Travel Guideline to Accra, Ghana
For Abena Boamah, the CEO and founder of Hanahana Splendor, she’d often connected splendor with having treatment of oneself. “Magnificence for me was extra about remaining clean and wanting presentable,” she tells me around Zoom. “Showering, employing lotion, making confident you’re not ashy.” Even in her 20s, when Abena grew extra intentional about her seem, her regime nevertheless remained pretty nominal. “I never ever did also substantially. I just concentrate on my purely natural attractiveness shining by means of and making use of products to enrich that,” she claims. It truly is the identical ethos that’s powering her pores and skin-care line: “Hanahana is all about the compact matters we can do for ourselves,” she says. “It’s not stating that you shouldn’t use makeup or nearly anything like that. Do what you want, but you ought to start out by getting treatment of your pores and skin and by having treatment of your overall body.”
Abena splits her time in between Chicago and Ghana, wherever she resources the substances for her moisturizing shea butter entire body creams. When questioned if she seen a variation in between the relationship American women of all ages had with natural beauty vs . the romantic relationship Ghanaian women of all ages experienced with attractiveness, Abena claims that because of the net, you can find a ton of overlap when it arrives to elegance trends and standards in the two international locations, but at the close of working day, she does experience like there is a better emphasis on pure elegance in Ghana. “But I assume, over-all, men and women are remaining extra intentional about what they put on their pores and skin,” she provides. “I consider at any time Black persons, in particular Black women of all ages, are getting care of them selves in an intentional manner, it really is a type of resistance.”
Ghana’s area on the coastline, its relaxed way of lifetime, and its lively social scene have turned a number of of its cities—more specifically, Accra—into a large journey desired destination. Below, Abena walks us by means of some of her favored magnificence and wellness spots, from a yoga studio to a complete-provider organic hair salon, the greatest sites to get a chunk, and where you must keep once you arrive.
Image: Courtesy of Abena Boamah
When Abena will make the trek to Ghana, she opts to hire fully furnished places, due to the fact she’s ordinarily there for a lengthy time period of time. If you’re in the exact same boat, or you’d just choose a dwelling about a resort, she recommends remaining in Chado, a community in the capital city. “It is a little bit far more household, but it’s incredibly clean,” says Abena, “and has some of the yummiest regional food spots, like White Dwelling. They have the best kebabs,” she adds. Get a put near the seaside if you can. “The breeze is so awesome if you have entry to a rooftop,” claims Abena.
Photo: Courtesy of Kempinski Lodge
If you’d rather keep in a resort, consider Kempinski Lodge—the five-star resort is component of Accra’s burgeoning Gold District. The luxury lodging’s 269 rooms are lined with present day versions of traditional Kente cloth, and the resort is also property to a Resense Spa, a yoga studio, and a fully equipped health club. But the authentic star of the demonstrate is the Instagram-deserving rooftop infinity pool that’s bordered by wood cabanas and lounge beds.
Picture: Courtesy of Abena Boamah
Just one of Abena’s favorite locations to keep in Ghana is Zaina Lodge, a Safari lodge situated within Mole National Park, the country’s largest natural sport reserve. It is really a 45-minute flight and a limited generate absent from Accra, but it is perfectly worth the excursion. “It truly is honestly so beautiful,” says Abena. “I stayed listed here a few many years back with my good friend Siraad [Dirshe], and it was such a luxurious encounter.” There are 25 rooms on the home, just about every with a private balcony, an indoor shower, and an outside shower. Sustainability is also emphasized at the lodge—local shea butter is applied to make the soaps and lotions, it runs on LED lights, and you will find a photo voltaic-powered drinking water method.
Picture: Courtesy of Abena Boamah
This location is so terrific, Abena practically failed to want to spill the details: “The Scorpio in me required to continue to keep it a key,” she states, “but if you get to Axim [the town where the resort is located], conserve up your coins and go here—the sights are really worth it.” The lodge sits on the beachy shores of a private island surrounded by 24 acres of jungle and forest—almost just about every room has an ocean see, and there’s a non-public seaside for guests.
This is one particular of Abena’s go-to places. “Every time I am in Accra, I get a therapeutic massage from Sicily, the founder of Contact of Essence,” she states. In addition to massages, the wellness middle also features facials, body scrubs, manicures, and pedicures. After your service, you can get a consume or a snack off their CBD treats menu, like a CBD-infused lemonade.
Abena’s also a massive admirer of Bliss Yoga. She recommends having a class with the founder, Nana, an expat who determined to ditch a substantial-stress profession in New York City for a happier and calmer existence in Accra. The studio provides courses in all types of yoga, from vinyasa to hatter, as perfectly as meditation and daily life-coaching sessions.
Image: Courtesy of The Lotte
The Lotte, a remarkably curated store located in Accra, is regarded for its inventory of luxury products ranging from colourful clothing traces by African designers to eclectic and special dwelling decor. They also have a extensive assortment of solutions from Ghanaian attractiveness brands—there’s a rich overall body butter from Nokware, extremely-moisturizing deal with oils from R&R Luxurious, and pigmented lip glosses from S.O. Aesthetic.
Picture: Courtesy of The Store
Eyetsa Lorraine Ocloo was raised in Germany, but she returned to Ghana to open up a retailer that would be more than just that—it would be a collecting location, a community centre. She succeeded—it’s complicated to location The Store Accra into one particular one class. There are natural natural beauty goods, like hand creams made from neighborhood shea butter, an eclectic assortment of baggage and clothes from designers in the region, a tiki bar, and a hairstyling salon in the back again.
Picture: Courtesy of Twist & Locs Salon
While there is in essence a hair salon on every corner in Accra, there are kinds that stand out amongst the relaxation. Twists & Locs Salon was the first full-services natural hair salon in Ghana, providing every little thing from braids and twists to hair cuts and deep-conditioning therapy. And if these options were not plenty of for you, there is also spa companies at the salon’s two spots. Immediately after you get your hair carried out, you can get your eyebrows threaded or decide for a quick pedicure.
Photo: Courtesy of Abena Boamah
Arrive for the seashore, stay for the seafood. Abena’s stayed at Busua Beach Vacation resort in the earlier, and portion of the attractiveness, is Auntie Florence. She’s not her actual aunt, of training course, but Florence owns a cafe that sits seaside. “Her restaurant has these attractive green walls,” suggests Abena, “and she can make the best grilled lobster.”
Image: Courtesy of The Republic Bar and Grill
The Republic has a small bit of some thing for all people. The bold red walls of the bar are lined with postcards and photographs. The moment you are inside of, you can get a drink built from nearby alcoholic beverages, or you could head again out and lounge on the out of doors wooden deck and love the live music. The foods solutions are good too, and the menu options vegetarian dishes. “They have the most effective curry goat and cassava fries—so delectable,” says Abena.
Photo: Courtesy of Abena Boamah
At this restaurant and athletics bar, yet another 1 of Abena’s favorites, you will obtain regular Ghanaian foodstuff like fufu, jollof rice with a side of meat or fish, omotuo soup, and fried plantain. The cafe has an simple and peaceful outdoor ambiance with a are living band on the weekends. It can be a chill hangout location if you want to capture up with a friend or view a match of soccer.