Bali's best massage located and ready for your arrival

Anyone who's been to Bali will know a good, inexpensive massage can be hard to find. In a sea of ordinary, Seminyak's Jari Menari stands out.

It was voted 2016 Best Value Spa by the UK's Sunday Times magazine. It also took out the top gong for Best Day Spa at the 2016 Asia Spa Awards.

What makes Jari Menari (the word means 'dancing fingers') unique is two things: it's all male team of Indonesian masseurs; and the massage itself – a firm, rhythmic massage that's as fluid as a well-choreographed dance.

The 90-minute Movement Massage at AUD$45 is the one to book. It uses yoga principles like twisting, lifting and stretching, working with your own body weight, rather than the pressure of an elbow or thumb, to deeply relax the body.

This is no massage-by-numbers, either. No prescriptive limb-by-limb formula that starts at the feet and finishes at the head. Instead, expect an intuitive whole-body-at-once therapeutic massage.

One minute, your leg is being massaged. Then, all of a sudden, so too is your back. One minute, your spine is being twisted and arms stretched above your head. The next, firm massage strokes are being applied to your lats and lower back.

It's unpredictable – and that’s precisely why a Jari Menari massage is so good. It disrupts the brain's monkey chatter of 'what happens next' so that you are instantly in the moment and better able to focus on your breathing and relax.

For those wanting to bone up on massage, there is a weekly massage workshop that includes a yoga class, lunch and a 90-minute massage, as well as a two-week intensive training program for those serious about their massage practice.

So, what to expect from a Jari Menari massage?

After choosing a massage oil (lavender for calm or amber to ground), and donning a pair of disposable spa panties and sarong, you'll be led through a Japanese-inspired décor to one of the treatment rooms.

The massage begins face down draped in a sarong. Applying firm pressure to different parts of the legs, arms and back, your body is gently rocked awake. Massage oil is then applied, and the flowing, choreographed 'disrupt the brain' sequence of movements begins - face down, face up, legs and arms akimbo and by your side. Before you know it, the 90-minutes are up.

Any concerns about a male masseur can be allayed immediately. At Jari Menari, respect for modesty and privacy prevails. A sarong is used to create a screen when readying to get on the table and again rolling over. It's also used to drape the chest and hips at times during the massage.

There are nice touches too. Instead of the standard flower bowl beneath the table hole, what you’ll see is a small painting of traditional Balinese life - the handiwork of one of the masseurs. Instead of whale song, the soothing soundtrack to your bliss is the tinkle of a water feature, intermingled with the occasional rooster crowing and distant hum of traffic from the street.

Massage over, guests can visit Jari Menari's art room to journal, colour-in or draw. It's here you'll find Hemi-Sync, a new wave of sound-based relaxation tapes from the Monroe Institute in the United States which encourages power-dreaming and short rejuvenating sleeps. The change rooms have showers, spa toiletries and plenty of fluffy white towels.

Address: Jl. Raya Basangkasa No.47, Seminyak, Kuta, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia

Tel: +62 361 736740

Opening hours: Daily 9am to 10pm

Belinda Luksic was a guest of Jari Menari