Three New Facials To Try In Dubai

The change in seasons can wreak havoc with your skin mamas (that and the lack of sleep most of us are subjected to). Desperate to boost our complexions and get some glow, we put 3 of Dubai’s new facials to the test….from skin freezing to buffalo horns, here are the results. 

Dani: The Vitamin C Facial at Beauty Connection Spa

If you’re like me and love to be pampered, but can never find the time between three kids at home and impending work deadlines, then Beauty Connection Spa is the place for you. As the largest spa in the Middle East, you don’t need to book: just walk in, get your products from the vending machine and off you go… really, it’s that easy! Simple and effective, it’s the perfect spa solution for a mama on the move.

As you enter Beauty Connection Spa, you’re asked to follow the ‘coloured pipes’ on the wall to the treatment room you require – Mani/Pedi, Waxing, Hair salon, Facials, Eyebrows and even a hamman.

This urban, industrial style spa is massive –  and I mean huge – 50 seats in the mani/pedi room and hair salon, all with vending machines where you select your desired treatments and products that you hand to your therapist.

I followed the pipes to the facial room, where a vending machine is located right outside the door containing every imaginable Treatment kit! My kit contained a disposable towel, head band, sponges, cotton pads, therapist face mask and disposable gloves. It all felt a bit strange but I just went with it and handed it to the therapist, who then took me into the treatment room.

My therapist was very sweet and knowledgeable, however I was nervous about having a facial – as much as I needed one – since I have sensitive skin. I certainly didn’t want to leave with red blotchy skin that screams that I’ve just been “extracted”… The therapist reassured me that my face would be fine and after examining my skin, she recommended a Vitamin C facial that would leave my skin looking firm, young and refreshed. When she sold it like that, how could I not try it out?

The lady put the treatment kit to action, using gorgeously scented products from Switzerland to cleanse my skin as the streamer opened my pores. I was actually surprised at the amount of different levels there were to this facial – cleanse, steam, tone, scrub, extraction, massage, face mask, vitamin C treatment…

An hour and a half later, I looked in the mirror and voila! My skin wasn’t red at all, my face actually looked fresh and felt so smooth and clean. I have to be honest – it hadn’t felt this good in a long time. She informed me that in a few days I would visibly notice the difference even more…Brilliant, a fresh, younger looking me!

Two days later, my skin still felt pure, fresh and clean. I didn’t have any reaction to the treatment and for AED 350, I’ll be definitely coming back next month.

Beauty Connection Spa doesn’t have any frills or graces; it’s a super efficient, speedy salon that provides what you need in record time, with friendly, helpful staff along the way. I would recommend Beauty Connection Spa as it does what it needs to do and does it with minimum fuss: exactly what a working mummy needs.

Cost: AED 350
Beauty Connection Spa, Eiffel Tower 2, Sheik Zayed Road, Dubai
Tel: (+971)(0)43 212 888
www.beauty-connectionspa.com

Kaya: Guaza Buffalo Horn Facial Massage at The Cure

There are mamas for whom regular facials are the norm – and very much part of their beauty routine. And then there’s me. I’m embarrassed to say that I will pretty much clean my face with whatever’s lying around in the bathroom (baby wipes, soap, shower gel) and that facials have never really been on my radar. Until now. Noticing a few too many new wrinkles for my liking and convinced that my approach to skincare (or rather lack of) needed a shake up, I decided to book a new facial on the block – one that promised not only to release stress and leave skin looking revitalized but also, amazingly, generate happiness, health and solace.

The secret? Buffalo horns. Yes mamas, this new treatment, the Buffalo Guaza, is based on the application of natural buffalo horns on your skin (I was imagining the whole horns but actually they’re just pieces, smoothed down to a pebble like size and feel). Two words jumped out at me when booking this facial – relax and anti-ageing – just what I needed.

Buffalo horns are widely used in traditional Chinese medicine and, when used on the skin with various rotating movements, can help eliminate toxins and increase the flow of oxygen and blood to the face. Armed with this knowledge, off I went to The Cure in Media City (a cute little nail salon that shows episodes of Friends and has a couple of treatment rooms attached.) Jewellery free and covered by a towel, I lay on a bed as Anna, my therapist, cleansed my skin and prepared it for a little buffalo-horning. This part was relaxing and I was starting to feel sleepy – until the horns came out.

Ok mamas, I have to be honest – if you’re looking for a comforting facial to clear a few blemishes while allowing you to catch a few winks then this one’s not for you. My face got a full on workout as the buffalo horns were pressed and moved over it with moderate pressure, stretching my skin this way and that – those wrinkles didn’t stand a chance.

To finish off, Anna covered my skin in a moisturizing cream and patted it in to my newly awakened face. Relaxing this wasn’t but I can honestly say that my skin looked and felt fresh, soft and supple both immediately after (not surprising given it had been pummeled) but also for days. For optimal results, The Cure recommend purchasing a pack of 10 – and given the immediate results after 1 session, I can really believe it and will be returning for the other 9 soon!

Cost: AED 350 (buy 8 and get 2 free)
The Cure, Media City, Dubai
Tel: (+971)(0)43 91 6485
www.thecure.ae 

Lou: Cryo Health Facial at the Dubai Ladies Club

Mamas, listen up! Cryo Health is the hottest new body therapy around and this could well be the revolutionary alternative to cosmetic surgery. I was super excited to try the new Beauty Angel and Cryo therapy facial, since I had heard great things about it. I was especially curious as rumour had it, they freeze your face! Sorry, what?!

The treatment starts with an opening sequence of inhalation, a deep facial cleanse and gentle scrub. They use products from Elemental Herbology, which are completely natural and packed full of nutrients. The therapist then performed a skin analysis and I was delighted to know that apart from the big bags under my eyes (who doesn’t have these with 2 active kids, eh?), I had pretty good skin that just needed a bit of smoothing here and there.

Following the skin analysis, your therapist chooses a mask appropriate to your skin. On offer is the green tea antioxidant mask, the hyaluronan hydration mask, the Q10 caviar anti ageing mask, and the one that they chose for me: the collagen mask, which is for those with good skin who just need a bit of plumping.

I was then put under the Beauty Angel light for 15 minutes, followed by 10 long minutes of Cryo therapy (without the mask), where pressurised liquid nitrogen vapours are applied to your skin at -166°C (well that’s how low mine went, I believe max is -189°C). Brrrrrr, ladies, prepare yourselves, this was COLD! It felt like summer in the North Pole (around -3°C) and my face literally felt like ice. It is however bearable as no water or ice is on your face, and the effects are well worth it.

The results? The infrared light is absorbed by skin cells, penetrating up to the deepest layer to absorb the mask and stimulating the body’s own production of collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid. The cold closes the pores and activates the increased production of collagen in the deep layers. Consequently, fine lines are visibly reduced and the skin becomes tauter and smoother.

After a refreshing serum was applied, I left the treatment with smooth glowing skin. This is actually a beauty habit that I could easily adopt; it’s non-invasive, quick and let’s face it mamas – if it’s good enough for Hollywood, its good enough for us!

Cost: AED 550
Dubai Ladies Club, Jumeirah Beach Road, Dubai
Tel: (+971)(0)43 499 922
www.dubailadiesclub.com

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