The promise
To de-stress and relax the body and face
The experience
Sociable and welcoming, Susan encourages clients to mingle in the lounge, which is decorated with grey velvet armchairs, mirrors, swag curtains and chandeliers. The clinic also hosts yoga and barbecues on the roof, which is dotted with bean bags and covered in artificial turf.
With a tense forehead and stiff neck, we’re keen to try one of the menu’s 11 facials, but with names such as ‘Biogenie Visage Facial’ we pick the simplest option, the honey special as we like facials using natural products.
The treatment starts with a relaxing 30-minute back massage, during which we ask if the oil used is a honey-based one. It is not.
Susan starts the facial with a cleansing gel to remove all traces of make-up, then massages a Nimue exfoliator serum in to our skin. Susan asks why we picked the facial, and we explain again we don’t like chemical products. ‘These products are natural,’ Susan assures us.
Our face is then steamed for four minutes. ‘Any more can dry the skin and break capillaries,’ Susan explains. ‘I recommend three to five minutes’ steam for sensitive skin, five to seven for normal skin and 10 minutes for oily skin.’
Next up is extraction, or in other words, spot-squeezing. Susan uses her fingers, as she believes the tweezers preferred by other therapists bruise the skin.
We’re then buffed with a fine organic wheat powder using a smooth vibrating wand. Most dermabrasion techniques are banned in the UAE, says Susan, but the high frequency machine she uses is gentle on the skin. When it’s switched on, the gas inside the wand sparks, gently shocking the skin. This brings oxygen-filled blood to the surface and encourages pores to close.
Next, a calming lavender and camphor mask is applied to draw out impurities, before a Guinot ‘instant eye mask’ with plant extracts, horse chestnut and witch hazel is applied to calm, cool and hydrate. Lastly, a Guinot Hydra sensitive face cream is applied.
There’s no honey in our honey facial. So why the title?
‘No one’s ever asked that,’ says Susan. ‘It’s just the name.’
The results
We feel relaxed and sleepy from the massage. Our face feels clean, spot-free and tingly and is not blotchy, red or marked.
The pros
Susan is friendly and keen for clients to interact, so the salon is a great place to make new friends.
The cons
The treatments are unsuitable if you prefer to avoid chemical products. When we check the creams and gels, we discover they are not certified organic.
3/5
Dhs400 for a 30-minute back massage followed by a one-hour facial. Open daily 10am-10pm. Susan Young Beauty Clinic, Crossroads of 11th and 30th Street, next to Humpty Dumpty Nursery, Bateen, www.susanyoungbeautyclinic.com (02 222 2032).
