25 ways to find serenity in Dubai
Relax, Recharge, Renew…
If you need to hit the pause button and focus on yourself for a while, there are several treatments you can opt for. Some may take a whole afternoon… or you can walk out feeling much better in just 45 minutes.
Here are 25 ways to find serenity in Dubai…
Lunchbreak Lifts
These speedy pamper perks can be squeezed into 45 minutes…
Whole-body Cryotherapy at Resync
Cryotherapy has been a treatment of choice for athletes and wellbeing seekers for a while now but Resync – located just next to Barry’s Bootcamp in Downtown Dubai – is the city’s most luxe studio to freeze your assets. Wearing little more than your swimmers, a pair of gloves and snug North Face slippers, wellness seekers head on into a fully enclosed cryo chamber where temperatures peak at a numbing -110 degrees. Just three minutes inside its frosty chamber is enough to release endorphins, create a sense of euphoria, heal sore muscles, even skin tone and boost metabolism.
Central Park Towers, Downtown Dubai, Dhs350 per session. resync.ae
IV vitamin drips at Anantara The Palm
The IV drip is widely known as the quickest, most efficient way to rid yourself of any toxins and pump you full of vitamins and antioxidants. At Anantara Spa, on the Palm, you’ll find a wide selection of bespoke IV treatments, including an express drip, for hydration and energy; a weight loss drip; and skin, hair and nails drip to help nourish, detox and revitalise. IV drips start from Dhs390.
Anantara Spa, from 10am to 9pm daily. Tel: (0)4 567 8140 or email spa.dubai@anantara.com.
Back, neck and shoulder massages at work with Isla Vera
HR departments citywide, listen up: just a 15-minute chair massage a week has been scientifically proven to lower stress, reduce muscle tension and rejuvenate the mind and body. What’s On put this to the test with the help of Dubai-based mobile spa service Isla Vera. For one glorious hour, Isla Vera helped transform the boardroom into the What’s On Spa, complete with candles, mood music and two lovely – and very strong –therapists on hand to give the team’s tired muscles some much needed attention. Corporate spa sessions unlikely? No matter, you can book Isla Vera to come to your house, too.
Full body massages for one hour cost Dhs289. Tel: (052) 5304804. islaverauae.com
Botox quick fix at Cornerstone Clinics
Dr Maurizio Viel is a recognised figure in the world of cosmetic procedures, with clinics in London’s Harley Street and Dubai’s Healthcare City and he’s recently expanded to the new Cornerstone Clinic in Grosvenor House. It’s a beautifully contemporary space, offering an array of treatments. This includes one of the most popular quick fixes – botox. After completing a quick consultation form, you can talk through your concerns and discuss areas to focus on. Whether you’re looking to reduce the crow’s feet around the eyes, erase forehead creases or plump out frown lines, a session of botox can offer an instant solution. It’s quick, largely pain-free and lasts between four and six months.
Grosvenor House, Tower 1, Dubai Marina, from Dhs1,420. Tel: (0)50 494 6377. cornerstoneclinic.ae
Access Bars therapy at Paus
Chances are you’ve never heard of Access Bars, and neither had we. But at Paus, the gorgeous new wellness centre on Al Wasl, therapists practice this special treatment that promises greater wellbeing. The Access Bars is a set of 32 points on the head that, when touched lightly, can stimulate positive change in the brain, triggering the body’s natural ability to heal or facilitate physiological changes. With Laura Zuffa, the lovely Access Bars specialist, this is a perfect lunchtime reset or post-work healing session that’ll calm the mind, or at least let you get 40 winks.
Paus, Villa 1202, Al Wasl Road, Umm Sequim 2, Dhs500 for Access Bars treatment. Tel: (0)4 266 5329. pausdxb.com
Frequency light healing at Talise Spa
Explore the wonder of Lucia Light healing at Talise Spa. You’ll lie with your eyes closed and headphones on under a flickering light. The brain interprets the light to create a kaleidoscope of colourful patterns in your mind sending you into a healing trance, releasing serotonin and relaxing the body. The session ends with ginger tea in the majlis.
Talise Spa, Madinat Jumeirah, Dhs400 for 30 minutes. Tel: (0)4 366 6818. jumeirah.com
Frothy Hammams
Five of the best soapy scrubs…
The Royal Hammam at One&Only Royal Mirage
The treatment starts with being lathered in Moroccan black soap before heading to the steam room. The suds are washed off, then you’ll lie on a warm slab for a good scrubbing. After that, you’ll be covered in eucalyptus-scented Ghassoul clay, given a honey facial and then a massage.
