Review of the Winter Warm Up Spa Package
by Lorraine Murphy 1/11/2014
Last December, I had the pleasure of getting a voucher for the Winter Warm Up Package from my lovely Mum. Having not been to a spa before, I was a bit apprehensive about what to expect; I shouldn’t have worried at all. From the moment the phone call was answered when I called to book, the happy voice on the other end reassured me that I was in for hours of relaxation and there was nothing I needed to worry about.
I booked my treatment for a Saturday morning, right before Christmas, before heading off for a bit of last minute shopping. As I expected the spa was busy but it still managed to keep the calm atmosphere that I was so looking forward to experiencing.
The receptionist greeted me warmly, told me how the facilities in the spa worked and guided me to the tranquility room on the 2nd floor. I was amazed at how big the spa was; the outward appearance was definitely deceiving! I got myself changed into my robe and slippers and headed into the tranquility room for some pre-treatment relaxation with a magazine and a coffee.
My therapist, Dervla, came into the tranquility room to collect me for my treatment and brought me to the treatment room. Once there, she told me what each treatment consisted of ; the receptionist had described them to me but being a bit of a feather head, the 2nd description didn’t go a miss!
Firstly Dervla asked me to lie down on the bed for my back massage. As I was suffering with my sinuses (the joys of winter), she told me about adding essential oils to my treatment to help relieve the symptoms , which I welcomed. She then asked about my areas of concern, and like a lot of ladies with handbags filled to the brim, it was my neck and shoulders. As I lay there while she worked on my problems areas, I started to truly relax and enjoy each minute of my treatment.
Following the massage, Dervla told me my next treatment was the full body Mineral Salt Scrub. During the scrub, she worked mineral salts into my body to exfoliate my skin and leave it silky smooth for my spray tan on Christmas Eve. Once my whole body was scrubbed, she asked me to get into the ensuite shower to wash the salts off and left a clean towel and a fresh pair of disposable underwear for afterwards. Almost instantly after washing the salts off, my skin felt amazing; it made me wonder why I wasn’t getting the scrubs done every week! I then lay back down on the bed while Dervla moisturised my whole body; it was like having a quick full body massage..I was over the moon!
Finally, I had my facial. When I called to book my treatment, the receptionist told me that for an extra €30 I could have an hour long facial instead of the Buff Express Facial so I decided why not, its Christmas! During the facial, she cleansed my skin and took a close look at each area of my face. She told me my t-zone was oily, which I didn’t know and my cheeks were dehydrated. She exfoliated my skin, did some extractions on my nose where I always seem to get blackheads, gave me another relaxing massage on my face and shoulders and applied a masque. All in all, a fabulous treatment!
When it comes to skincare, I am guilty of taking the easy option of face wipes each evening; I was hoping Dervla could help me in making an easy regime for at home, that wouldn’t cost a fortune. She gave me a simple breakdown of what I needed to do; cleanse, moisturise and exfoliate twice weekly. I was delighted with this and felt Dervla really listened to me and wanted to help me start a straight forward routine.
After the facial, Dervla asked me whether I would like a glass of bubbly or a hot chocolate with marshmallows; I opted for the hot chocolate as it was such a chilly day. I then relaxed for a little while longer in the tranquility room; I really didn’t want to leave!
After getting changed, I chatted to the receptionist while she was taking the payment using my voucher. I was delighted when she gave me a free voucher to come back in the new year; I already knew what I wanted to get done and booked myself in for a full body massage for the first week in January.
Overall, I couldn’t recommend this package more. It was relaxing, yet effective at the same time for my areas of concern. I was delighted when I got the text from The Buff Day Spa telling me they were running this package again this November and December and couldn’t wait to give them a call! This year, I’ve decided to treat my Mum and myself to the package and have booked us in for the weekend before Christmas. I can’t wait to see Dervla and all the girls again!
