Spa spy Peel and refresh

Sustainable beauty brand Medik8 is at the heart of this facial at Chamomile Sanctuary

The treatment

The Medik8 Facial, £70 for 60 minutes, £175 for three, £340 for six, Chamomile Sanctuary, Edinburgh. Buy a course of Facials or Peels in March (to be used any time) and you’ll get 10 per cent off.

Why go?

To experience Medik8, a new brand that’s been taken on by this West End spa. Its vegan-friendly and sustainable philosophy is CSA (vitamin C plus sunscreen by day, vitamin A by night). As well as being relatively affordable, they also claim to be the most sustainable skincare company in the world, running their buildings on 100 per cent green energy and making all professional use products from ocean plastic.

Our spy says

All the Medik8 Facials at this spa are bespoke, and my therapist decides I need a treatment that’s going to be a combination of hydrating and antiageing. Sounds about right for this dried-up ancient.

Apart from that, this is a traditional facial in many ways. It’s the products that give it an edge.

Indeed, once my hair is in a net, like I’m off to work in the factory, my make-up is removed with a sweet smelling Lipid Balance Cleansing Oil that contains moringa. Then it’s washed again with something foamy.

Next is the peely bit. It smells like its pomegranate ingredient. Innocent. Then suddenly my skin feels a bit burny (nothing to worry about, just the lactic acid doing its thing). My therapist massages it across my face, to activate it, apparently, but also to distract me.

Once it’s been removed, the reward is a massage, using an oil that contains neroli. The contours of my face are traced and smoothed, round my eyes and up my jaw bone, and my décolleté and biceps are rubbed with thumbs.

I don’t want this bit to end, but it’s time for the icy cold cellulose mask. This is imbued with algae and hyaluronic acid, and extra gel is rubbed on top, so I’m saturated like a scallop ceviche.

This is left on for about 15 minutes, and I can hear tinkering in the background, as bottles and pots are closed, before the lights are dimmed and I’m left alone to listen to music.

“Your skin has tightened nicely,” says my therapist, when she eventually returns to remove the mask. Re-sult.

Since I’ve been peeled, there’s a final protective layer – an SPF30 – to go on, along with some lip balm.

The results

I’m given a sample of their orangecoloured Crystal Retinal to apply that night, after cleansing. Apparently, this take on vitamin A can deliver results 11 times faster than classic retinol. Vroom. Anyway, post treatment, I look glowy, but a little blotchy, and a few dry patches, like mildew, appear on my chin a couple of days later. Once I’ve finished shedding, my skin looks box fresh. ■

Chamomile Sanctuary (4 Alva Street, Edinburgh, 0131-220 1000, www.chamomilesanctuary.com)