Table of Contents
The short answer
A couples massage at home is two ordinary massages given at the same time in the same room. Two therapists arrive, set up two tables side by side, and work on the two of you together, starting and finishing at the same moment. Nobody waits for a turn. Each person has their own therapist, their own pressure and, if you ask for it, their own style of massage.
What it asks of your home is floor. One table needs a clear patch of about two metres by three. Two tables need room to stand side by side with space to walk round each of them, plus two power sockets and a door that closes. In most homes that means the living room with the furniture pushed back, or a majlis.
IHR Dream Cleaning offers couples massage across Abu Dhabi for 60 or 90 minutes. Despite the name it is for any two people: couples, friends or family members. Our in-home massage is published at AED 199 for 60 minutes and AED 279 for 90. How that figure applies to a session for two is not something we publish, so go by the total shown on the booking page before you pay.
What a couples massage is, and what it is not
The name suggests something special, and in one sense it is. It is a shared hour, and most people book it to mark an occasion. Our pages say it is usually booked for anniversaries, birthdays and holidays at home, not on a fixed schedule. In every other sense it is plain. Each person receives a normal professional massage, with the same draping, the same questions about pressure and health, and the same treatment as in a single booking.
It is not a different technique, and the two therapists do not work in some rehearsed unison. Each one follows the needs of the person on their table. One of you may be having slow, firm work on the shoulders while the other has a light, flowing massage and falls asleep.
Nor is it only for couples. Two sisters, a mother and daughter, two friends or two flatmates book it for the same reasons: it is more sociable than a session alone, and it takes one visit instead of two.
What you share is the room, the time and the quiet. Whether you talk is up to you. Some pairs chat for the first ten minutes and then drift off. Others say nothing from start to finish. Agree it beforehand if you think you might want different things, because one person's conversation is another person's interruption.
The space: working out whether two tables fit
This is the question that decides most bookings, and it is worth ten minutes with a tape measure before you choose a date.
What we publish, and what we do not
For one table our pages give a figure: a clear space of about two metres by three, which is the table plus room for the therapist to walk all the way round it. For two tables they say only that a couples session needs space for two tables with room to walk round each, and they ask you to tell us the size of the room when you book. We have not published a measured figure in metres for two tables, and this guide will not invent one.
Reasoning from the single-table figure gets you most of the way. By simple arithmetic, a room that offers two of those patches side by side, about four metres by three of clear floor, has room for two tables. Because the walking space between the tables is shared, somewhat less will do. How much less depends on the tables and on the shape of the room, which is why the sensible course is to measure and tell us.
How to measure your room
Work through it in this order, with the furniture still in place.
- Decide what can move: the coffee table, side tables, dining chairs, a floor lamp, a light armchair, a loose rug. Leave out of the reckoning anything that cannot, such as a fitted wardrobe, a heavy sofa or a bed.
- Measure the length and the width of the floor that will be clear once those things have gone, in metres.
- Mark out two table shapes on the floor with towels or folded sheets. A folding massage table is typically a little under two metres long and about seventy centimetres wide, and a head-rest adds to the length at one end.
- Lay the two shapes parallel, with the heads pointing the same way, and leave a gap between them wide enough for two people to stand back to back.
- Walk round each shape. You should be able to pass along both sides and both ends without turning sideways or stepping over anything.
- Check where the sockets are. Our pages ask for two. If both are on one wall, have an extension lead ready and run it along the skirting, not across the walkway.
- Take a photo of the space, or note the two measurements, and put them in the booking.
Which rooms usually work
In an apartment the living room is nearly always the answer. Push the sofa back to the wall, move the coffee table and any side tables into another room and roll up the rug, and a one-bedroom living room often opens up more floor than people expect. A bedroom rarely works for two, because the bed sits in the middle of the room and cannot be moved.
In a villa there are more options: the family living room, a majlis, a large guest room or an upstairs landing. A majlis is often the best of them. It is built to hold a group, floor seating and low tables are light to move, and the door closes. In many villas it also has its own entrance, so the therapists do not walk through the family rooms.
Whichever room you use, roll back any thick loose rug, because table legs do not sit steadily on deep pile. Tile, marble, wood and fitted carpet are all fine.
If the room is too small or an awkward shape
A long, narrow room may take two tables end to end, or at an angle, where it will not take them side by side. Describe the shape when you book and ask whether that arrangement can be used.
If no single room is big enough, there are two honest alternatives. One is two tables in two rooms at the same hour, which keeps the timing and loses the shared room. The other is one therapist giving two sessions one after the other in a single room, which takes twice as long. Neither is listed on our pages as a standard option. Ask when you book whether it can be arranged, and expect a clear answer either way.
Privacy when two people share the room
Each person is draped exactly as in a single session. You lie under a sheet or towel, and only the area being worked on is uncovered. Our pages say that the therapist maintains appropriate draping and privacy throughout the appointment, and that you can ask to adjust the pressure, change position, pause or stop at any time. In a session for two, that applies to each of you separately. One person can pause without ending the other's massage.
