#3: Abian Spa, Tejakula, Bali, Indonesia
Poolside vibes, the Wayang wong festival, and the very best massage of our lives.
If you check the reviews of just about any spa or massage parlor in the world, you’ll likely see someone claiming “This was the best massage of my life!” Who are we to doubt, but… compared to what? Was it their first massage ever? How good was it, really??
Yet that’s exactly how we reviewed Abian Spa, a tiny hut down a dirt road in a fishing town on Bali’s low-traffic northern coast. The two masseuses were pros’ pros—strong, targeted, and intuitive from head to pinky toe. The tables were shabby and the room baking, but we’re about results, right? After a full-body massage plus a foot reflexology treatment (a must), we rose glowing, and when our eyes met, the words didn’t need to be spoken. Those were the best massages of our lives. And a star rating had nothing to do with the cost, which, as is typical in Indonesia, was minimal.
Tejakula is a small town of tin-roofed homes and carved temples clustered along the coastline, and we ended up there after finding a rustic retreat center that sounded like a good balance to the more luxe villa we’d rented in Ubud for our first few days on Bali. Fair to say the emphasis was heavily on rustic, and we found ourselves feeling isolated on a sprawling property that felt half-farm, half-commune. Not only because Kira was recovering from a bout of the notorious Bali belly, it was a strange little corner of the world and, though we practiced in the yoga shala every day and enjoyed swimming in the natural pool, it wasn’t an overwhelmingly relaxing experience. (We happened to book the stay during a 30-odd person Polish yoga retreat, making us the only guests on the property that weren’t official participants. You can’t deny the third-wheeling awkwardness, even if everyone was lovely.)
This visit also provided our once-in-a-lifetime visit to the Wayang wong festival, a sacred celebration and performance of the Ramayana that has deeper traditions and meanings than we could glean in a few hours. Thousands of white-clad onlookers packed into the temple watching ornately costumed and masked dancers step to the unceasing thrum of a gamelan orchestra. A girl who looked no more than 10 years old banged a metronomic beat on a large bell, while a thin man in dark sunglasses sang the story between puffs from a cigarette.
These folks had incredible stamina, as the show lasted for hours, supported by a veritable army of volunteers preparing food for the entire village. Behind the performance area, worshipers placed overflowing offerings on altars to various deities and historical figures—we saw whole roasted chickens up there (head on, of course)! We were the only white foreigners we saw and felt lucky to have been clued in and lent the appropriate attire, even if it was an intense physical experience, standing in a packed crowd in the high heat for hours.
Our visit to Bali peaked with the festival, and ended with the massage, but covered far more. We didn’t visit the popular southern beaches, or the dive spots around Nusa Penida, struck by how big the island actually is. Our first days were spent in Ubud amongst the rice fields and palm trees, at the lovely Chapung Se resort (an A+ recommendation from a friend who spends a lot of time in Bali). Seriously, this place was tops. And that’s a big reason why people love visiting—you can stay at an incredible 5-star property without breaking the bank.
These few days were our “honeymoon” stretch to start our time away. Literally, it was our honeymoon! And Chapung Se stepped up, offering us an upgrade and making our visit extra special. And all rooms come with included breakfast, yoga, in-room spa services, and shuttles to the buzzing downtown. We oohed and aahed at the kecak dance (invented in the 30s by a Dutchman who thought Bali needed more cultural performances to attract tourists), took a sound bath at the Pyramids of Chi, ate ribs, and chilled poolside.
There’s so much more to Bali—unique social hierarchies, an exploding service economy, diverse spiritual practices, fishermen, hippies, surfers, clubbers, yogis, tour groups, stone masons. There’s something for everyone; accessible at affordable prices up and down the spectrum. We met some folks who have lived there for decades, embedded in local communities, who filled us in on what we couldn’t possibly notice or understand. You always make up a story for what’s going on around you, and when you’re out of a familiar context, the story is more likely to be wrong. Bali is complex and doesn’t always match the most commonly exported images. But there’s no doubt it’s a welcoming, laid-back destination finding its way in a shifting global landscape, in a country that’s taking a decidedly more conservative turn than most tourists know.
After lots of walking and driving and swimming and reading and learning, we were looking for a massage, and I guess we picked the right place. If you ever find yourself in Tejakula, wander down to Abian and let the world slip away.
— Nicky & Kira
Next week — #4: Blue Bay Dive Resort, Bangka Island, Sulawesi, Indonesia