We try the customised facial at St Regis Abu Dhabi’s Reméde Spa

The star of the show is the oxygen infusion, enhanced with drops of vitamin A, C and E to plump, brighten and lift.

The soothing gold-and-cream interiors of Reméde Spa at St Regis Abu Dhabi. Courtesy St Regis
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Facials and fidgeting go together, I am convinced of it. Apply a pack or begin exfoliating and I immediately want to scratch my nose, sneeze or sit up and stretch.

Waiting at St Regis Abu Dhabi’s Reméde Spa for a 60-minute Customised Facial with Oxyceutical Therapy, I think about this while sipping a lemon-honey drink and filling out a form about my stress levels and general health.

My surroundings are beautiful: gold and cream, with low lighting and tinkling music. The staff pad about in soft-soled shoes. I change into a heavy, luxurious robe and follow my Balinese therapist, Dwi, into a spacious gold-and-white room.

Dwi already has a plan of action for my hypersensitive skin. She tells me she will apply a peel instead of microdermabrasion and begins by expertly removing my make-up and toning my skin.

Then it’s time to exfoliate. Dwi pulls out a tube of Elemis Papaya Enzyme (it has anti-ageing properties) and works it into my skin. It has now been 15 minutes and I haven’t tried to scratch my nose even once. But wait for the face pack, I tell myself. That’ll do it.

But it doesn’t. Dwi massages my face with hypnotic, circular movements, pats the skin down with a serum and applies a thick, velvety paste that quickly sets.

I try to move my facial muscles but it’s impossible: this pack means business. Eight minutes later, Dwi neatly peels it off and it’s time for the star of the show: the oxygen infusion, enhanced with drops of vitamin A, C and E to plump, brighten and lift. Dwi starts up a machine and waves a nozzle over my face. A stream of cool air rushes out and it feels oddly refreshing, like I’m by the sea.

She finishes with a moisturiser, sunblock and hydrating lip balm, then holds up a mirror. But I already know what I’m going to see: moon-bright skin that feels extraordinarily smooth.

Later, lying on a chaise longue in the relaxation area, nibbling on dates and staring out at the Corniche, I gingerly touch my face and realise the facial had probably cured me of all the fidgeting. It was about time.

• A 60-minute Customised Facial at Reméde Spa at St Regis Abu Dhabi costs Dh450. Call 02 694 4100 for bookings

ciyer@thenational.ae

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