I recently bought a house. In the long-term, I know that this is a move of the most advantageous variety and that, to borrow the most hackneyed expression when discussing the ‘housing ladder’, getting a foot on a rung is a feat in itself. In the short-term, however, it means that I am currently living in quarters that have been neglected for a long time – wires poke out from every wall, monolithic storage heaters crowd the rooms, and the walls… Well, don’t get me started on the state of the walls.
It also means that my skin is red and itchy from stress, my fingernails cut so short that I no longer have use of the nail thanks to the many, many breakages I’ve endured, and my hair constantly looks a little like Bon Jovi’s did in the 80s. If you’re unaware of how dire such a coiffure is, have a google. That hair ain’t pretty.
Work, however, plods on regardless of my unkempt home/appearance and in researching an article on the new wave of at-home beauty services, I came to spend two hours with Gazelli’s at home Senior Therapist Sam this morning in the new pad which, as you have surely gleaned by now, is an unpropitious environment for relaxing.
Only it wasn’t at all, mainly because Sam steamed into my sitting room like a modern day incarnation of Mary Poppins, pulling candles, music, a tea set, heated bed, foot bath, Gazelli products galore and even a few copies of Vanity Fair out of her bags.
The facial was similarly all-encompassing: first, a foot bath with Gazelli’s Ginger Salts. Next, a skin consultation covering skin elasticity, dehydration, dryness and pore size followed by a lesson in the why and how and what to do with an addled complexion. The Volcanic Mud Facial Sam recommended was just the tonic for my stressed skin – the Azerbaijani mud floods it with minerals while drawing impurities out of pores.
But that’s not all. Yes, the usual facial rituals of cleansing and masks aplenty were adhered to, but Sam threw a shiatsu arm, back and scalp massage into the mix that sent me into a deep state of relaxation. Hell, at one point I almost forgot I was having a facial.
Skin – and body – treated, I rolled off the bed and onto my sofa, where a traditional Azerbaijani tea served in a glass tea set awaited me. As Sam packed up her bits, I decided that while the treatment was excellent, the real bliss came now: instead of exposing my freshly facial-ed face to the horrors of the tube, I was free to pop my feet up, relax and pen this review at leisure. Something tells me the trend of at-home treatments isn’t coming to an end anytime soon…
To book a Gazelli At Home treatment, call (0) 207 581 4355 or e-mail bookings@gazelli.co.uk