This treat at Yu Spa is my kind of couples therapy
I’m always complaining to my husband that we don’t do enough together. In January as part of a “trying new things” resolution,
I tried to rope him into bouldering, Pickleball and wild swimming.
He’s always answered with a firm no. However, I persuaded him to be my plus one for the new ESPA Signature Treatment at Yu Spa in Edinburgh.
We try it in their duet treatment room. Our therapists lead us through a few ESPA products, and we chose them according to the smells that appeal to us most.
I go first, and I’m sure he’s copying me, as we both end up choosing the Restorative Oil for the massage elements, and the Balancing Herbal Spa Tonic for the facial.
The therapists leave the room and we scramble onto the treatment beds, face up. It looks like he’s already fallen asleep, and I try to wake him up with an “oy” before they get back.
We start with a cleanse. My makeup is removed, then we’re each handed an ultraviolet-light-projecting mirror. It makes my skin look dappled – sun damage, I think – and shows congestion around my nose. “You have very good skin, I can’t see anything wrong here,” I can hear his therapist say. Harumph. Now we turn over for the back massage. My crunchy bits are dug out with knuckles, and there are smoothing motions around the scapulas.
I have another frothy cleanse, using a jojoba-based face wash, then a thick mask is painted on. After this is removed, they use cryo globes to massage my face. These glass spheres feel icily cool and gorgeous, as they’re moved in tandem. The final element is a scalp massage using ESPA’s Pink Hair and Scalp Mud.
This experience has given us a little taste of everything, including time together. I feel revitalised. As for him, I have to practically carry him home.
I doubt bouldering will ever have the same appeal.
ESPA Signature Treatment, 55 minutes, Mon to Thurs £80pp, Fri to Sun £85pp: Yu Spa Edinburgh, Apex Waterloo Place Hotel, call 0800 049 8304 or see www.apexhotels.co.uk