The part that needs a little thought is getting on and off the tables. In professional practice the therapists step out of the room while clients undress and lie down under the sheet. A married couple will usually do that together. Two friends, or a parent and an adult child, may prefer to go in one at a time, so that each is already covered when the other comes in. Decide which before the therapists arrive, and tell them. It is an ordinary request.
How much each person takes off is their own decision, and the two need not match. One of you may keep underwear on, and the other may prefer loose shorts or a massage through a thin top. Say so at the start.
Each person can also state a preference for a female or a male therapist. Our pages say that this can be requested when booking, where the treatment allows, and that therapist availability is confirmed before the appointment. In a session for two, both preferences have to be met at the same hour, which narrows the times on offer. Our guide to asking for a male or female therapist explains how to word the request and what to do if it cannot be met.
The rest of the household
A session for two takes over the main room of most homes for the better part of two hours. Tell everyone else which room is in use and for how long. Children need another adult to look after them, in another part of the home, for the whole booking. Domestic staff should know not to come in. If you are expecting a delivery, have someone else answer the door, or leave word with the building's reception.
Choosing the massage for each person
The page offers a choice of relaxation or therapeutic style, and the two of you do not have to choose the same. Tell us at booking if you would like a different treatment for each person. The usual split is one gentle session and one firmer one.
Give each person's details separately: the style, the pressure, the areas to concentrate on, the areas to avoid and any health notes. Our pages say that both therapists check pressure and comfort with each person separately, and that works best when it starts from what was written in the booking.
If neither of you has had a massage before, choose a gentle full-body session for both and decide on anything firmer next time. Our comparison of the different types of massage describes each style and who it tends to suit.
Scented oil in a shared room
If one of you wants a scented oil and the other does not, remember that the air is shared. A scent used on one table reaches the other within minutes. Agree on one that you both like, or have plain oil for both. Tell us in advance about any allergy, asthma or pregnancy, and about any fragrance that either of you dislikes. Our guide to choosing between lavender, eucalyptus and chamomile describes the three blends on our aromatherapy page.
Sixty or ninety minutes
Both people have the same length, because the two sessions start and finish together. Choose it for the person who is newer to massage or less sure about lying still, which usually means sixty minutes. Ninety suits two people who both know that they enjoy a long session. The reasoning for each length is in our guide to how long a massage should be.
Timing: booking ahead and how the visit runs
A session for two needs two therapists free at the same hour in the same area. That is the whole reason our page says to book in advance. We do not publish a number of days, so the practical advice is to book as soon as you know the date.
The booking calendar opens 30 days ahead. For a fixed occasion such as an anniversary or a birthday, use that. Dates that many people want at once, such as a weekend evening or the days around a holiday, are the ones to book furthest ahead. A slot later the same day depends on your area, the length of the session and two suitable therapists being free, and the booking shows the nearest time that can be confirmed.
We work every day, 8 AM – 8 PM, and a visit has to finish within those hours. Allow about half an hour beyond the session itself for setting up and packing away. With two tables to carry in and dress, do not plan anything tight straight after it. For a 60-minute session keep at least an hour and a half free, and for 90 minutes at least two hours.
The visit, step by step
A session for two follows the order of a single session, with a few differences.
- Before the day. Tell your building's reception or your community gate that two visitors are expected, and tell us where visitors park and which lift to use. Two folded tables and two bags take more carrying than one.
- Arrival. The therapists arrive at the time booked and call ahead from the gate or the lobby. Show them the room and where to wash their hands.
- Setting up. Both tables are unfolded and dressed with clean linen. It takes a few minutes longer than for one, and you do not need to help.
- The conversation. Each therapist talks to one of you about the style, the pressure, the areas to work on and to avoid, and any health point. Say it again even if it is in the booking.
- Getting on the tables. The therapists step out while you undress and lie down under the sheets, together or one at a time, as you decided.
- The massage. Both sessions start together. Each therapist works at their own client's pace and checks the pressure as they go. You will usually be asked to turn over at about the same time.
- The finish. The two sessions end together. Lie still for a few minutes, and sit up slowly.
- Packing away. While you dress, the linen and the tables are packed. Each therapist asks how you feel, and then they leave.
What it costs: what is published and what is not
The published price of an in-home massage is AED 199 for 60 minutes and AED 279 for 90 minutes, and the couples massage page carries that price line. Both figures include 5% VAT.
What we do not publish is how the figure applies to two people: whether the rate for a couples session is that figure for each person, or something else. This guide will not guess. On the booking page you choose the session length and the number of sessions, and the total is shown before you confirm. That total is the price. If it is not what you expected, call the office before you pay, not after.
Some things are published and apply here as they do to any booking. There is no call-out fee, and weekends and public holidays cost the same as any other day. In Al Wathba, Al Shahama, Al Rahba, Al Samha a flat AED 20 is added to each visit. Payment is by card online once we confirm your booking. The rest is on our price list.
