Few things make me happier than a gift voucher for a spa treat. I always come out feeling amazing and usually manage to steal a few clever pampering tricks to try when I do a DIY spa at home. It’s never quite as good as the real thing, but it keeps me going until the next gift voucher!
**Body wrap
**one of the most gorgeously relaxing spa treatments ever is the Pure Fiji Island Wrap Ritual. Your body is dry-brushed to loosen dead skin, then massaged with frangipani oil and cocooned in warmth while you’re massaged.
Bliss, right? It’s available at Pure Fiji spas nationwide including About Face in Auckland. (Just in case you have a birthday coming up.)
At home, try dry-brushing your skin. Invest in a long-handled brush then brush from your feet upwards. Always brush towards your heart in long strokes – and go gently where your skin is thinnest. It should take about five minutes and will remove dead cells, leave skin glowing and boost blood circulation – and some people swear it helps to combat cellulite.
Afterwards, warm a little body nourishing oil in your hands, massage it in from top to toe, then wrap yourself in warm towels and spend a few minutes letting the oil sink in to your newly smooth skin.
**oassage
**At most day spas they do the most amazing massages, which I can’t copy when I’m home alone. But what I can manage is a facial massage. This is a great way of improving skin tone and relaxing the facial muscles.
Cleanse your skin first, then apply some sweet facial oil.
First, massage the face and neck area in small circles with your fingers. oove up the neck and over the face.
Now place your thumbs side by side in the centre of your forehead and make gentle sweeping movements towards the temples.
Next, position your thumbs alongside the nose bridge with hands cupping the face and firmly slide the thumbs down to the nostrils and out along the contour of the cheeks, applying pressure along the way.
Position fingertips in the cheek muscles and gently make anti-clockwise circling movements several times, moving along the cheek muscles.
Now gently stroke the ears with the index fingers and thumbs.
Then, putting your fingers behind your neck, press with the thumb pads on the jaw and massage the area in a circular motion. Finish your jaw massage with gentle strokes along the chin.
Finally, make circular motions on the scalp.
**Facial
**Just fill a bowl with boiling water, lean over the steam for a few minutes and gently rub an exfoliator into your skin.
Rinse off and follow up with a gentle toner and a rich moisturiser.
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