Article: Chilling out

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Chilling out
Emma Williams, 01 May 2009

Summer is a six-letter word that fills most women with dread. It conjures up images of pale, dimply skin on the beach, sweaty foreheads and sand finding its way into places it shouldn’t, but there are ways to make sure you stay skin beautiful even as the temperature creeps up.

Visiting a spa is a great way of preparing your skin for the summer as well as stealing a few extra minutes for yourself to relax away from the hustle and bustle of day-to-day life.

Essence Spa, based in Madinat al Ilam, offers a great selection of treatments and packages to get you ready for whatever the summer throws at you.

On entering the spa past the bubble fountains and through the imposing glass door, you immediately feel relaxed when you take in the soothing, luxurious colour scheme. Shades of purple, stone and beige with trimmings of dark wood cover the high-ceilinged room and the calming scent of rosewood fills the air.

While you wait for your treatment room to be ready, you are given a glass of Roselle or Karkade juice, which is made using hibiscus flower extract and is often used as a folk remedy as it is reported to help lower blood cholesterol levels as well as containing a high level of antioxidant, which is thought to help reduce the effects of aging.

A cold flannel served along with this drink helps to cool the skin and reduce body temperature – perfect when you have stepped in from the heat.

We went for the Slimming Strikes package that consists of the Elemis exotic lime and ginger salt scrub followed by a Cellutox aroma spa ocean wrap.

The treatment suite was an experience in itself with a loose pebble trim on the floor and a luxurious shower room with soft towelling robes and pots of shower gel and shampoo. The salt scrub removes dead skin cells and polishes it to a perfect shine; this treatment prepares skin for contact with the sun and the dry body brushing increases circulation in the body, which is thought to help reduce cellulite.

After a quick shower to remove the scrub, you are covered in aromatic sticky mud before being cocooned in foil and receiving a sleep-inducing head massage while your body slowly heats up. This treatment helps to remove excess water by raising the body’s temperature as well as deeply moisturising the skin and removing toxins.

If slimming is high on your agenda this summer then this package would be the perfect start to boost your chances of success, especially if you promise yourself one every few weeks as a treat.

Following a final shower you are led into the relaxation room for a pot of lemongrass tea served in a beautiful jade tea set and a few dates. Essence also offers a Moroccan Hamman ritual for the summer, which consists of a traditional black soap being applied, followed by a steam bath that allows it to penetrate the skin, thus hydrating it.

After rinsing the soap off, an invigorating scrub is applied with the kassa, a kind of exfoliating cloth used to boost circulation to the skin.

This is followed by a royal herbal mix soap, which is massaged in before finishing the treatment off with a Royal Moroccan red clay mask for total skin rejuvenation. The ritual takes a total of two hours.

No summer preparation would be complete without a visit to the ground floor nail bar at Essence, with its comfortable seating and colourful nail polish choice. It offers a range of manicures and pedicures as well as nail extensions for those of us who want long beautiful nails without the hassle of waiting for them to grow.

There is also a wide choice of waxing options but remember that prolonged exposure to the sun is a definite ‘no’ for at least 24hr after waxing.

This is because waxing leaves the skin sensitive and you are more likely to burn, also never try to wax sunburnt skin. A lot of people forget their face when getting ready for the summer.

Skin can get congested due to a number of factors including pollution and bad diet, and Essence suggests booking in for a Elemis fruit active glow facial for a great boost in skin tone.

It is important however to remember that to help keep you cool this summer, you should ensure that you stay hydrated and apply sunscreen when going outdoors. But before you head down to the beach, take the time to relax at the spa and get your body ready for the summer.

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