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Hydradermie and hot stone massages
It was time for a double treat of a galvanising facial and an ancient massage technique

If there is one treatment that every woman who lives in the sultanate must have, it is a hydrating facial. Just as water is essential for your survival in the desert, the new beautician in town at Muscat Beauty Salon, April, insists that a hydradermie facial is more of a necessity than a luxury for women here. While dry heat is not a welcoming proposition for the delicate facial skin, what is worse is the effect of constant air-conditioning. This dries out your skin faster than you can remember to slap some moisturising cream on. Every therapist in the world never fails to mention that water, and lots of it, to drink and moisture to preserve in your skin is the only thing between you and a dried-up prune.

As skin ages, its moisture retention ability decreases and that's when you have to have that extra help. As April says, even if your skin is good and you have none of the impending signs of middle age, or to put it more bluntly furrows in your face, it's still a good idea to go in for such a facial. The almost invisible fine lines round the eyes or mouth can remain a secret between you and your magnifying mirror (and your beautician) as long as the moisture that is lost from your skin daily is replenished.

April starts with a quick check of your medical history, as she will be using a galvanising current to help the treatment products penetrate deeper for a longer-lasting effect. Cleansing is the first step and this is a morning and night routine that she advises must never be skipped. This helps rid your face of the surface dirt which is constantly searching for open pores to burrow into and leave you with blackheads, whiteheads and the like. After this comes the exfoliation that sloughs off the dead skin.
After priming the skin, it's now time for the hydradermie treatment to begin. A treatment from Guinot, it combines a mild galvanic current with a high frequency to drain toxins, improve microcirculation and skin tone and increase the penetration and activation of the skin care products. The hydradermie facial is customised as per individual requirements and is recommended for all skin types, including sensitive and delicate skins.

Following a generous coating over the face with a product based on plant extracts, April begins to run the rollers that carry a galvanic current in gentle sweeping movements around your face. Besides the faint metallic taste in your mouth (especially prevalent if you have fillings) and a gentle prickling sensation, it's a delicious cooling sensation and your mind is lulled into actually feeling the moisture seep in.

After a concentrated roller movement around the eye area with a serum to help hydrate the thin skin and an oxygenating cream on the face and neck to sterilise the skin, you are done. An hour of total relaxation and everything that the treatment claims it will do like removing dirt and pollutants from the deeper layers of the skin, deep absorption of hydrating gels, leaves you looking visibly brighter with smooth-as-silk skin.

Hot stones massage
The timing was perfect: with shoulders aching and a backache just beginning, the prospect of a hot stones massage to ease the body after a cooling massage to rejuvenate the face seemed very inviting. A technique used by the ancient Mayan and Aztec Indians for healing purposes, basalt rocks are heated to a comfortably warm temperature and then either placed or massaged on the stressed areas of the body.

We began with the trouble area – the shoulders. After a quick kneading and bare-hand massaging of the back with an aromatic oil, April picks up two heated stones which she then uses to carry on the massage. The sensation is nothing short of bliss as the heat seeps in to your bones and you can feel the knotted muscles gradually ease. After a while it is difficult to make out where the therapist's hands begin and the stones end.

Going down the back of the legs to then work her way up the front, arms and the face, April explains that she uses both hot and cold stones during her massage. Cool stones placed on key points actually help alleviate stress. After the massage, the therapist suggests drinking a lot of water and avoiding rich food. And once you are done with an hour and quarter of this, as you float away on a sea of wellbeing, you will be planning your next visit already.