London

Hello readers, I am on vacation in London at the moment. I will be resuming back to writing reviews and blogging mid-July 09 after my vacation. Stay tuned for London posts and shops blogs.

Till then.

Alpha-H Facial at Spa Zone, The Mall

There are so many facials available in the market that it can be hard to work out which one you should try. Determining whether the facial is going to be suitable for your skin is going to be difficult unless you know that the brand used really suits you. Some of us go for a facial because its such an indulgent and necessary thing to do.

Obviously we want something that we can’t get by doing at home – European brands that’s totally unavailable over the counter or at supermarket. Tell me about it – Isn’t it difficult to get a good skin care product here in Brunei. I can only get hold of my La Mer and Chanel during trips abroad, I usually stock quite a few! All facials should make your skin feel clean, fresh, soft and most importantly clear from problems such as blemishes. Whichever facial you choose, you can expect all facials to include cleansing, toning and moisturising.

 

 

Upon arrival to Spa Zone, 2nd floor of the Mall you immediately enter the reception/nail bar/waiting lounge. Spa Zone does have limited space – it felt more like a salon than a spa – so this really is a place where you normally just drop in for that emergency manicure or express lunch time facial rather than a full day of indulgence. The receptionist also my facialist immediately asked for my name and what treatment I would like to have. I told her I was interested with their Alpha-H facial and it had been quite a while since I had a facial treatment. Alpha-H skin care are Australian based products & I have heard amazing reviews from satisfied customers how their face looking exceptionally radiant afterwards.

 

 

She recommended the Deep Cleansing facial to thoroughly cleanse the face with double cleansing techniques and the deep cleansing mask to extract any dirt from the closed pores and of course the blackhead-extraction (less relaxing!). The Alpha-H treatment room is quite a small-sized room due to the limited space available. To be perfectly honest, the environment did felt more like a salon rather than a relaxing & indulgent spa atmosphere. I wasn’t that bothered. For an Alpha-H at this price, it is a steal! My therapist left me alone for a couple of minutes, allowing the time to get comfortable with the reclining facial/massage bed. On return, the therapist did a quick assessment of my complexion before starting the treatment.

 

 

The Alpha-H facial was alright, it lived up to my standard expectations of what a facial suppose to be. The double cleansing involves applying steam from a noisy facial steamer to open up my pores. And then the deep cleansing mask was applied twice with 10-15 minutes for each mask which then the therapist would leave the room. I was hoping during the time period, the therapist could perhaps give a mini head or shoulder massage – it would have dramatically improve my facial experience. Also its quite a shame that there is no background spa music too.

 

 

The facial left my face looking exceptionally radiant for days afterwards especially now, my face is free from unwanted acne and blemishes, although I have to admit the day after the facial my face experienced a mini-breakout at where the therapist did the painful extractions! For the price of $38 upon showing your HSBC card (normal price $40), I’m not complaining – where else could you get an Alpha-H facial at such a price?

Before leaving, the therapist gave me privilege card where points can be accumulated for every $20 purchased, there’s plenty of redemptions which include a foot spa and paraffin wax hand treatment. You don’t need to spent quite a lot to enjoy the benefits.

Verdict: 6/10

Unit 2.21 Level 2 The Mall Gadong Call 244 8491 for enquiries and bookings. Opens daily 10am – 10pm

Was it worth it? Yes, with the affordable pricing and comprehensive facial. The spa atmosphere could use a more spa “feel” by adding background music, a few improvements here and there with the layout and spa ambience, this spa could have top marks.