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In reaction to how much time we spend looking at screens, our instincts are prompting us to reconnect with nature. It’s time for something a bit more real and maybe even time to get our hands dirty. What global trend authority WGSN calls the ‘Earthed’ trend will not only play out in the wild but also “in a variety of micro- and macroscopic designs and a preference for colours that can ground us”.

More importantly this is about what we consume and reconnecting with ourselves. Technology has connected us and steals our time, but it also exposes our lives to voyeurs and potential hackers for added stress. It’s time to start re-equipping ourselves with old and new survival skills and taking care of our general well-being.


You could simply become ‘Earthed’ with a lot more adventures into the great outdoors or by downing your office tools to go farming. Maybe just set up a balcony garden or make mud pies with your children. I recently opted to get down and dirty and apply some earth to a fellow human and myself at the Radisson Blu’s Amani Spa.

Playing with mud is in itself hugely therapeutic and grounding but regular healing is essential when it comes to coping with work and social stresses. And we all need to prioritize a little me-time each month to take our minds off things and reboot. Skin is the largest organ and apart from the face is often overlooked on spa menus. The rasul is a traditional Arabic cleansing treatment and involves the ritualistic application of mineral-rich mud in a steamed-up chamber. This is where a partner or close friend comes in handy. The mud is applied and used to scrub the body, then left to enrich the skin for about 45 minutes. Apart from the intimate engagement and disconnect from the world, the mud is perfect for exfoliating dry, sun-kissed skin leaving it rehydrated. Rasul means ‘messenger’ in Arabic and the message here is to be good to yourself.

Observations: The spa is a little corporate on the surface but is fully equipped and the staff are knowledgable and professional. The rasul experience was incredibly rejuvenating and great value at R720 per couple. The chamber, however, is unnecessarily spacious and lacked the intimacy I was expecting but I guess this accommodates anyone who suffers from claustrophobia. The ‘tropical rain rinse’ at the end could also have been a little more refined but over all I’ll be returning regularly.

Amani Spa, Radisson Blu, 100 Beach Road, Waterfront, Cape Town. 0214413332/3. amanispas.co.za

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