I am immensely lucky to be able to test spa treatments as part of my job but I bring a narrow-eyed scepticism across the threshold with me every time I do.
I always consider spa treatments in terms of someone like my mother, who never got to enjoy such luxuries – how many hours she would have needed to work to afford the facial in the spa brochure? Would she have felt excluded, intimidated or sneered at by the atmosphere or is this spa designed to include, to unwind and to make everyone comfortable, especially the person who is enjoying a spa trip as a very rare indulgence? Is it, in short, worth a person’s hard-earned money – whether it’s a gift or someone’s very first spa experience?
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I have two recent standout spa experiences to share. Both are expensive but both blend efficacy with legitimate relaxation and provide an experience that justifies their cost for those who can afford it. If you’re pooling together with colleagues or family to buy someone a treatment that will give them a lovely, decompressing experience they’ll carry out the door with them afterwards, these are both excellent options.
The Baroness’ Spa Escape at No. 1 Pery Square, Limerick (€195 for 180 minutes)
You’ll find this just-refurbished gem of a spa in the basement of the pretty and characterful Georgian building that is – in my view, as a Limerick native – far and away the city’s nicest hotel. The treatment starts with 60 minutes in their thermal suite but the actual treatment is two hours long. By the time you leave the newly fitted thermal suite, which encompasses three low-lit saunas (one in a refurbished space that was once the building’s coal bunker), you are loose and mellow for the treatment to come.
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It opens with a back, neck and shoulder massage, ideal for people like me who sit at their desk like a prawn for hours each week. Products from Irish brand VOYA are used, which smell and feel silky and luxuriant. A VOYA facial follows, which leaves skin glowing, but incorporates facial and scalp massage to get lymph and fluid moving and counteract tension and puffiness so that you feel visibly better afterwards. Then, a leg and foot massage close the treatment. I hobbled in tense and puffy three hours earlier. I left glistening and smooth as a dolphin, having forgotten most of my vocabulary as I tried, bleary-eyed, to thank my therapist Christine for what felt like a brain recalibration. If you’ve time afterwards, head upstairs into the hotel for a scone – they’re huge and delicious.
Swissline Le Grand Soin Au Collagene Pur (€265 for 90 minutes at The Spa at the Shelbourne, Dublin)
The Shelbourne spa is renowned for good reason but I like it because it is counter-intuitively unfussy. It has a sort of velvety atmosphere, as though the whole place is encouraging you to snuggle into a cosy nook and have a little nap. Despite the grandeur of the hotel, the spa has a friendly feel and you’re given your space. Nobody fusses over or monitors you, though there’s always someone nearby if you need something.
Body treatments aren’t everyone’s cup of tea so if you’re after an excellent facial, try this one from Swiss Line, which is a recent addition to the Shelbourne Spa. It’s designed for skin which is stressed, dull and showing signs of wear and tear (whose isn’t?). I was very impressed by the combination of hardworking active ingredients and – crucially – rigorous facial and neck massage. I don’t like a fluffy facial. I want it to do something. I left with a visibly more sculpted face and neck and when I applied make-up a couple of hours later, it sat on my skin like a dream and continued to do so for a couple of weeks afterwards. My skin looked plump and content and all the tension had melted out of my jaw, neck and scalp. This is an excellent pre-event facial but I felt and saw the benefits for weeks.
