When life gets busy, self-care often gets pushed to the bottom of the to-do list. Luckily, across the UAE, there are spas and salons with treatments to suit not only every spending plan, but also every time budget.
Whether popping out in your lunch hour or slotting in a session after the school run, there's a quick-hit treatment out there to help you find a moment of calm, restore your energy and come back to yourself.
Here are some options.
Cold plunge: One to five minutes
Where: The Ice House, locations across Dubai
For the super-time-squeezed, the longest part of this treatment will likely be getting to the studio. Easily slotted into a lunch break or on the drive to or from work, cold plunge therapy involves immersing yourself in icy water for up to five minutes to experience an array of science-backed benefits.
Water set to temperatures of between 5°C and 12°C can boost circulation as it constricts blood vessels, then rapidly opens them post-plunge, enhancing blood flow and reducing inflammation, which can aid in recovery. The treatment is also known to an effective mood-booster, triggering endorphins and dopamine, and can help to kick-start a sluggish metabolism.
From Dh125
Led light therapy bed: 10 minutes
Where: Ucryo, locations across Dubai
The latest in skin, energy and mood-boosting wellness technology, LED light therapy can be used on all parts of the face and body. Purported benefits include younger-looking skin, heightened recovery and relaxation, and restored energy and vitality.
Once you lay down on the bed, five different wavelengths of red, infrared and green light work to penetrate the skin. Light waves stimulate the production of energy molecules, improving blood flow and enhancing oxygen delivery, enabling faster cell repair and regeneration. Proponents of the treatment also say it helps them sleep better.
From Dh229
Express facial: 15 minutes
Where: Flash Facial, Dubai Hills Mall
Flash Facial in Dubai Hills Mall promises to “revolutionise how busy women think about skincare maintenance”. Capped at a quarter of the time it takes to have a traditional facial – and open to walk-ins – the treatment can be slotted into busy schedules, making facials part of regular beauty maintenance rather than a once-in-a-while treat.
The facial begin with cleansing and exfoliation, followed by vacuum-assisted extraction, before serums are applied using tools such as HydraFacial to allow them to penetrate more deeply into the skin.
While Flash Facial exclusively caters to those on a time budget, many others across the Emirates offer express facials.
From Dh149
Head, neck and shoulder massage: 20 minutes
Where: Tips & Toes, locations across UAE
Whether booked as a standalone or an add-on during a manicure, this 20-minute treatment means you can be in and out of the massage chair and still have time to grab lunch.
The home-grown company is famed for training its therapists to weed out those stubborn knots that can accumulate across the neck and shoulders, and staff are also well-versed in other quick-turnaround beauty treatments, such as express mani-pedis.
From Dh115
Calming bath: 30 minutes
Where: Banyan Tree Spa Dubai, Bluewaters Island
If you only have half an hour to spare, why not sign up for an out-of-home bath experience? Banyan Tree Spa offers four “calming bath” treatments. The detoxing option is a classic salt bath infused with citrus aimed at energising, while the purifying bath is designed to moisturise for glowing skin. Scented with flowers indigenous to the region, the relaxing bath is the ideal post-work treatment, while the rejuvenating option features a mix of herbs along with cucumber, ginger, vitamin C and antioxidants to brighten the skin and reinvigorate the senses.
From Dh350
Acupuncture: 45 minutes
Where: Namm Spa, Dusit Thani Abu Dhabi
You can just about fit this treatment into your lunch hour. Over 45 minutes, Namm Spa's Calm Mind Stress Relief treatment includes traditional acupressure with compresses to relieve pain, reduce stress, and improve circulation. Acupressure points on the head, neck, hands and feet are targeted before warm and cool compresses are alternated to improve circulation and muscular release.
From Dh350
Sound healing: 60 minutes
Where: The Spa at Mandarin Oriental, Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi
Indulge your senses with a traditional Himalayan Singing Bowls treatment, which uses sounds and vibrations to channel energy. Also known as sound healing, the session aims to help you achieve a more balanced state of mind by shifting stagnant energy and reinstating the natural flow within the body’s energetic field. Singing bowls are placed on and around you, aimed at inducing a deep state of meditative relaxation.
From Dh650
