Boutique Hotel Matlai
Spa Hotel in Zanzibar: Bustani Spa at Matlai
The garden massage pavilion at Boutique Hotel Matlai, Michamvi Pingwe, Zanzibar, open every day 09:00–18:00 — to house guests and to visitors.
See the treatmentsThe short answer
Is Matlai a spa hotel?
Boutique Hotel Matlai is a 6-room beach hotel with its own garden spa, Bustani, behind the two villas. Two therapists, two side-by-side beds and two wooden bathtubs serve the house; treatments run 30–60 minutes, every day 09:00–18:00, and can come to your room or terrace.
Spa bookings: Maryam (WhatsApp)
+255 687 141 721
| Spa | Bustani — "garden" in Swahili |
| Hours | Every day, 09:00–18:00 |
| Therapists | Maryam (since 2014) & Zhu |
| Settings | Garden pavilion · in-room · terrace |
| Signature | Herbal wooden-bathtub rituals |
| Booking | Butler / walk-in · cash or card |
| Best slot | Late afternoon — book a day ahead |
| Last verified | October 2026 |
The treatments
What kinds of treatment are there?
Every session starts with a short conversation about where the tension sits and which oils you like. The menu has 30 treatments of three kinds, and massages start at 80,000 TZS; every price and duration is on the menu page.
Massages
Full-body and partial massages, from the signature Matlai Massage with coconut oil to the Konokono with warmed shells.
Bath rituals
A foot massage, a herbal bath in the wooden tub and a 30-minute massage, in three versions.
Facials, scrubs, hands and feet
Natural facials, body scrubs, manicures, pedicures and herbal foot treatments.
Inside Bustani
The spa is a separate building in the garden, a short walk from the villas. Two therapists, two beds side by side, two tubs — which is why couples are treated together rather than in shifts.
The signature
What is the herbal wooden bathtub?
Herbs are steeped in a hand-carved wooden tub until the water turns gold. Three baths are on the menu — the Swahili Herbal Bath under healing Mbono leaves, the Floral Spice Fusion of dry flowers, sea salt, clove and cinnamon, and the milk-and-honey Cleopatra Bath. Each starts with a foot massage and closes with a 30-minute full-body massage, best taken late afternoon before dinner at Zatiny a few steps away on the beach.
It is the treatment guests write about afterwards, and the one that needs booking ahead most — the herbs steep slowly, and the two tubs are prepared for one ritual at a time.
For couples
How does the spa fit a honeymoon?
Bustani is small on purpose — treatments run side by side for two, never in a row of cabins. The usual honeymoon shape: a morning on the sandbank or the lagoon, couples massage late afternoon, the herbal bath as the light goes amber, then lanterns in the sand for dinner. The Romantic for Two package wraps it into one arc — floral bath for two, a 60-minute aromatherapy massage and a facial each, then a candlelight dinner with sparkling wine: 300 unhurried minutes. Brides (and not only brides) book the Bibi Harusi scrub, from the Swahili wedding tradition. The butler team choreographs the whole evening with one WhatsApp message.
Staying at Villa Kidosho, you can skip the walk entirely — the therapists carry a portable massage bed to any room, balcony or pool terrace, so every treatment on the menu can happen where you are. Add fruit, sparkling wine or Champagne to any ritual. Spa treatments are paid for separately, directly to the spa. Book a room at Matlai and the pavilion is a short walk from your door.
A spa day here pairs naturally with the rest of the property's rhythm: a snorkelling morning or a swim to the sandbank at low tide, an unhurried lunch, the massage as the heat fades, and dinner at the water's edge. If you're planning a full wellness day of your own, tell the butler once — the timings, the tub and the table all get set in one go.
Leading a group? When retreat leaders book the whole hotel, Bustani Spa is one of the six spaces they can use, alongside our sandy area at the beach entrance and the lounge of Villa Kidosho. Treatments are still paid for at the spa. See whole-hotel retreats at Matlai.
Good to know
Bustani Spa — questions guests ask
Spa time is arranged through the butler team or directly at the pavilion — no external booking system, and no need to decide before you arrive. Bustani is Maryam's own business, in the Matlai garden, so payment goes to her team directly; a treatment paid in advance by Pesapal link makes a quiet, well-kept surprise gift. Outside visitors can usually be fitted in around house guests.
Who gives the treatments?
Maryam Salim Hassan — trained at the Ahlan Palace Institute in Stone Town and running Bustani as her own business since 2014 — together with Zhu, the spa's second therapist. Two therapists are on-site through opening hours, and every session starts with a short personal analysis.
Where do treatments take place?
Wherever you're most comfortable — the massage pavilion in the garden, your own balcony or terrace, inside your room, or under the trees. The garden setting is the point: ocean sound, palm shade and the scent of the herbs that end up in the bath.
How do I book, and how do I pay?
Through the butler team on WhatsApp, or walk in any day between 09:00 and 18:00 — in high season, booking a day ahead secures the late-afternoon slots. The spa is Maryam's own business, so you pay her team directly: cash or credit card, or a Pesapal payment link if you'd like to pay in advance — the way most birthday and honeymoon spa gifts are arranged.
What do couples usually book?
The side-by-side couples massage, followed by the herbal bath in the hand-carved wooden tub at dusk — many pair it with a private candlelight dinner on the beach afterwards. Fruit, sparkling wine or Champagne can be added.
I'm arriving from a safari or a long flight — what helps?
The Deep Tissue Massage is built for exactly that: releasing travel-stiff muscles and improving circulation after game-drive days or the long journey in. Book it for your arrival evening and start the beach days loose.
Small spa. Slow rituals. Book ahead.
Late-afternoon slots go first — a WhatsApp message holds yours.
Message the butler