Angela Beitz tries LPG to rid bumpy skin and diminish cellulite at Anantara Spa at Eastern Mangroves.
The promise
The LPG (lipomassage) treatment will reduce cellulite, smooth the skin and reduce fat pockets found in trouble areas of the body.
Step-by-step
We head to Anantara Spa where the staff are fully trained in LPG and have their own dedicated rooms. LPG involves a vacuum-like machine with a two-roller head making various sucking and shaking movements, which apparently encourages your body to release fat pockets as well as stimulating collagen and elastin production.
It means that those dreaded fat areas you just can’t shift are drained (or, rather, transformed into fatty acids, which are used for energy) and your skin is smoothed and tightened, creating a more refined, streamlined figure.
The machine looks more like something you’d see in a sci-fi movie, and we begin to wonder whether this is really going to hurt.
We a don a special white LPG suit which is supplied for us and our therapist explains that there are different types of LPG that can be performed on certain areas of your body, depending on what your concerns are.
We decide on one concentrating on buttocks, hips and thighs. The pain is mild and we soon get used to it. With each session the strength of the aforementioned ‘sucky and shaky’ movement is cranked up, yet it never becomes more than a little uncomfortable. It hurts more in boney areas like the top of our hip but it’s easier to endure than the pain we’ve suffered in the gym pounding the treadmill or those horrible boot camps we’ve struggled through.
This is the true beauty of LPG, we’re lying on a bed, being given the equivalent of a deep-tissue massage (albeit a practical rather than pampering one) and it supposedly has the same effect as sweating it out at the gym or an exercise class. Once it’s all over, we remove the suit and our therapist applies a special cellulite cream to our body.
The results
We admit you can’t beat exercise for getting in shape – it keeps you fit and healthy, which lying on a bed obviously does not. However, if you have stubborn fatty areas that just won’t shift, or the dreaded orange-peel skin that can afflict even the skinniest people, LPG is a viable option. We would definitely go back and try this again.
Pros
We haven’t lost any inches but we definitely feel that our skin is tighter and our cellulite is noticeably reduced. The skin in those areas is nice and smooth. The staff are knowledgeable and professional and will help you with any concerns.
Cons
It’s not a miracle treatment and you need at least eight-12 sessions to get best results. The treatments are also expensive but if you really need cellulite sorted out then it’s well worth it.
5/5
LPG treatment is Dhs350 for 35 minutes. They also have an offer on for September where if you buy ten sessions, you will get two free. The Eastern Mangroves Hotel & Spa by Anantara, Salaam Street (02 656 1000).
