Fabulous Facials on Wandsworth Bridge Road

Usually, walking through the doors of the dentist fills me with dread. But last week, making my way into Fulham dental surgery, Karma, I felt anything but.

Tucked away at the top, above all the drills and general horror that goes along with a trip to the tooth doctor, is a very different experience indeed.

A real hidden gem amongst the more obvious beauty salons and treatment rooms dotted along the Wandsworth Bridge Road, Karma Well-Being  offers a wide range of fabulous treatments at highly competitive prices.

The incredibly charming and friendly Ellie Blair, who works her magic providing all sorts of treatments from Swedish Massage to Reiki, invited me along to try a brand new kind of facial: Face the World.

Unlike more traditional facial treatments, Face the World incorporates music and massage from all corners of the globe, providing you with a holistic experience that really revitalises. From a cleanse and tone inspired by the rainforest, to a neck and shoulder massage using Tibetan pressure points, this treatment really is unique.

The founders of the Face the World have come up with their own range of delicious smelling products to go along with the treatment, ensuring you leave feeling fresh faced and relaxed.

Ellie really is a fantastic therapist, and I left the little treatment room with a face smoother than a baby's bottom, and feeling truly zenned out. Plus, with a complimentary 8 minute mini-treatment and neck & shoulder massage incorporated, I felt well and truly pampered.

At £35 for an hour, this treatment is really fantastic value.

As well as the Face the World facial treatment, Karma Well-Being also offers:

Swedish Full Body Massage (60 min) -£40
Reiki (30  min - 1st and 2nd degree) - £35
Head/Neck/Shoulder Stress Reliver (30 min) - £25
Kansa Vatki Ayurvedic Foot and Leg Massage (45 min) - £35

I'll be booking in for a full body massage for Ellie to work her magic as an Easter treat!

Karma Well-Being
c/o Karma Dental Care
144 Wandsworth Bridge Road
Fulham
SW6 2UH

0207 736 0876

www.karmawell-being.co.uk
wellbeing@karmadentalcare.co.uk

Heavenly hammam

I can't pretend to be an expert on beauty treatments. Whenever I've been lucky enough to have been treated to a massage or facial I've always loved it (waxes are to be tolerated as a necessary evil, I suppose), but they're just not one of those things I feel I can justify splurging on. The results are ephemeral, that blissful feeling of being preened and pampered over within the hour. Nonetheless, when I escaped from the practically baltic streets of SW6 last week into the steamy, scented halls of Moroccan Beauty (with a Groupon voucher, no less!) I felt I'd struck onto a winner.

Based around the concept of the Moroccan hammam, this ladies only spa makes for a delightfully different spin on beauty. Whilst they offer the usual waxing, facials, massages, the atmosphere is different from the usual bundles of mini luxury: it felt exotic, yet unpretentious, super friendly and welcoming. My voucher entitled me to the hammam ritual, a full body mask and an express facial - 2 hours worth of warm, pampered sanctuary from the freezing cold. As part of the hammam ritual I was shown into a traditional Moroccan steam room, amazingly humid (I was pouring with sweat within minutes) but I was kept comfortable with frequent cups of water and the showers at one end. After my first rinse, a thick eucalyptus soapy wax was applied to my whole body, and the steam came back on to allow it to absorb right into my skin leaving me slick and incredibly smooth. After rinsing again, I was thoroughly ex-foliated (as it turns out, winter skin is INCREDIBLY dry - I felt like a snake shedding what seemed like an entire layer) and a full body mask applied.

You can spend as much time in the steam room as you like, so after another blissfully sweaty 15 minutes, and yet another hot shower, I donned my fluffy slippers and padded my way into the treatment room for my facial. After a quick skin analysis (still dry, a compound of winter weather and perhaps a little sweaty hammam over-enthusiasm) I settled into an amazingly relaxing facial. With two applications of organic cleansers (all their products are 100% natural), toner, an amazing mini facial massage, finishing off with an intense moisturising mask, this facial may have been 'express' but it felt incredibly thorough, whilst being gentle enough to send me almost to sleep.

After a cup of traditional Moroccan mint tea, it was time to drag myself back into the cold again. My little sojourn at Moroccan Beauty truly felt like a mini-holiday - and definitely a different and welcome addition to the Fulham beauty scene. With these arctic conditions set to stick around for the next few weeks at least, it might be worth booking yourself a micro-break sometime soon.

Moroccan Beauty
780 Fulham Road
London SW6 5SL
www.moroccanbeauty.co.uk

All photos taken from the Moroccan Beauty website

A Slice of Cupcake

For those of you who have already heard of Cupcake Mums, this feature may initially strike you as odd. I must start by clearly stating (especially for your benefit Mum and Dad - I know you read this...) that neither Sarah nor I are pregnant. Neither do we have small children. Nor do we intend on having small children any time soon. But all of sudden, our new favourite beauty hangout is, to the uninitiated, essentially a Mum's club.

