Treatments
We cherry-pick three of the best hair, face and body treats designed to make life that little bit sweet er
The holistic fix
WHAT Chinese Tuina massage, £80 for 50 minutes; Cupping, £50 for 30 minutes WHERE Spa to you at hilton bank side, London, spatoyou.com The low down if your whole body has been thrown out of balance, try a massage–plus more. Tu in a adopt sa deep pressure, whichi needed for my aching muscles, but the focus on chinese medicine meridians takes it the extra mile, promoting energy flow and blood circulation throughout the body. Just the right amounts of pressure were used on each area. The cup ping–an alternative therapy– involved using cups to create a vacuum on the skin, encouraging blood flow to these problem areas to assist in recovery. It left visible marks, particularly on the more tense areas, butasthesefaded, sodidmytension.
THE VERDICT The most unique combination of relief and discomfort i’ ve ever experienced –and completely worth it! Amanda Khouv
Golden girl
WHAT Oribe Facial, 75 minutes, £125 WHERE Urban retreat at har rods, urbanretreat.co.uk
THE LOW DOWN Starting with a soothing energy ritual to balance your chakras,t he treatment then truly gets underway as warm O rib eh air oil is poured onto the third eye chak ra to help relax you and calm your mind. This, followed by the luxurious scalp massage is the most soothing thing you’ ll ever encounter! Next follows a cleansing facial, withextractions, andthenthe luxurious ori be gold envy luminous mask, which contain sq 10, collagen andhya lu ronic acid is applied. As the hydrating mask works its magic, you’ ll reach new levels of relaxation thanks to the heavenly foot massage you’ ll receive.
THE VERDICT Your body really is indulged fromheadtotoe. Utterbliss, plus glowing skin– winning! Joanna Knight
The morethan-a-massage
WHAT Poultice-powered Muscle Release, £115 for 1 hour WHERE The house of elemis, London, elemis.com
THE LOW DOWN Whatever tension you’ re holding when you walk into the house of Elemis, get ready to say goodbye to it. This massage is as firm as you like, and the heated amber poultice makes this massage both incredibly releasing and relaxing. The most unique aspect of this treatment, though, is that it takes place on a heated amber and quartz crystal bed, which moulds to your body shape to support every inch of you from head to toe. W hi lei initially felt quite tired, the following day i felt totally invigorated.
THE VERDICT If your aches and pains are giving you problems, head here for the fix. Amanda Khouv