Simply walking into this spa forces me to stop and refocus. The darkened entry way of the Spa InterContinental leads into a shock of LED lights, all at eye level and akin to walking into a rainstorm. The temporary disorientation means I’ve no choice but to leave my worries behind.
I go through the usual routine of filling out a form to say where I need a good beating and what I’m going to sniffle about, and am then led to what must be one of the most impressive spa suites in the city. Not only is it large enough to swing several cats in (in fact, it’s larger than some studio apartments in Dubai), but it’s got its own (separate) rain shower cubicle and toilet.
I’m here for a three-hour Urban Lifestyle treatment. It’s billed as an energy and immunity booster and is meant to leave my skin looking bright, fresh and glowing. Who can argue with that? Especially in Ramadan, traditionally a time of retreat from life’s stresses.
I strip, hang up my clothes and lay face down on one of the softest spa beds I’ve encountered in the UAE, and my therapist massages me lightly, before rubbing a gritty citrusy paste into my skin. The idea is to strip away the top layers of dead skin — the body sheds some 30,000 dead cells per minute, which can build up and need to be sloughed off. Exfoliation, as it’s called, leaves skin smoother and brighter, and improves blood circulation, lymphatic drainage and stimulates nerve endings in the skin.
After a rub-down with a wet towel, my therapist slathers another citrusy goo, this one more like a cold cream in texture, and then wraps me in a plastic cling film that’s meant to remove oil and dirt from my pores, while moisturising and rehydrating my skin. For the next half hour I’m a human ballotine, steaming up the wrap with my own body heat. Just when it feels like I’m beginning to cook — I have, among other insights, a new perspective on classic French cooking by now — the therapist returns to set me free.
A nice refreshing shower later, I’m back on the bed, face down once more. This is when he really goes to work, osculating my thighs, kneading my shoulders and generally beating me up for an hour or so. I’m soon relaxed enough to fall asleep and only wake up when it’s time for the final stage of the treatment.
This is a mini facial — again with a citrus fragrance — that exfoliates, tones and moisturises, with a special focus on the dark bags under my eyes. By the end, some of the finer lines on my face have disappeared, and as I examine myself in the mirror as I dress, I could swear I look thinner than before.
Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, I’m ready to face the long night ahead.
— Keith J. Fernandez/Editor — GN Focus
● The Urban Lifestyle package uses products from Natura Bissé and is available at two-for-one prices throughout Ramadan from Spa InterContinental, InterContinental Dubai Festival City. To book, call 04 701 1257.
