A day spa morning with my sister - Brookleigh Estate, Swan Valley

Back in June, my younger sister (indeed, my only sister) turned 21. There was a party, about a billion cupcakes, and plenty of presents.

It has taken until now, however, for my sister to have the opportunity to use one of her presents. One of the gifts I gave her was a voucher for two for the Health and Spa centre at Brookleigh Estate in the Swan Valley east of Perth. Their 'gourmet course of 3' package includes a full-body massage, pedicure and manicure, followed by lunch.

Rear exterior of the Health and Spa centre

I gave my sister the voucher with a quiet hope that she would invite me to go with her, but with the message that she could take a friend or anyone she liked for the experience. She was kind enough to include me, which sort of backfired on her when she had to wait until November to use the voucher (sorry!). We were a bit tardy in trying to book after June, and then my wedding and time away took over September and October.

When we did make it out last Saturday, we found Brookleigh Estate to have a very impressive set up. There are vineyards, a large equestrian centre, and the renowned Stewart's Restaurant sharing the site. The centre also hosts weddings and, with our recent move to wedding expert status, we agreed that the buildings and gardens were highly suited to such occasions.

I had never set foot in a health, beauty or spa centre before, and really had no idea what went on in such establishments. I find it amazing that some people engage in manicures / pedicures on a regular basis - the time it takes! and the effort! and the subsequent effort to not chip your nails! - but it was fun to experience and felt like a perfect sister activity.

Before getting to the nail part of the morning, I would like to mention the massage. I have never experienced such a massage. I had occasional thoughts of "It's a Saturday morning, I really should be cleaning the house or doing something productive instead of lying down" but they were swept away with each massage stroke and I really came very close to falling asleep. It may have been one of the most relaxing experiences I have ever had. One hour of massage goes a very long way to cancelling out tension, that is for sure!

Our view as we ate lunch outside

After the massage, it was on to nails. My woman (nail technician? beauty therapist?) did my toenails first, and my sister's woman did her fingernails first.

My feet drew a bit of attention. I was asked if I wore a lot of closed in shoes (yes). I was also advised to keep an eye on my dry skin. Then I was asked if I used a nail clipper on my toes (um, yes - doesn't everyone?). I ended up using running as an excuse for the (clearly poor) state of my feet, which worked brilliantly. The woman was very understanding and commiserated with the challenge of caring for feet when they are in running shoes regularly.

My buffed, moisturised, nail-painted feet, in trendy don't-smudge-your-nails thongs

The only downside of the running-based conversation was my realisation, about halfway through the pedicure, that running wouldn't explain the state of my fingernails. Just to clarify, neither my feet nor hands are in a terrible state - indeed, I never thought they were in a bad state at all! - but I do not regularly do anything to them and clearly that is a point of difference between me and women who regularly engage in pedicures and manicures.

Fortunately (perhaps...) it was the temperature of my hands that drew attention, rather than my nails per se. You may recall that my hands are perpetually cold. This prompted the woman to ask me if I had a circulatory disorder. I replied with as much dignity as I could manage, while my sister suppressed giggles next to me, that I didn't, but that my body seemed to prefer to not to warm my hands up.

With our nails done (dark red toes and near-clear fingers for me, and pale pink toes and bright pink fingers for my sister), it was on to lunch. This was provided by the on-site Stewart's Restaurant, and delivered to us in the gardens at the rear of the spa centre. Stewart's is one of the well regarded winery-based restaurants in the Swan Valley, and it proved worthy of its reputation.

Our salads - note my sister's fingernails!

My sister ordered the squid salad with rice noodles and peanuts, while I ordered the beetroot and pear salad with pine nuts. The beetroot was fresh and tender, consolidating my belief that I do like beetroot when it is prepared properly and doesn't come out of a tin. The poached pear slices were also beautiful, poached to the point of just being tender and delicious in their natural sweetness. I think they may have had a touch of vanilla, and they were a perfect accompaniment to the beetroot and salad greens. My sister spoke highly of her salad too, particularly the crispy fried squid, and the meal was a nice end to a lovely morning.

In all, it was a very fun outing and I had a great time with my sister. Brookleigh's was a good find and if you are after a scenic, relaxing spot to have a massage or eat lunch (or go for a horse ride) they provide a nice option. I may have already chipped my fingernails, but that is only to be expected with me...

Brookleigh Estate is at 1235 Great Northern Highway, Upper Swan, Western Australia.

Have you ever had a spa treatment? Or are you one of those impressive people who always has painted, neat fingernails (I manage painted toenails, but fingers are beyond me)?

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