I've always thought of myself as a bit of a tom boy, but never on earth imagined visiting a men's spa. Since none of my seemingly non-metrosexual work colleagues wanted to take up the challenge, however, I obliged without hesitation.

I browsed The Space's website for a treatment that would appeal to me, and found a long list of possibilities — for men...

After deciding I didn't need a rejuvenating facial, a Dermalogica back treatment, dead sea mud wrap, reiki, hopi ear candling or any manscaping (leg, back, arm, chest, crack and sack waxing), bleaching, tinting or trimming of any sort, I settled on a sports massage and pedicure as well as a love-handle wrap — just because it seemed novel, although not as novel as some of the other manly treatments.

Clean and minimalist

It all just seemed like a laugh, until I arrived and realised I was really going to get what I asked for. Was I going to get a man to wrap my love handles and trim my toenails?

Thankfully, I discovered, you can choose either a male or female therapist. Madelie welcomed me and I was led to the chill area, where a therapeutic blue light lit the room.

Soon it was time for my massage and I was somewhat fixated by the blue light as I followed Madelie into the therapy room.

Having just opened (a month ago), The Space is clean, new and minimalist, with no frills — just the basics, and of course the blue light.

Gunther Dippenaar opened The Space in De Waterkant area to accommodate all men looking for a convenient and un-menacing place to have all their grooming requirements satisfied.

I started to make small talk while Madelie began the sports massage, but soon enough I gave over and almost drifted off to sleep.

The sport's massage was different to a normal massage in that it targets pressure points and uses techniques that increase the blood flow to the muscles to reduce tension and speed up the recovery process.

I was really impressed with the massage, as usually I find they are either too gentle or too hard and make the pain worse. With this massage I could feel it working but didn't tense up from the pain.

New territory

The Nickel love handle wrap was something new altogether. Here Madelie used a mixture which included coffee to stimulate blood circulation and target fat, and then I was wrapped like a sandwich in glad wrap. It had to be left on for about 40-60 minutes — the perfect amount of time for a pedicure.

The 60 minute wrap costs R350 and is a definite must for those love handles — or at least to make you feel a little better about them before a big night on the town...

Other body therapy treatments available include a dermalogica back, which deep cleanses your back to get rid of impurities and clear breakouts (R290); a dead sea salt scrub, an all over body polish to revitalise and smooth your skin (R250); a dead sea mud wrap and salt scrub which gets rid of dead skin cells and then re-mineralises and nourishes your body with mud from the dead sea (R350); and lastly, an arabian coffee scrub which increases cell rejuvenation and stimulates blood circulation (R200).

Next was the sports pedicure, which included a shape, trim, scrub and buff. Having done a big race a week or two before, my feet were still in a hideous condition and I cringed thinking of what might happen to my blue toes, but they came out feeling a lot better — no miracle cures for blue toes though, I'm afraid.

I left The Space still on cloud nine, and was a little disappointed that I'm not able to go back...

There are a long list of treatments which you can choose from on the The Space's website, but if you don't have time for individual treatments, go monthly for 'The Worx' — a total body overhaul.

This includes a deep cleanse with a full-body arabian coffee scrub, the love handle wrap, a sports manicure or pedicure, followed up with a dermalogica or nickel facial, including eye brow shape, lash and brow tint, and ear and nose hair trim. It takes four hours and cost R1200, but it's definitely worth it. But if this package isn't for you, there are a few more options to choose from.

The Space is open from Monday to Saturday from 9am until 8pm so there is plenty of time to go after work, or if you prefer Sundays, they are also open from 10am until 6pm.

You can contact The Space on +27 74 127 3529 or visit their website. They are at 28a Jarvis Street, De Waterkant, Cape Town.