The Dove Spa

Itchy has never looked better. Seriously, our skin is shining (and not in a sweaty way), our eyes are bright and we have a glow in our cheeks. We are positively radiant.

Makes a nice change as well; usually the post weekend feeling is one of utter confusion, pain, blurred vision and memory loss.

The difference was that this weekend we swapped our spirits for spas. The Dove spa (12 Gravel Lane, E1, 0844 800 2154) to be more precise, which aims to offer a unique spa experience specially designed to celebrate the beauty of real women. Lovely.

Not only did we leave brighter (and maybe slightly embarrassed about admitting our alcohol intake to the girl with pristine skin who doesn't drink) but we actually felt more educated. We now now the whys, hows and whats about treating our skin.

The Dove spa takes you though a personal skin-care process. The consultation is thorough and detailed. They use several 'little machines' (we are pretty sure this isn't the actual term) which are placed on your skin to measure the water levels of our lower epidermis among other complicated things. Although they looked scary this was actually quite educational and Itchy felt like a better human for finally understanding our face.

For example... the skin under your eyes is 10 times as thin as the skin on the rest of your face. Euugh shocker! Definitely time to pile on that eye cream (a sad fact when you hit mid-twenties)

After this we were treated to the actual facial (a full 60 minutes of massages, hot towels, deep cleansing, extractions (if needed - we didn't - woop). We were given the choice to have an electric impulse applied to our breakouts (ok, ok, so we did had a few little marks!). This looked extremely terrifying but seemed to do the trick. Five days later we were blemish free. You could eat your dinner off our face, if you were that way inclined.

Also, added to the Dove Spa facials are an 'additional extra'. This is included in the price of the facial, so there are no hidden surprises. You are free to choose from a menu of procedures... it was like deciding what to have for lunch, but a lot more soothing. We opted for the nail shape. With a hot towel on your face, and your nails being treated by a caring professional, you'd be forgiven for thinking you were in an indulgent version of heaven.

For more info and to find your nearest spa visit www.dovespa.co.uk

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