Pretoria - There’s a sense of timewarp underlying the feeling at Hoogland Health Hydro situated in Erasmia, east of Pretoria. In part, that might stem from the fact that this hydro has been in operation since the late 1970s. The design within the main building immediately takes you back with its smoky dark glass balustrades and somewhat old-fashioned decor in the rooms.
If you’re looking for chic and modern, you won’t find it here. You will, however, find other pleasures to compensate – not least being the peace and tranquillity of this property set in what feels like the heart of the country, hiking trails that test your mettle and leave you happily tired and yet also revived, a massage treatment that was one of the best I’ve had, and, my favourite, the chance to walk a labyrinth.
We opted for a three-night stay, starting on a Thursday. On arriving we were given an orientation tour of the facilities, from the dining-room with its “silent” table for those who preferred to eat that way, to a tour of the pool room and the spa facilities. Three nights gave us a chance to sample the food on offer, which was, at times, disappointing.
Fresh fruit is available day and night, and having it so easily cut up and available certainly makes it appetising and easier to reach for than the proverbial biscuit. Unlimited still and sparkling mineral water is also available as is a vast array of various rooibos-flavoured teas. You can order coffee, although there’s a charge for it as the aim is, I suppose, to detox, and part of that presumably means staying away from caffeine.
Food was plain and simple: some of the offerings that first night included steamed hake, sweet potatoes, a waldorf salad, a mixed salad, stirfry and mushrooms in an orange sauce – all carefully kilojoule controlled. Not bad, but after a few days of eating these fairly bland meals I was craving something with a little spice and, let’s be honest, fat and variety.
Initially I loved the wholemeal bread baked on the premises – which you could spread with cubes of butter (clever trick that to cut the butter into cubes, so you subconsciously take smaller portions) and dabs of honey, but after a few days I would have preferred some wholemeal muffins or a sourdough roll rather than the bread.
Still, onward, and it wasn’t all about the food – although obsession soon set in and we started taking bets on what food choices would be available. This is only natural unfortunately when the human body senses it’s being deprived. And that was my main quibble with the food: there was plenty of it, and with it laid out on a buffet table, it meant you could go back for as many helpings as you wanted. But the food lacked a certain variety at times.
We attended a talk on health and wellness after supper – nightly talks and afternoon demonstrations of cookery prep or biodanza exercise for instance, are part of the offerings. Our group of mostly women huddled together on the couches while a roaring fire ate the last bits of winter. There was a sense of camaraderie and shared communion as we sat, some of us in day clothes, others in dressing gowns. You’re encouraged to be as comfortable as possible and to don your gowns if that’s what comfort means to you. It makes for a comfortable, down-at-home atmosphere that is refreshingly unpretentious.
The next morning I had the best massage of my life with masseuse Clementia. I must be ultra-sensitive because I am forever asking that the touch be gentle and light, and wincing in pain anyway, but Clementia’s touch was gentle enough to return for. My companion reported an equally pleasant experience with Liana, her masseuse.
There was time to bask in the beginnings of spring on deckchairs outside our room before lunch.
There’s something undeniably magical about being close to nature, no matter how clichéd the concept sometimes appears.
You do slow down, listen to the soughing of the August winds, and start to unwind in a way that’s not always possible in the heart of a pulsating busy city like Joburg.
Although breakfast had been disappointing, with its offerings of two kind of eggs – both boiled – and spinach, feta and mushroom omelettes with oats, muesli, cereals, bread and natural yoghurt, lunch was good. Sweet potato and butternut soup with a tasty vegetarian bake, tabouleh, a tuna salad and a vegetable platter with fresh veggies and humus. It was more than enough to keep us going for the afternoon and for the daily walk which leaves the reception at four in the afternoon. You can choose to go on the morning walk as well.
But it’s more a hike than a walk, so be prepared and bring correct hiking shoes as you’re led around various paths that encircle the property.
We set off into the golden light of late afternoon which framed the aloes into mysterious beautiful shapes and ascended high, looking into the valley below, with Hartbeespoort in the distance. I love the experience of walking in nature, and again, it’s another way to both embrace your physical side as well as feed yourself in some deep way.
We tucked into Friday night’s lamb stew with brown basmati rice and broccoli with creamy sauce before spending the night reading, talking and relaxing. There are no TVs in the rooms, although there is a TV auditorium, but no one seemed compelled to sit there, and I didn’t miss this external stimulation.
We had Iketla hand and foot massages booked the next morning in a room decked out with stones, inspirational messages written on blackboard by various visitors – you could choose to write your own – and colourful vivid decor, right on the third floor of the spa.
My hand massage was so-so, but the foot massage sublime. Perhaps the feet really are more sensitive.
That afternoon, our walking guide led us on another path, towards the setting sun. I chatted to another guest who was on a detox fast and hadn’t eaten for a few days. She said she’d been on a few walks already and they always led in a different direction. I marvelled at her stamina and ability to take part in a strenuous walk of two hours on no food.
This walk led us through history, into Boer War trench hideouts, the scars still cut into the earth, past a wide trail where ox-wagons trundled through the veld, into a cave that had recently been the scene of a zombie movie and then a view overlooking notorious Vlakplaas.
We returned as the dusk turned purple, sharing stories and personal histories. One visitor lived in Sydney now – he’d fled having to serve in the army; our guide had been forced into conscription and recalled losing a number of friends while there.
Yup, supper was on my mind and if you must ask, it was chicken breast with roast potatoes for supper, honey-glazed carrots, beetroot salad and a mixed salad and mushrooms in a lemon sauce that felt rather too thin on the palate.
Breakfast the next morning presented two servings of eggs again, boiled and omelette, and by now I’d had enough of eggs and longed for something else. I passed the cottage cheese which always makes me feel a bit queasy and would have liked some marmite or traditional hard cheese instead.
Before leaving I walked the labyrinth, moving slowly and yet with some purpose and quickness among the stones laid out beside huge shady trees.
I smiled to myself – I’d been here for three days already, but I still moved with a purpose that you never quite get rid of when you’re living your ordinary life in the hectic, bustling city.
But slowly I stilled, my mind calmed, and I walked the circular almost winding pathway to the heart before sitting down on a bench in dappled sun and shade. The wind moved beside me, the sun caught the lip of a rock that my eye fell upon. And the message of the labyrinth came from within. I’d been grappling that month with pathways and the purpose of some turnings in my life. As usual, I sometimes tried to force life to yield to me, I wanted to see beyond, rather than living the journey. And from within came the message I needed to hear: Life has a structure. Let it lead you. There will be some wrong turnings, some paths won’t feel right, but that’s all part of it.
I strolled out towards the central structure of the blocky 1970s building; the pool looked green and inviting under its enclosed glass atrium, and towards the rest of my life. - Sunday Independent
l Arja Salafranca was a guest of Hoogland Hydro & Spa
Tel: 012 380 4000, 079 872 2058; web: www.hoogland.co.za