But this is where I beg to differ. Yes, Cupcake Mums is a lovely members clubs for Mums, Dads and their little angels (or terrors as the case may be). It's one of a chain of 3 premises, the first was set up in Putney over 3 years ago, and they offer (surprisingly) tranquil and beautifully decorated surroundings including a cafe, crèche, licensed bar (for the parents of the little terrors perhaps...), dance studio, mini-gym, classes for the kiddies, classes for the kiddies AND their parents, parenting seminars, personal training, spa treatments and the whole nine yards. The downstairs of the club is light and airy, decorated in a mix of whites and hues of dark pink and purple, and manages the balance between chic and child-friendly very admirably. Meanwhile, The Treatment Rooms and 'Mummy Boudoir' upstairs follows the same colour scheme but feels luxurious and even a bit sultry. Essentially they provide almost everything (we would imagine!) a parent could want.... But why should the Mummies have all the fun?

The Cupcake spa at Parsons Green is award-winning, and crucially, also open to non-members. In fact, it goes out of its way to be accommodating to non-members (and non-parents!). It's open until 9pm some week nights (post-work, pre-date wax, check!), it's open on weekends (post-night out massage, check!) and if you really do struggle with children, there's also a separate entrance (I-cant-take-screaming-babies-on-this-hangover facial.... check!). They also offer the Galvanic Facial... which apparently is the reason Kate Moss and Simon Cowell are still looking so fresh despite their years of excess. If it can keep Kate peachy with all that she gets up to, I'm sure it can completely transform your average stressed up twenty-something! Or sleep-deprived mother for that matter...

Of course, there is also plenty for the Mummies... Their Cupcake in the Oven pregnancy massage is very popular (after the anti-aging facial - parenting is tough it seems!), and the showers in the treatment rooms are extra large to accommodate all those bumps! Of course, pregnant or not....we all like a roomy shower so we can claim that little bonus for Mums and non-Mums alike. And for non-member Mummies, spa visitors can also drop their kids off at the crèche while they pamper themselves. And the Dads don't miss out either. The Spa stocks Gentleman's Tonic products and apparently your average Sunday afternoon sees quite a few extra Y chromosomes in that part of the building!

So after a quick tour, and a quick coo over the "Wiggle and Dance" class taking place in the studio, Sarah and I took our decidedly not-pregnant selves up to the spa for some treatments: a massage for her and a facial for me. The spa has about four treatment rooms, and mixes those ubiquitous hues of dark pink and purple with dimmed lights and sophisticated mahogany panelling making for a very boutique and luxurious feel: a real mini-haven!

Up first, Sarah's massage. I'll let her describe it in her own words: she certainly raved about it enough afterwards...

With the St Swithin’s showers lashing at the window I couldn’t think of a better place to be than the cosy, warm and utterly relaxing treatment room at the Cupcake Spa. I instantly began to unwind as I squished myself on to the heated waterbed, a strange sensation at first but wonderfully comfortable once the water moulds around you and begins to heat your tummy. I explained to Sandra (our charming therapist) that due to being chained to my desk all day and walking to work with a heavy handbag my shoulders were starting to resemble knotted rocks ingrained with stress and anxiety. I did not need to say another word, like a mind reader Sandra began to ease every ounce of tension out of my back and shoulders with the perfect combination of repeated pressure and fluid movements. There is nothing worse than lying down on the treatment bed geared up for a massage and having strokey strokey  for an hour which inevitably makes you fall asleep and wake up 60 minutes later £60 poorer, groggy and still knotted. This was far from the case at Cupcake, Sandra gauged my needs instinctively and took real care and consideration into the treatment leaving me in a comatose state of profound relaxation. 

As for myself, I plumped for the express facial, which was really amazing. Usually with the half hour treatments I can't relax as I worry the bliss will be over before it's begun, but the combination of Sandra's mini-facial massage and that glorious heated water bed had me feeling totally tranquil right away. With a little bit of facial massage, a little bit of steaming, pore extraction, face-mask and moisturisation, my skin felt absolutely fantastic afterwards and when I met some friends for lunch afterwards they all commented on how much my skin was glowing. 

I couldn't recommend the spa at Cupcake higher. It really is a little haven, and is so close to Parsons Green so really very convenient. The spa feels luxurious, and if you're a Mummy (or Daddy!) the rest of the club is really delightful too. Karen, who runs it, says their ethos is to be a home away from home - but that little bit more blissful. She's really keen to ensure that they endorse no particular philosophy on parenting and she tolerates absolutely no judgemental comments on other members' parenting choices. So whether your an earth mother or have already pre-booked the C-Section, you'll find your haven there. When I'm pregnant... you'll have to drag me away! Until then, I'll be more than happy to be a frequent visitor to the spa.