Preparing the room and yourselves
Most of the preparation is moving furniture, and it is easier done an hour early than with two therapists waiting at the door.
- Clear the floor you measured, and clear the route from the front door to the room. Two tables are carried in folded and are awkward round tight corners.
- Set the air conditioning a degree or two warmer than usual. Two people lying still with oil on their skin feel the cold, and a vent that blows straight down onto either table should be angled away.
- Lower the lighting. A lamp in a corner is kinder than ceiling spots once you are lying on your back.
- Agree on music, or on silence. If you want music, choose one playlist and one speaker, and set the volume low before the session starts.
- Put two glasses of water in the room, and have loose clothes or robes ready for afterwards. Oil marks fabric.
- Both use the bathroom, take off jewellery and watches, and tie long hair up.
- Put both phones on silent and out of reach.
- Settle children and pets elsewhere for the whole booking.
Afterwards
Plan what follows. Most people book this for an occasion, and the point of the occasion is the evening that comes after the massage. At home that can simply continue: a meal that is already prepared or ordered, the phones still off, the furniture left where it is until morning. A session that ends with one of you leaving for the airport or the school run loses most of its point.
Health notes for two people
Each person's health is a separate matter, and the person making the booking does not always know the other's. Ask before you book. Our pages ask for each person's preferred pressure and any health notes at booking.
Either of you should speak to a doctor first in the following cases: pregnancy; an injury or an operation in recent weeks; a blood clot now or in the past; a rash, an infection or broken skin where the massage would be; or treatment for a serious illness. A massage is for comfort. It is not a medical treatment, and a therapist does not diagnose.
Pregnancy deserves a particular mention, because expecting a baby is one of the occasions couples like to mark. Ask the doctor or midwife first and tell us when you book, so that it can be confirmed whether and how the session can go ahead.
If one of you is unwell on the day
Do not go ahead with one person feverish in a closed room with three others. A booking can be moved or cancelled free of charge up to 6 hours before its start time, and after that a late cancellation costs AED 30. Whether the other person's session can go ahead alone is not covered in our published policy, so call the office as soon as you know. The cancellation policy has the rest.
Booking it as a surprise or a gift
A couples massage is a natural surprise, and a home session is harder to keep secret than a booking at a spa, because the room has to be cleared and two visitors have to be let in. More importantly, the other person has things to say that you cannot say for them.
Before you book, find out, directly or otherwise, whether they would want a massage at all, whether they would be comfortable having it at home, whether they have a preference for a female or a male therapist, and whether there is any health reason to check with a doctor first. If you cannot find out without giving it away, tell them the day before. A surprise that is announced a day early is still a gift, and it lets them choose their own pressure and their own style.
Do not book a surprise massage for someone who is pregnant, recovering from an injury or an operation, or being treated for an illness, without asking them first.
Common questions
Do we have to be a couple?
No. The page offers the session to couples, friends and family members. Any two people who would like a massage at the same time in the same room can book it.
Can we have one female and one male therapist?
You can ask for the combination you want: both female, both male or one of each. Each person's preference is a separate request, and which combination can be met at your hour is confirmed at booking. Write both preferences in the notes, with the name of the person each one applies to.
Can we add a facial or a Moroccan bath?
Our pages pair the couples session with the facial and the Moroccan bath, and the Moroccan bath page says that some customers follow the bath with a massage in the same visit. A bath is given in the bathroom to one person at a time, so for two people it adds a good deal to the length of the visit.
Ask for everything as one appointment and have the total time confirmed. The order in which treatments should follow one another is covered in our guide to planning a home spa day.
Can three or four of us book together?
The couples session as published is for two people with two therapists. For a larger group, such as a bridal party or visiting family, ask the office what can be arranged for your date. More people means either more therapists at the same hour or sessions one after another, and either has to be confirmed in advance.
What if one of us falls asleep?
Then the session is doing what it was booked for. It happens often in a warm, quiet room, and the therapist simply carries on. If you would prefer to be woken before the end, say so at the start.
Can we book it regularly, without an occasion?
Yes. Nothing about the session needs an occasion. Repeat bookings need no contract and no advance payment: each one is booked and paid for on its own, so you can make it monthly, or twice a year, or whenever the two of you are free on the same evening.
How to book
Choose couples massage, then book online or in the IHR Dream app. Pick 60 or 90 minutes and the number of sessions, and give your address and preferred time. The total is shown before you confirm, and payment is by card online once we confirm your booking.
In the notes, write 'couples massage, two tables side by side', the size of the cleared room in metres, and for each person by name: the style of massage, the pressure, any therapist preference and any health note. Add how two visitors get into the building and where they park.
For everything about a home session that is the same for one person as for two, such as what the therapists bring, building access and what to do afterwards, see our guide to how a home massage session works. The single-person sessions are on the spa and wellness page.
