Boutique Hotel Matlai
Spa Hotel Zanzibar — Bustani Spa
A massage pavilion in the garden, open every day 09:00–18:00 — to house guests and to visitors.
See the treatmentsThe short answer
A spa that is a garden first.
Bustani means garden in Swahili, and that is exactly what the spa is — a massage pavilion among the palms of Matlai's two villas, steps from the beach, open every day 09:00–18:00. Maryam has run it as her own business since 2014, working side by side with Zhu. Treatments happen in the pavilion, in your room, or on your own terrace; the signature is the herbal bath in a hand-carved wooden tub.
| 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 | August 2026 |
The treatments
Six ways to unwind, all of them Zanzibari
Every session starts with a short conversation — where the tension sits, how deep to go, which oils you like — and the menu draws on Zanzibari, African and Asian techniques with ingredients from the island's spice heritage: coconut oil, lemongrass, cinnamon, aloe and herbs cut from the hotel garden itself. Shorter massages — head, foot, back-neck-shoulder — run 30–40 minutes from 80,000 TZS, and booking three massages earns 10% off.
Matlai Massage
The signature — your pressure, garden-pressed coconut oil, your choice of essential oils. 60 min · 235,000 TZS.
Deep Tissue Massage
For safari shoulders and flight-stiff backs; firm, deep work. 50 min · 185,000 TZS.
Aroma Therapie Massage
Choose two essential oils — the quietest hour on the property. 60 min · 235,000 TZS.
Hot Stone & Konokono
House specials: heated stones, or warmed ocean shells gliding over the back. 60 min · 185,000–235,000 TZS.
African Wood & Mchai Chai
Warm wood tools, or lemongrass oil — the island's two traditions. 50 min · 119,000–159,000 TZS.
Facials, scrubs & feet
Natural facials from 145,000; body scrubs from 159,000; foot rituals from 69,000 TZS.
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
The wooden bathtub
Herbs picked from the garden 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 (399,000 TZS), 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
Honeymoon wellness, without the schedule
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, 649,000 TZS per person. Brides (and not only brides) book the Bibi Harusi scrub, from the Swahili wedding tradition. Your butler 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.
A spa day here pairs naturally with the rest of the property's rhythm: a snorkelling morning or a walk toward 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.
Good to know
Bustani Spa — questions guests ask
Spa time is arranged through your butler or directly at the pavilion — no external booking system, and no need to decide before you arrive. Bustani is Maryam's own business at home 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 your butler 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 (50 min, 185,000 TZS) 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.
What do treatments cost?
Full-body massages run 119,000–235,000 TZS, shorter massages from 80,000, bath rituals 399,000, facials and scrubs 145,000–265,000, manicures and pedicures from 99,000, and foot treatments from 69,000 TZS. Book three massages and get 10% off; the Romantic for Two package is 649,000 TZS per person.
“The massage was excellent — but the bath in the golden water, with the garden going dark around us, is the hour of the honeymoon we still talk about.”
Honeymoon guests · Bustani Spa
Small spa. Slow rituals. Book ahead.
Late-afternoon slots go first — a WhatsApp message holds yours.
Message the butler