Abu Dhabi Film Festival

Ever wondered how celebrities always look so glamorous on the red carpet? Well, you might scrub up well too if you had an army of grooming experts on hand to transform your appearance from ordinary to extraordinary. That’s what happens at most big-ticket events and it’s no different at the 2012 Abu Dhabi Film Festival (ADFF), held at Emirates Palace from October 11 to 20.

The spa in the festival’s VIP Lounge has been abuzz each day with the hum of hair dryers and excited chatter as the stars receive last minute make-up, hair and pampering treatments to ensure they hit the red carpet looking their A-list best. Dubai’s Azur Spa has been among the lucky few local businesses picked for a coveted spot in the VIP Lounge.

“The mood has been one of absolute excitement and huge anticipation,” says the spa’s managing partner, Rana Al Eid, a seasoned businesswoman and author of Think Like a Woman, Act Like an Entrepreneur. “Meeting the celebrities has been a very interesting experience, especially at such a high-energy, glitzy event.”

Rana says preparation for the VIP Lounge included putting together a superstar menu of treatments, like vibrant manicures, relaxing pedicures, luxurious massages and spray tanning. The spa also launched a teeth-whitening treatment to give celebs perfect smiles.

“It’s been a real pleasure to see that everyone who comes to our stand leaves looking not only beautiful, but relaxed,” says Rana. “I have also been careful to ensure everyone on my team, including me, is looking our best because this is what our business is all about – looking and feeling good.”

Pressure to perform

Appearing at such a high-profile event and serving such important clients comes with great pressure. “Thankfully it has not been such a big challenge as it might have been to set up at Emirates Palace since Azur Spa already has a mobile business unit – the only difference being that this is on a much larger and more visible scale,” says Rana.

Working with privacy-conscious VIPs, she and her team have also had to be particularly professional and discreet, although she says that the hush-hush nature of the lounge and the guessing game of which celebrities may or may not turn up added to the fun and excitement of it all.

While the headline-grabbing Hollywood appearance of the festival has been Richard Gere, who arrived on the opening night for the premiere of his latest movie Arbitrage, he was presumably too well groomed to venture into Azur.

Other high-profile stars who have made use of the spa include leading lights of Arab cinema such as the veteran Egyptian director Yousry Nasrallah, promoting his latest movie, After the Battle – which is based on events related to the Arab Spring and had its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival – glamorous Lebanese actress, Carmen Lebbos, Egyptian stars Elham Shaheen and Menna Shalabi, Syrian actor Jamal Suleiman and Kuwaiti actress Zahra Al Kharji.

Rana says that the most popular spa treatment by far has been the mani-pedi. “Everyone loves it. The best part is that you get to rest your tired feet after strutting in heels all day, plus you get nails that are red-carpet worthy. Most celebs either opt for red polish, in keeping with the bold red-carpet theme, or go for the classic French mani-pedi,” Rana says.

Although this is Azur Spa’s debut in the VIP Lounge, Rana says it is a great venue and would love to participate again. “For Azur Spa this is good exposure at local, regional and international level. I was really pleased... Participating at the ADFF 2012 has also opened doors for us. We’ll be back in the spotlight soon – this time around at the Flash VIP Lounge at Yas Marina Abu Dhabi for the Formula One, one of the most exciting sporting events in the UAE,” she beams.