Iridium signature massage and Pure Moisture treatment
As the days begin to get longer and your weeks maintain a mind-numbing routine, we bet you’re developing an itch for a holiday. But it’s only January, and after your New Year break you know a holiday isn’t happening any time soon. Luckily, we live in Abu Dhabi, and in Abu Dhabi we have new hotels sprouting up almost overnight, and beckoning us to visit. Well a pretend holiday is better than no holiday, so we hopped along to the St Regis. There, we got a one hour Iridium signature massage, and an ampoule ‘crash’ treatment called Pure Moisture. This, we were told, would involve five ampoules being applied to our skin to guarantee instant results of moisture-infused rejuvenation.
The treatment step by step:
When you are escorted into the oddly designed, and even more oddly furnished, dressing room you’ll be wanting to undress and get out as soon as possible. Imagine a semi-circular cloak room with inbuilt tall lockers and tall, leather-upholstered cubby seats that loom ominously in between the lockers like sarcophagi. Add to all this a few ugly ottomans that look more threadbare than vintage, and even the fantastic black chandeliers fail to offset the uneasy feeling you’ll get here.
Thankfully we escaped into the circular Jacuzzi area with its sauna, steam room and rain shower cubicles. This place was designed more intelligently and looks larger and more intricate, thanks to the strategic use of mirrors. Note that there’ll be more of this mirror trickery in the labyrinthine corridors that lead to the treatment rooms, so that one could easily get lost or go mad without a guide. (A note to the directionally-challenged: don’t go wandering off on your own.)
For our treatment we were shown into the couple’s suite with its personal Jacuzzi (something we got some mileage out of later). Our treatment began with a foot wash, after which we were invited to lie on the treatment bed for the facial. Our therapist, Catherine, gave our face a quick wipe down followed by a hot and then a cold towel press. She cracked open the first ampoule to smother our face, neck and décolletage area with a thick, cleansing serum. This was then wiped off and Catherine applied a waxy balm around our lips and to the sensitive under-eye area. This would serve as protection from the peeling mask which followed. After Catherine let this dry, she applied a second layer of serum which was the most memorable part of our treatment, namely because it smelt like cat pheromones. What made things worse was that Catherine left the room to give the concoction time to work on us. We lay there holding our breath and consoling ourselves that something which smells this bad has to be good for you, and it probably was. When Catherine returned to wipe the stuff off we were thanking our lucky stars, after which any olfactory memory of male cats dissipated with the relaxing sensation of her mini face massage. This involved light pinches and flicks to get the circulation going. The 45 minute facial ended with some finishing creams, one being an anti-aging serum and the second a moisturiser. Then there was the massage. One hour of deep-tissue work and various kneading techniques as well as trigger-point releases. We’re a little hazy about remembering this part, which must be a good sign that it was as relaxing as it promised to be.
Pros: Catherine’s head massage was so good we were on the verge of kicking and crying when it ended, which was too soon for our liking.
Cons: Admittedly, Iridium isn’t the prettiest spa we’ve been to, nonetheless it still maintains an atmosphere of class with its teal and pale-gold theme and tasteful décor.
The verdict: There was no denying that after the facial our skin felt softer than it had in a long time. What’s more, work colleagues have remarked that we look fresh, radiant and revitalised. This is something we’d definitely recommend.
The Iridium signature massage costs Dhs525 and the Pure Moisture facial costs Dhs400. Iridium Spa is open daily from 9am-10pm at the St Regis, Saadiyat Island (02 498 8996).
