Jungle Massage

When I decided not to climb Sigiriya, I knew what I wanted to do instead. Lankesh had been telling me since I arrived that he knew of a good massage place near my hotel. “Special herbal massage, Mum.” So I decided that while the more adventurous were climbing the mountain, I would be pampered.
After our brief look at Sigiriya, he drove me to the massage place



where the owner greeted me. He explained that the basic charge included a one-hour massage, use of the sauna and a steam bath. And what was this basic charge? The same amount I would have spent to climb Sigiriya. It was fate!
He introduced me to my masseuse



and off we went. The massage was wonderful – not too hard, not too soft. I assumed that they called it “herbal massage” because the oil was perfumed with herbs. But the herbal part didn’t end there. She led me to the sauna.



As I sat on a stool made of a tree trunk with squishy herbs at my feet and contemplated the other herbs hanging from the ceiling, I thought: “They should call it the Jungle Sauna.”
But my surprises were not yet over. After the sauna, I was led to the steam bath.



Yes indeed. She gestured that I was to lie down on the herbs. Then she closed the lid on me so only my head was visible. (Look at the photo below and imagine my head peeking out.)



She gave me a facial while I baked gently in my herbal oven.
All too soon, it was over. I had a cup of tea, got dressed, bowed and smiled.Then Lankesh took me back to the hotel.
Often a massage makes me want to sleep. This one energized me instead. After lunch, I spent the afternoon in the swimming pool, contemplating Sigiriya in the distance. That evening I sipped the on-the-house apéritif the hotel owner gave me for my last evening at Kassapa and, after dinner, went back to my chalet to enjoy the giant fruit basket that had been brought to my room to say “Thank you and goodbye.” Still relaxed, but not at all exhausted, I went to bed and wondered what new adventures the next day would bring.