The team from the Red Lane Spa at Sandals Grande Antigua recently treated nurses at the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre to massages as a show of appreciation to hard-working medics.
Spa Manager Kafi Samuels said, “Our tagline at the Red Lane Spa is time, connection, and love. The nurses give the community their time, connection, and love, so we wanted to give it back to them.”
A six-member team from the resort’s spa, with support from Maria Mobile Massages, offered massage sessions to 24 nurses over a seven-hour period at the hospital.
Emergency Room Nurse Sigourney Corbin shared her gratitude to the team for taking the time out to pamper her and her colleagues.
“It was phenomenal. I really enjoyed it. It was also very relaxing. The tone was set by the spa therapist. It was a truly great experience,” she said.
“It was awesome. It was actually my first massage ever, and I think I will be going back for more after this experience. It’s going to be my new self-care routine,” Nurse Jolene Punter added.
The occasion sparked conversations about how important it is for nurses to take time out of their busy schedules to unwind and focus on maintaining a healthy mind and body by treating themselves to regular relaxation and rejuvenation.
The Sandals team said it was honoured to cater to the nurses. Samuels now hopes to further expand the initiative outside of the hospital into local community clinics and to a wider cross-section of the local health care profession.
Sandals General Manager, Matthew Cornall, also shared his delight in the gesture for the nurses and presented an evening pass for two to Director of Nursing at the hospital Jacqueline Jno-Baptiste.
Since the onset of Covid-19, Sandals and Beaches resorts across the Caribbean have recognised healthcare workers by gifting them complimentary weekend stays at any Sandals or Beaches resort of their choice. In Antigua and Barbuda, over 20 complimentary stays were approved for medical professionals who worked on the frontlines during the pandemic.