as they are not a medical office; yet, this one barely asked me anything except my room number and if there were any tense spots, which they never relayed to the therapist since I had to tell her again.

Yaa, the masseuse, introduced herself and brought me into the treatment room.  She was from Thailand (does that mean I had a Thai massage?) and she was quite good at kneading my stress points.  I felt sorry for her because she also had to deal with my runny nose, since I had acquired a cold while traveling.  Having you lie face down with a headrest pressing on your sinus points is not ideal when you have a cold, but she patiently handed me plenty of tissues.

The massage was good but not the best I ever had.  The facilities were far from luxurious and I cannot say that I would recommend it to anyone.  As an American who has traveled the world for spa treatments, I must say, with few exceptions, that European spas need to learn and do a lot more to make you feel pampered.  The spas at L’Albergo Regina Isabella on Ischia, Spa La Serra at the Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria in Sorrento, the Prince Spa in Rome and Thermae Bath Spa in Bath, England get it just right.  The rest need to learn that anyone can give a massage but a spa should make you feel pampered in luxury.