USP State-of-the-art spa on the banks of Loch Lomond combines urban
luxury with rural tranquility.
AMBIENCE When you finally stop gawping at the awesome scenery and get
into the circular reception decked out in creams and dark wood it becomes
obvious that a lot of care and attention to detail has been lavished on the
interiors. Happily, the designers have eschewed some of the more hackneyed
trimmings of “relaxation” and “tranquillity” (statues of Buddha and the
like, which only really look right in Asian spas) in favour of a clean,
modern look with clever lighting.
EXPERIENCE It’s one of only three spas in Scotland to use the US spa
brand Kerstin Florian (they also use Carita, the - even more - luxurious
sister brand of Décleor) and my 90-minute caviar facial is almost medical.
Well, it would be if it wasn’t so incredibly luxurious.
But as always, business before pleasure and we kick off with a glycolic peel.
This is the most gentle of the exfoliating peels in which fruit acids take
off the top layers of dead skin to stimulate cell growth. Even so, it feels
quite hot and a bit stingy. My therapist warned me about this and the skin
sensitivity it can cause - no hot showers or baths for 24 hours after as the
steam can cause rashes - at the consultation before the facial, so I’m not
too worried. Plus, it’s a small price to pay for great skin (I’m hoping).
The rest of the facial is all about soothing the face after the peel. I lose
track of the creams being rubbed into my face – but who’s counting! The
highlight is a divine face massage, which seems to include both pressure
point and lymphatic drainage techniques. My therapist has a deft touch -
neither feeble nor wince-inducingly firm and I feel total relaxation wash
over me, which I don’t usually get from a facial.
Next is the mask. “I’m going to put the mask over your eyes,” the therapist
warns me at the beginning of the treatment. “It can feel a bit weird but
just try to relax.” When she puts it on my face, I’m surprised by how thick
it feels. Weirder still is when she smoothes it into my eye sockets filling
them in and it is at this point that I get a shade uncomfortable. I’ve been
lying in a gentle daze for so long I can hardly remember what my eyelids are
for. Suddenly with them glued shut I have a perverse urge to open them.
Typical. But once I relax into it, everything is fine.
Last, a caviar serum (a little bottle of which I get to take away with me for
further treatment) is rubbed into the face to nourish it. Then just as I’m
about to drop off, Patricia touches me gently on the arm and says, “That’s
you,” and tells me to stay in the room for as long as I need to come to.
A final note: the therapists are unbelievably helpful. My bags did a vanishing
trick on the flight from London and when they heard they gave me a goodie
bag full of face creams and an impromptu lesson in the art of mineral makeup
and a loan of some of their i.d. bareMinerals range of make-up so I could
make myself presentable the next day!
FOOD Claret Jug restaurant on the ground floor provides yummy
gastro-pub grub and the spa has a restaurant with a balcony overlooking the
loch especially for spa guests to have a bite to eat without getting out of
their robes.
IN-CROWD West of Scotland’s pampered beau monde mingle with a
surprising number of male golfers using the amazing hot and cold sauna zone
to untangle stiff muscles.
WALLET WATCH Kerstin Florian Signature Caviar Facial, 90 mins, £125;
Golfer’s Recovery Massage, 50 mins, £80, European Deep Cleansing Facial, 60
mins, £65
NEED TO KNOW The Spa at The Carrick, Cameron House, Loch Lomond,
Dunbartonshire G83 8QZ (01389 755 565; www.devere.co.uk/chs1)
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