Massage Amsterdam after a day at Artis and a walk through the Plantage

The Plantage was laid out as a district of gardens, and it still feels greener and wider than the canal ring a short walk away. Artis fills a large part of it: animal houses, an aquarium in a handsome old building, a planetarium, and paths that loop between enclosures under tall trees. A few streets on, the Hortus Botanicus keeps its glasshouses, and the small Wertheimpark sits beside the water. It is a district for an unhurried day, and one that ends conveniently close to many central hotels.

The zoo day in the legs

A zoo is a museum with weather. You stand at a railing waiting for an animal to move, walk on a few steps, and stand again, often with a coffee in one hand and a phone in the other. The aquarium is dim and warm, the outdoor paths are paved and sometimes wet, and the butterfly house is humid enough to leave a shirt damp. Few people sit down more than once or twice, and the leaving is slow, through the shop and back along the tram line.

A massage in Amsterdam after Artis, booked from the gate

Artis closes in the late afternoon or early evening depending on the season, which gives the day a natural end. Write while you are still inside, from a bench by the flamingos or from the café, and give the address of your room, the floor and the hour you will be back. If your hotel is in the Plantage or along the river nearby, the walk home is short, and the window is the same forty to sixty minutes from confirmation that applies across central Amsterdam.

Choosing the length

After a day of standing rather than walking, the lower back often has more to say than the feet. An hour is enough for many people; ninety minutes leaves room to settle without watching the time. The figure for each length is on every therapist's profile, so you can see what the evening will cost before you write. The techniques page describes each format, and erotic oil massage is a frequent request after a long day spent half indoors and half out.

Back in the room

Shower off the day, turn the heating up, and move the bags from the zoo shop off the bed. She arrives with towels and oil, so nothing else needs preparing. The rest of the evening tends to be quiet in this part of town: the Plantage streets empty early, the trams thin out after dark, and the only sound from the zoo is the occasional bird.