One&Only Royal Mirage, 80 minutes, Dhs610. Tel: (04) 399 9999. royalmirage.oneandonlyresorts.com
The Turkish Hammam at Anantara, The Palm
For the most indulgent of relaxation experiences, the Turkish Hammam treatment at Anantara, The Palm ticks all of the boxes. It takes place inside an ornate room with a warm stone hexagonal island to lie on. Your hair is gently washed and face cleaned. Next, an invigorating all-over body scrub to buff away dead skin, followed by a full-body massage. A final warm water drench washes the last suds away, before a refreshing blast of cooler water to close the pores. Once dry, moisturiser is applied to the body and face and you’ll walk away in a citrussy haze.
Anantara, The Palm, 60 minutes, Dhs630. Tel: (0)4 567 8140. anantara.com
The Diamond and Gold Royal Hammam Journey at Palazzo Versace Dubai
During this Diamond and Gold Royal Hammam, you’re cleansed with gold soap, buffed with diamond polish and covered in a gold rhassoul body mask. After your hair wash and back massage – complete with a diamond massage oil – you’ll feel truly pampered. And, just when you thought it couldn’t get more glam, it ends with a glass of bubbly.
Palazzo Versace Dubai, 120 minutes, Dhs1,350. Tel: (0)4 556 8888. palazzoversace.ae
The Royal Ottoman Hammam at Ottoman Spa
At this opulent spa you’ll be led into the communal room, a steamy, dreamy space of marble and mosaic. Leave your modesty at the door as you lie down on the heated marble platform, along with up to three other people. Your therapist then pours jugs of hot water all over you, before getting down to business with the kese mitt. Once thoroughly scrubbed, you’re enveloped in a foamy cloud of bubbles, followed by a slippery full-body massage, before being slathered in lavender honey.
Jumeirah Zabeel Saray, 60 minutes, Dhs635. Tel: (04) 453 0456. jumeirah.com
The Dead Sea Hammam at Saray Spa
Inside the gorgeous dark blue hammam room at Saray Spa, therapists cover you in olive oil and salt soap, before leaving you in a steam room to poach for about 15 minutes. Then back into the hammam, where the soap is washed off with buckets of water, then you’re scrubbed and covered in mud. Once your hair is washed, and the suds rinsed away, a final delightful oil massage concludes the experience.
JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai, 105 minutes, Dhs910. Tel: (0)441 40000. jwmarriottmarquisdubailife.com/sarayspa
Home Serenity
How to turn your house into a sanctuary
At-home massages with Blended
Looking for the ultimate spa experience without leaving the house? Blended is the at-home beauty treatment service offering professional massages from the comfort of your own space. The team will provide everything you need to unwind and destress, from mood music to aromatherapy, and get to work undoing those pesky knots to leave you feeling relaxed and lighter than air. Prefer the real thing? Blended will soon open a huge spa for men and women on Palm Jumeirah.
Realign your space with Feng Shui
Using classical Chinese formulas, Sara from The Bodhi Lab can help to bring balance to your space. Be it residential or corporate, The Bodhi Lab assess multiple factors including the location, elevations, buildings around, and the general status of the building; as well as the energy of the residents. A floor plan analysis determines what changes can be made to best harmonise the space, leaving out any colours, statues, or coins that you would find in new age Feng Shui. Prices differ from project to project, and more details can be found on Instagram.
Make meditation part of your routine
What’s the first thing you do when you wake up? Make a coffee? Check social media? You’re not alone. But studies have shown that adding meditation to your morning routine can boost your mood, prevent stress and anxiety, and improve concentration throughout the day. Apps like Headspace make meditating super easy, with guided sessions, calming music and mindfulness tips. The app costs around Dhs50 per month, but there’s a seven-day free trial to start you off.
Health check-ups at home with Valeo
This brilliant Dubai-based app makes it really easy to track your health and wellbeing from your phone. Best of all, it allows users to schedule at-home check-ups and receive personalised advice based on your results. Options include a general wellbeing blood test (Dhs799) that can be administered at your home and provide statuses of your cholesterol, iron, blood sugar, and levels of key vitamins.
Good scents with The Rume candles
Reenergise your space through uplifting scents with luxury scented candles by The Rume. The capsule collection – consisting of four unique designs – doubles up as home decor thanks to its eye-catching reusable packaging. Fragrance notes include mandarin, basil and amber; leather, coffee and vanilla bean; ocean bergamot and patchouli; and lemon, basil mint and sea salt. The soy wax candles are enhanced with beeswax and poured with natural fragrance oils for 40 hours of clean-burning, priced at Dhs150.
