Long-time Siem Reap favourite, Bodia Spa, hosted a cocktail party on March 21 to commemorate its sixth anniversary and the launch of its new extension featuring sixteen private treatment rooms, a re-vamped rooftop, and a new flagship Bodia Nature store.  Bodia Spa was founded in 2007 as part of the Geolink Group which also owns U-Care pharmacies and transportation company U Express. There are now two Bodia Spas in town – the original Old Market branch, and another at Heritage Suites Hotel.  Bodia Phnom Penh, meanwhile, opened its doors on St 178 near the National Museum in 2010.  At Bodia Spa Old Market yesterday, guests were given complimentary mini back and shoulder massages and invited to check out the sixteen new treatment rooms.

“The main thing is to discover the whole spa, 3D,” says general manager Cedric Blanchard, “So we have some therapists along the way but people are free to go and see all the rooms.”

The rooms were built to give customers more privacy, because previously there were only massage areas separated by rattan screens.

“People 99 per cent of the time were very happy with the treatment,” says Blanchard, “But we always got complaints about lack of privacy.  When it was busy you could hear people talking downstairs and even walking around because it’s a wooden floor so quite noisy. So it was quite difficult for people to relax.”

The team also showcased Bodia’s refurbished rooftop area, where four semi open-air ‘salons’ have been created. Three will be for al fresco foot massages complete with fans and mosquito netting, while the fourth is designed as a kind of lounge area for relaxation.

“Here you can have a rest or enjoy the view,” says Blanchard, “or have a massage. I am planning to maybe offer welcome drinks there. I’m looking at the best way to use the rooftop.  I think it will be best at night because it is cooler then, and the views are great. It’s amazing because it’s a very quiet place, even though we are in the centre of town next to Pub St. Maybe we’ll set up a library so people can read while they have a massage. Something very cosy.” The other new feature is Bodia Nature, the spa’s flagship store, on the ground floor. Although there are small outlets in Lucky Mall and Angkor Night Market, this will be the biggest shop, stocking 200 different products. Alongside the aromatic, all-natural products it is known for – coffee, kaffir lime and jasmine rice body scrubs for example – the shop will stock new items such as clothes and candles. At the time of Insider’s visit, the airy shop was still being finished, with the main focus a large, rattan, egg-shaped sculpture that customers could sit in and listen to music, reflecting the Cambodian cocoon that is at the heart of Bodia Spa’s ethos. Like the new massage rooms, the shop is decorated in neutral, dove-grey tones.

In May, work will start on a corridor that will connect the store to the reception area, which will also be expanded.  

Also on the horizon are massage classes for customers.

“We plan to start by organising training lessons for tourists,” says Blanchard. “The same way you’d go for a cooking class, that’s the concept. People can learn about massage techniques for two or three hours.”

The classes will be run by training manager Srey Tom, who has sixteen years’ experience working in hotels such as Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor, as well as two years spent massaging the rich and famous in luxe celeb enclave La Casa Que Canta in Mexico. Srey Tom has crossed paths with Angelina Jolie and Britney Spears, among others.