In-villa massage in St Barts: how it works

You have settled into the villa, the day has been long, and getting back in the car to drive to a spa is the last thing you feel like doing. An in-villa massage solves that: the practitioner comes to you. Here is how it works in St Barts, from booking to the end of the session.

Choosing your massage

Four massages are listed on the massage page: relaxing, deep tissue, Thai and facial. Each can be booked for one hour, an hour and a half or two hours.

If you are unsure, start from what you want out of the session. A relaxing massage is the one to pick for winding down after a journey. Deep tissue is for people who carry long-standing tension and like firm pressure. Thai massage works through stretches and pressure. A facial massage, as the name says, concentrates on a single area.

Two settings round off the choice. You can say whether you would rather have a female or a male practitioner, or have no preference. And a free note lets you mention what the practitioner should know: a sensitive shoulder, a pregnancy, an area to avoid.

Booking in a few minutes

Everything is done online. You choose the massage and its length, then the date and the time. Next you give the address of the villa, with a few directions if it is hard to find: the colour of the gate, the caretaker's name, the track after the last bend.

Then you register your card. Nothing is charged at that point. The practitioners who are free at your time are notified, and you get an email as soon as one of them offers. You are the one who chooses. The final price is the one set by the practitioner you pick, and your card is only charged after that choice.

There is no need to sit in front of the screen: everything reaches you by email.

Before the session

Once the booking is confirmed, the practitioner messages you. Use that exchange for your practical questions: where they will set up, what they need on site, what time they will arrive.

On your side, all it takes is a quiet spot. A bedroom, a living room or a terrace out of the wind will do. Think about the afternoon heat if you choose to be outside, and let the other people in the villa know so that you are not disturbed.

On the day

The practitioner arrives at the villa at the agreed time. Try not to schedule anything straight afterwards: it is better to have nothing to do when you get up, otherwise part of the benefit is lost in the rush.

Several of you would like a massage on the same day? Write to us from the help button on the site before booking, so the times can be arranged.

Cancelling or changing your mind

Cancellation is free up to 48 hours before the massage. After that, or if nobody is there at the appointment, the service is not refunded.

As long as you have not chosen your practitioner, cancelling simply releases the amount held on your card.

If no practitioner answers straight away

It can happen, especially for a time requested at the last minute. In that case our concierge takes over your request and gets back to you. If nobody can come in the end, your card is not charged.

Booking a little ahead remains the surest way to get the time that suits you. It commits you to very little, since cancellation stays free up to 48 hours before.

And after the massage

A stay like this finally leaves time to look after yourself. An in-villa yoga session is booked in exactly the same way, the next morning for instance, while the villa is still asleep. And if you are planning your stay from home, our article on what to book before you arrive covers the question.