This is the worst time of the year for me – seriously. I possibly couldn’t hate the horridly hot and sticky weather more… what’s with Mother Nature? Blotchy skin, ugly breakouts, greasy face, dehydrated complexion, makeup that doesn’t stay put for more than 30 seconds… this is no way to treat your poor kids, mommy 
That’s why I just need a mere suggestion of a spa day and am off and running! Unfortunately, summer brings out way to many spa pretenders who have no clue what to do besides play some music and douse you with a tiny bit of feel-good vibes that do nothing for your skin and even less for your state of mind an hour after you have paid the bill.
Fortunately, Beaubelle is not one of these! Quite the opposite, in fact. This international spa brand, which has recently launched in India, believes in “Providing holistic rejuvenation solutions to maintain youth, beauty and health through the harmony of body, mind and soul”. This may sound simplistic but you would be surprised to know how many spa brands completely lose sight of the fact that to look good you have to feel good and vice-versa. And that to feel good, your body needs to be healthy – which leads into the need for treatments that boost the immune system. Hooked? I was – hence the trip to the Taj Salon in Mumbai for a “diagnosis” and hopeful relief from terrible skin, terrible fatigue and a consistent sinus episode that was just refusing to go away!
Body Boon
Maggie, my therapist, took one look at my snivelling, blotchy self and decided to pull out the big guns – aroma oils + oxygen therapy (yup! my skin definitely looked like it needed life support!).
First up, a detoxifying foot massage and soak using warm water: perfect for letting the body know it’s in good hands and hence setting the stage for total relaxation. Next, as I lay prone on the table, Maggie smoothed away the rough patches with a micronized salt scrub loaded with calcium and magnesium to rid the skin of impurities and dead cells. Then came a divine body wrap with natural algae to step up the internal detoxification (I could literally visualise the algae doing battle with all those chilled white wines and greasy potato chips that form my staple summer diet!). This was followed by lymphatic drainage – a gentle symphony of long, broad, strokes to rid the body of all toxins and create a sense of calm. By now, I was so chilled out that sleep overtook all other senses.
Best Face Forward
The rest of the treatment passed in a dozy blur but one look at my suddenly and miraculously glowing face an hour later (Beaubelle, thankfully, is not one of those brands who believes that results should jump up and surprise you two days later – what you see is pretty much what you get, which just seems more credible and satisfying) forced my slumbering brain to ask some questions – the secret, I understand, lies in the brand’s “power complex”, which is chock-full of liquid oxygen to step up cellular regeneration and increase the skin’s natural energy reserves. This comes after some deep cleansing and exfoliating – and would (Maggie explains) have created a slight warming sensation as the power complex began to oxygenate the cells had I not been faaaaaast asleep at that point.
The grand finale? An essential oil face pack that sealed everything in nice and tight, waking up the skin and creating that lovely glow. Plus, all those dazzlingly aromatic oils resulted in a feeling of such wondrous well being that I didn’t even want to cry about all the work stacked on my desk any longer… anything is possible when you are feeling this good 
I literally bounced out of the Taj, ready to take on the summer heat once again! After all, I now know where to turn when the skin and spirits start to droop. Bliss!
