I had been feeling exhausted for a while but I could not quite figure out why, until I realised it was eight months into the year and I had been working non-stop. I needed a break and quickly.

I called up three friends, all working moms, and sold them the idea of a brief getaway, to relax, rejuvenate and just breathe. They bought into it.

Without giving it much thought, we settled on the Silver Palm Spa & Resort in Kilifi County on Kenya’s North Coast.

We had no expectations whatsoever apart from relaxing. So we were pleased, upon arrival, to discover our hide-out offered just what we needed.

It is luxurious and is surrounded by palm trees that sway in the refreshing cool breeze. The high-end Barizi spa (barizi is Kiswahili for relax) decorated in African motifs is inviting. It is set atop the resort overlooking the turquoise blue waters of the Indian Ocean.

We wasted no time in getting thoroughly pampered. The therapists explained to us what was on offer. Being a tired mother of a toddler, I thought a basic massage would do the trick. I changed my mind soon after.

The therapist suggested the “Vichy-Scrub-Bath-Massage” treatment. I was scrubbed down with an aroma-infused sugar and submerged into a hydrotherapy bath that has muscle-warming ingredients. The treatment ended with a massage, which is exactly what I needed.

This particular type eases fatigue, anxiety and stress (every working mother needs this.) While I already felt refreshed and invigorated, she was not done yet.

I also got the “TheraVine Pinotage Bath.” I soaked in a bathtub of grape-skin and vine-leaf anti-oxidant extracts combined with essential oils to promote general wellbeing and reverse the ageing process, for a deeper state of therapeutic relaxation. This took a few minutes.

The next step was glazing my entire body with exotic body oils— that I could not properly pronounce — to soften and moisturise the skin.

Even a sceptic like me was sold on this reversal of the natural ageing process.

My friends were equally adventurous. One settled for the “Escape Package” — eight hours of blissful pampering that included a foot cleansing treatment, body exfoliation, a hydrotherapy bath, a body cream wrap and steam rinse, a hair and scalp treatment and a facial topped up with a light lunch from the Spa’s health bar menu —a spa worth its bathsalts would not be complete without a health bar.

The others settled for the traditional “Ayurvedic” treatments, to pay homage to the creators of the traditional Indian mind, body and soul alignment practice that gave rise to the health and wellness movement in the world.

This was truly a discovery for us.