Long before the spa became the Heavenly Spa in the Westin Cape Town, my wife and I discovered one of Cape Town's most unique wellness experiences, high above the city on the 19th floor of the Arabella Hotel.

........nostalgic travel and wellness piece focused on body acceptance, relaxation, and the unique atmosphere that once existed there.........

For years, especially during Cape Town's cold and rainy winters, we would escape there on quiet Sunday afternoons. While the weather swept across Table Bay below, we would spend hours moving between the sauna, steam room, relaxation areas, lap pool, and Jacuzzi. It became more than a spa visit. It became a ritual.

What made the Arabella Spa different, its relaxed European approach to wellness. Nudity was accepted in the sauna and steam room areas, and guests were free to enjoy the facilities without the self-consciousness that often accompanies such environments in South Africa. Many visitors were Europeans on holiday or business travelers, staying at the hotel, for them, communal nudity was simply a normal part of spa culture.

The atmosphere was remarkably respectful. People chatted quietly between sessions, exchanged travel stories, discussed Cape Town attractions, or simply sat in silence enjoying the warmth and spectacular views. Looking out across the V&A Waterfront, Table Bay, and Lion's Head from nineteen floors above the city, created a sense of calm that is difficult to describe.

For me however, the experience carried an additional layer of meaning. One of the reasons I loved returning was the opportunity to share this environment with my wife. Seeing her completely comfortable in her own skin, moving confidently through the spa without embarrassment or hesitation, was something I found endlessly attractive. There was a natural confidence about her that seemed to flourish in these spaces.

In everyday life, people are often defined by their clothing, careers, possessions, or social status. In the spa, those things disappeared. Everyone became simply another person seeking relaxation and well-being. Against that backdrop, my wife's confidence stood out even more clearly.

I often found myself admiring how effortlessly she embraced the environment. Whether we were sitting together in the sauna, moving through the steam room, cooling off before returning for another session, or simply relaxing between treatments, she appeared completely at ease. There was no sense of performance or exhibition. It was simply naturalness.

Ironically, the presence of other guests enhanced that feeling rather than diminished it. Surrounded by strangers from different countries and cultures, I found myself appreciating my wife even more. There was something deeply reassuring about seeing her so comfortable, so self-assured, and so unaffected by the social anxieties that often surround the human body.

The attraction I felt was never driven by anything overtly sexual. Instead, it came from seeing my wife experiencing genuine freedom and confidence. Those qualities have always been among the things I admire most about her, and the spa provided a setting where they were impossible to miss.

Our Sundays would often pass in a gentle cycle. Sauna, Steam room, Pool, Jacuzzi and relaxation area. Repeat of the cycle again. Hours would disappear as the city carried on beneath us.

Looking back, what I miss most is not simply the facilities rather the atmosphere they created. The combination of wellness, acceptance, spectacular views, and quiet human connection which the Arabella Spa offered. To us this was unlike anything else we experienced in Cape Town.

When ownership a the Arabella changed and the policies around nudity disappeared, something unique was lost. The spa remains beautiful, but the culture that once made it special, has largely faded away.

Today, the memories remain vivid: winter storms rolling across the bay, conversations with travelers from around the world, the warmth of the sauna while overlooking the city, and above all, the privilege of sharing those peaceful afternoons with my wife; comfortable, confident, and completely herself.

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