Amsterdam massage or the hotel spa: which one fits your evening, in plain words

The spa: a treatment on a timetable

A hotel spa usually works by appointment, inside fixed opening hours. You go down to the treatment room, change into a robe and lie on a table under bright, clean light. The therapist follows a menu of treatments. It is a sound choice for a sports massage or a facial during the day.

Outcall: a session in your room

An outcall session takes place in your own room, on your own bed. The hours are wider: you can book late at night or early in the morning. The pace is slow, with warm oil and long strokes. You do not walk back along corridors in a robe afterwards. You are already in the room where you sleep.

Booking each one

A spa is usually booked at the desk, often a day ahead. An outcall session is booked in writing, in a few short lines. You give the hour, the address, the length and a name or no preference. In central Amsterdam she is at your door forty to sixty minutes after you confirm, or at the hour you agreed in advance.

The kind of session

A spa treatment is designed to be the same for every guest. A session here is shaped by the technique you choose and by the woman who comes. She tells you her limits at the start. You can ask for slower or softer at any time. The techniques are described on the techniques page.

Using both on one trip

Nothing stops you doing both. Some guests use the spa for a swim or a sauna in the afternoon, and book a session in the room for the evening. If you do, leave a little time between the two, and keep the room warm for later. The page on a relaxing session says how to set the room.

The question of noise

A spa is built to be quiet. A hotel room is not always. Before an evening session, close the window, turn off the television and ask yourself whether the corridor is busy. If your room faces a lively street, a later hour is often calmer than an early evening one.