UAE spa treatments that are good enough to eat

Affordable spa treatments are few and far between in Dubai and it would therefore appear that the menu offered by Novotel’s In Balance spa is a true find.

I arrived on-site in Al Barsha, not far from Mall of the Emirates, to find welcoming staff and a tranquil spa lobby. After being ushered into the female changing room, I was readying for my orange-and-chocolate massage. However, to get to the private treatment room I was escorted back through the main reception and must admit to wondering how many clients might feel a tad self-conscious about making the journey in nothing but a thin dressing gown.

Nevertheless, the therapist Rose led me through the heart of the venue to a room with scented candles, a large Jacuzzi and towels skilfully folded to look like lotus blossoms. The first thing I noticed was that the high bed wasn’t heated, which wouldn’t have been a problem had it not been for the cold application that was about to follow. My therapist explained that the first step was an exfoliant packed with vitamin C, the base ingredient of which was organic oranges, sourced from a local farmers’ market that day.

The fruit was freshly squeezed and mixed with refined sugar and a prized organic extra-virgin olive oil from Sicily to make a purely natural scrub – top marks so far. The exfoliation didn’t disappoint and, although it was rigorous, it smelt divine and left my skin tingling. Next, it was time to remove the residue by means of a piping hot shower in an adjoining room.

Back in the treatment area, the grandaddy of chocoholic spa dreams was about to be realised.

Original article by Rebecca McLaughlin-Duane

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UAE spa treatments that are good enough to eat