The Cure Facial, The Spa, The Address, Dubai Marina

All us men want for Christmas is, if we’re honest, to look better, which means younger, thinner and generally with more hair. Forget the Ferrari, the silk tie, the smartphone or the cufflinks, what most of us would like to find under the tree is a voucher for a festive facial.

I’ve worked hard all year in the gym to get rid of my paunch, my trip to a new barber accidentally ended in a very trendy haircut – he knows how to do only one cut, which my 11-yearold son and I now sport: the Bieber – but I want a fresher-looking face to go with it.

So I headed to The Spa at The Address, Dubai Marina to test The Cure Facial. While a lot of facials are all about pampering, this one claims to be practical, too.

I don’t have greasy skin – I’m Italian and do a lot of sunbathing so my skin is a little dry if anything, but I look after it at home.

I moisturise every day and even borrow my wife’s face mask once in a while when she’s not looking. But my therapist at the luxurious spa took one look at my skin and decided to use hot towels to open up my pores. He then scrubbed my face to slough off all the dead skin.

“Now I’m going to do the extraction,” he told me, and for a moment I thought he was going to do something nasty to my teeth. Instead he removed my blackheads, which was a bit uncomfortable and made my eyes water, but afterwards he applied a mask, which foamed up and soothed my skin.

Next my face was moisturised, which made it feel totally revitalised. A quick glance in the mirror showed it was blemish-free and I looked refreshed and younger.

It was a treat being pampered for 75 minutes and I left feeling totally relaxed and as if I’d been on a mini break. I’d recommend this as the perfect pick-me-up for Christmas. 75 mins, Dh560, Email: spa.dubaimarina@theaddress.com Tel: o4 436 7424.