Spa Masterclass and The Oriental Spa's Sodashi Treatments
Washing Up
The never-ending quest to find a half-decent face wash rages on. After a particularly virulent breakout the other week, it seemed serendipitous that The Body Shop sent over a bottle of its new “Cool and Creamy” wash from its Tea Tree line (a personal favorite of mine), which claims to treat blemishes without drying out your skin—a common problem with anti-acne face washes. This cream blend contains tea tree oil (duh) for its antibacterial properties, marula and soy oil to keep skin soft, and menthol for added refreshment. Pair with their tea tree oil for persistent zits and tea tree pore-minimizing cream to keep oiliness at bay during the summer months.
Cream face wash: $149; pore minimizer: $189; tea tree oil: $89, all from The Body Shop, 1/F, Man Yee Arcade, 68 Des Voeux Rd. Central, 2259-5266.
Spa Masterclass
If you’ve ever thought about becoming a qualified massage therapist, here’s your chance to get your credentials in a real, working spa environment. The Langham Place’s Chuan Spa has just launched its Chuan Academy. In addition to providing a space for the hotel group to train up its own therapists, the academy also offers a huge selection of ITEC (International Therapy Examination Council) courses to the public, including certificates and diplomas in anatomy and physiology, holistic massage, makeup, mani-pedis, waxing and more. On the business side, it also does courses if you want to become a spa concierge, receptionist or beauty consultant. Its first course, a Level 3 diploma in holistic massage, is set to commence in July, and will total 150 hours, split evenly between massage theory and practice, anatomy, and professional conduct and business awareness. The course costs $19,050 and includes the exam fee as well as a bunch of sweeteners such as free valet parking, a graduation dinner at Ming Court, health club membership, 15 percent off spa products, gift certificates and selected restaurants, to name just a few.
Find out more at www.chuanspa.com/academy.
Super Sodashi
The Oriental Spa at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental has just brought in Sodashi, a 100 percent chemical-free product and treatment line from Australia that proves that you don’t need to load your skin up with chemicals to achieve a beatific glow. I went to check out the 105-minute “Age Defying” facial last week, which was really effective—all without steaming, dermabrasion, enzyme masks and those other hardcore techniques that leave your skin sensitive and sore. One of the main parts of the facial is the 25-minute facial massage using heated rose quartz stones to release tension held in the face, neck and shoulders. The other is a thick self-heating mask that covers your eyes and lips (a warning for the claustrophobic) which actually sent me into some kind of weird meditative state, one that made me feel like I was floating above the massage table. That, or I have an inner ear problem. So the treatment is fab, but the price may restrict it to special occasions only—it’s $2,200 Monday to Thursday, and $2,350 Friday to Sunday. However, for the month of June you can experience the new brand in a much more cost-effective manner, as the Landmark MO will be serving a Sodashi-inspired healthy afternoon tea. I tried it and it has to be one of the best I’ve had: the platter of savories includes a lavender salmon roll and a goat cheese and ginger macaron, while the sweets feature a raw choco-banana cupcake, and mint marshmallows with dark chocolate ganache. It’s $260 per head weekdays and $280 on weekends, which also gets you access to a cake buffet (weekdays), a dessert buffet (weekends), tea or coffee and a Sodashi gift set.