A Pedicure and More at the Cosmopolitan Hotel

2Summers | 20 July 2017

I was recently invited to have a pedicure at Tenfold, a new nail salon at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Maboneng. I am not a beauty blogger and writing about mani-pedis isn’t my normal thing, but I liked the idea of getting my nails done in a super-old historic building in the middle of downtown Joburg. (Also it was my birthday weekend and this seemed like a nice present for myself.)

So I went, and wound up staying at the Cosmopolitan for the entire afternoon.

Tenfold, owned by a lovely woman named Georgia Shekeshe, occupies a pretty corner spot in the Cosmopolitan garden. It was a great place to relax with a cup of tea and a foot massage on a cold winter day. It will be even nicer in summer when the doors are open.

Outside Tenfold — Tenfold’s green exterior.

Inside Tenfold salon — The salon’s zen interior.

I can’t believe I photographed my own feet in such a vulnerable state. Tumi did a great job and the warm towels were welcome on a cold day.

Group portrait of Tenfold staff — Group portrait at Tenfold. Georgia is in the middle with the head wrap.

After the pedicure I felt like continuing to treat myself. So I wandered over to the Yswara Tea Room on the other side of the garden.

I’ve tried Yswara’s fantastic tea – which is sourced from all over Africa – before, when I had afternoon tea at the Saxon Hotel. But I hadn’t been into the Yswara Tea Room since it opened last year. I was blown away.

Yswara Tea Room at the Cosmopolitan — What an insanely beautiful space. It was cloudy that day, but I’ve seen pictures from sunny days when the shadows cast through that window screen are stunning.

Thabiso at Yswara — Thabiso pours me a golden cup of Zanzibari chai tea. A pot of tea for two costs R70 ($5.40), which may sound pricey but it’s totally worth it.

Tea at Yswara — I would pay R70 just to gaze at this beautiful pot.

When I finished my tea, I realized I was starving. Like, I had to eat something RIGHT THEN to avoid passing out. So I staggered to the nearest eating place: Sphere Monk in the old Cosmopolitan bar. This restaurant just opened a few weeks ago when the famous Cube Tasting Kitchen moved out.

Sphere Monk bar — The bar area in Sphere Monk, once the famous Cosmopolitan Lion Bar.

Sphere Monk is a high-end dining establishment with a tasting room, but I was pleasantly surprised to discover a reasonably priced lunch menu. I sat right down and ordered.

Lunch at Sphere Monk — I can’t remember the exact name of this dish and I can’t find it on the Sphere Monk menu on Facebook. But basically, it was calamari cooked two different ways and bread with some delicious greens and cheese baked inside. It cost about R100 ($7.70) and it was a perfect lunch.

I had a brief chat with Liam Bloy, the chef who opened Sphere Monk, who told me that he eventually plans to open a jazz lounge in the bar area. I can’t wait for this to happen.

Pleasantly full, I went home and admired my toes.