Cupcake

11 Heathmans Road
London SW6 4TJ
020 3326 4986

Give it some Scin

You guys have every right to feel cheated here. On two counts in fact. Firstly, Scin isn't even in SW6, it's a trendy day spa on Great Portland St (also branches in Notting Hill and Liverpool apparently!) near where I work. Secondly, I am not the beauty buff of this outfit. I will gladly hand over that mantle to Sarah. I hadn't even had a facial before. Yep... it shocked the beauty therapist too. At the grand old age of 23 I have never ever had a facial, and it was high time that changed... all in the name of research, and grabbing a good review, of course!

Don't get me wrong, it's not like I'm some ugly troll who lives under a rock, or that I have no concern over my appearance whatsoever. It's just my focus has always been on the clothes. As long as I'm clean (I am clean most of the time, promise!), well dressed, and have applied a splash of mascara and the obligatory concealer on, I've generally been happy with the results. But when one of my many coupon website subscriptions offered me the chance of a facial at Scin, a really luxurious looking little place on the same road as my office, I leapt at the chance to see what the fuss was about.

And boy, what a thing I have been missing.

I am a total convert.

In fact, I fear my new love for beauty treatments is going to send me bankrupt. There are facials, massages, manis, pedis, threadings, extensions... a whole plethora of fun little treats for me to try and that will (hopefully - I'll let you know how it goes) leave me feeling relaxed, and that little bit more beautiful.

So back to Scin. I walked in to what looks like an ordinary one floor hair or nails salon. There's loads of bright white, fabulous designer wallpaper in sandy shades, and trendy damask print, and a gorgeous smell that just sets you right at ease, and reassures you of the quality of the treatment. Now, I work in marketing, so I know all these little tricks. But, so far, so good. If they've got all these little details right, you'd hope the service would be right up there too. And, hey, I'm a complete sucker for aesthetics, and I think the guys at Scin got it bang on.

I was quickly led down into the lower-ground floor. A dimly-lit warren of corridors with plus carpet and more of that gorgeous scent (I wanted to find out what it was, but there wasn't a candle in sight). The waiting area is just a little nook really, but the sofas were really comfy and there was loads of current magazines to browse. Not that I had to wait long. My beauty therapist was along promptly and I was shown into a gorgeous little treatment room.

I quickly outed myself as a facial virgin and the lady could not have been sweeter. She immediately asked if I'd rather enjoy the treatment in silence, or whether I wanted her to briefly talk through the steps as she was going along. In the name of education, I chose the latter, and I'm glad I did. She was completely unobtrusive, just quickly outlining what she was applying and what benefit it would have, each time she switched product. I'm sure it's a skill all (good) beauty therapists hone. But she had just the right level of engagement: a friendly chat as we entered the room and I got ready, and again as she ushered me out of the room at the end, plus the odd well-placed compliment throughout. Lady - I know I don't have "simply gorgeous eyelashes" but after a long, hard week at work, that totally made my day!!

But what did I think of the treatment? After a Thursday night out on the tiles with my workmates (why do I do this to myself? I work in a cruel, cruel industry) I'm afraid my skin was pretty shocking. It was dry, there were pimples, it felt tired. I came out looking and feeling totally rejuvenated. I'd heard horror stories of therapists attacking pimples like they were lurking cockroaches, but despite the state of my skin, the "squeezing" part of the ceremony was barely less relaxing than the rest, and after a quick inspection I think she really did get most of the yuck right out. At the end my skin felt hydrated, beautifully peachy and soft, with that gorgeous dewy sheen that I think looks so much healthier than the matt finish foundation provides. Most of my pimples had been raised to the surface (I'm told this is normal, and part of the extraction process) and by this morning had actually disappeared. Best of all, I felt totally relaxed and pampered, and I think this is half the point, the reason why people get so hooked. The fact that you can take an hour to yourself, at the end of a long arduous week, at an urban oasis in the middle of a hectic city, is just pure, self-indulgent bliss.

Will I be going back? I'd love to, and certainly will once I get a payrise. I got a fantastic deal, and I loved my treatment, I'm still not sure I could justify it to myself at the full whack of around £60. But, if you've got that kind of money spare, and are looking for a luxuriously self-indulgent hour of bliss in trendy (yet relaxing) surroundings, PLEASE do treat yourself.

Scin Spa

220 Great Portland St, London

Nearest tube: Great Portland St

Treatment: 1 hour Murad facial

All photos: London Beauty Review