Only in Dubai
Those wow wellness moments that only our city could do
Hot sand therapy at Raffles The Palm spa
It was the ancient Greeks that discovered the soothing powers of sun-heated sand hundreds of years ago, using hot sand baths as a way to treat rheumatic, arthritic and respiratory conditions. Now you can try its magical powers in the luxurious setting of Cinq Monde spa at Raffles The Palm Dubai. During the 60-minute psammo therapy, you’ll lie on a state-of-the-art bed layered with warm alpha quartz sand. The bed tilts downwards head-first to encourage better blood circulation to the brain. What makes this any different to a day at the beach? Well, this sand bed comes with an in-built dynamic flow massage, which is accented by the sound therapeutic benefits of singing bowls. The ancient Greeks would be proud.
Cinq Mondes Spa Paris, Raffles The Palm, Dhs650 (one hour). raffles.com/thepalm-dubai/spa
Futuristic healing at Museum of the Future
Trust the most beautiful building on the planet to have a whole floor dedicated to futuristic healing. Al Waha, located on level three, is the museum’s super high tech wellness zone. Inside you’ll find a space dedicated to forward-thinking therapies, including a stimulating sand bath, a huge meditation room fitted with sofas and calming water projections, and ultrasonic therapy pods that use the power of vibrations to heal.
Museum of the Future, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dhs145 per person. museumofthefuture.ae
Golden glow at SLS Dubai
To protect your skin from the elements, you have to embrace the elements – element number 79, that is. We’re talking about gold, a prized ingredient by Dubai aestheticians. Now, Ciel Spa at SLS Dubai is ready to gild guests with new treatments featuring 24k gold. One of two new treatments, the Clouds of Gold pampering session starts with a gold dust pumice body exfoliation, followed by a warm hydrating gold cream body mask. The treatment continues with a golden body massage complete with Argan oil and gold dust, leaving guests feeling relaxed, hydrated and shimmering.
Ciel Spa, SLS Dubai, Dhs1,000 for 120 minutes. Tel: (0)4 607 0654. slsdubai.com
Fat trimming with Beverly Hills Wellness Aesthetics
Exported from the cosmetics capital of the world, Beverly Hills Wellness & Aesthetics is here to tone thighs and abs with its cellulite-busting Evolve Trim treatment. Non-invasive, the heat and radio frequency-based treatment sees six heated plates strapped to the target area to heat and smooth stubborn cellulite. Sessions can be 20 to 30 minutes, with best results achieved from three to eight sessions.
FIVE Palm Jumeirah, from Dhs1,499. Tel: (0)4 245 2835, bhwaa.com
Gilded hammam experience at Away Spa
Sparkle with a full-body hammam using Knesko gold mask, a hair and lip treatment at the What’s On Award-winning Away Spa. The Basra Pearl experience begins with a cleansing ritual using black olive soap and a kessa glove, followed by a nourishing body wrap using maroc Maroc rose de sucre, body balm cream and a special knesko gold face, eye and lip mask – a cult favourite with celebs and beauty experts. You’ll strut out with a layer of gold pearlescent body oil.
W Dubai – The Palm, Dhs800 for 90 minutes. Tel: (04) 245 5533. @wdubaithepalm
Three for the gents…
Our Senior Online Reporter Miles goes on a pampering spree – all in the name of research (of course)…
Neem facial for men at Jiva Spa
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I’d never had a facial before, and only had a handful of Hollywood reference points to build my expectations from. The reality was far removed from cucumbers over the eyes and towels wrapped around heads. The treatment begins with a cleanse and toning application, steam and facemask (with neem extract) to remove toxins and rejuvenate the skin. My main take away, was not so much the aesthetic benefits, but how calming the ritual felt. I am now an evangelist for the regular male facial cause. Watch me glow.
Taj Exotica The Palm Dubai, Dhs550 for 60 minutes, Tel: (04) 438 3100. @jivaspa.palm
Manicure at 1847
Welcome to complete hand and cuticle care – something I never knew I needed. The team apply a natural sea salt scrub with a custom blend of oils, followed by a firming serum to combat anti-aging, an anti-aging restorative hydro-jelly mask to rejuvenate the skin, and a relaxing forearm massage.
The Dubai Mall, Dhs180. Tel: (800) 227 4666. 1847formen.com
Beard shave at Bristles & Mane
Looking for a beard trim that’s a cut above? Bristles & Mane offers a classic, straight-edge razor shave inside its charming barbershop.
425, Jumeirah Beach Road, Dhs75. bristlesandmane.com
