Male grooming has long gone past the taboo stage, not least in this part of the world. But while there is an increasing number of unisex five-star spas for gents in Dubai, they are harder to come by in Abu Dhabi.
Urban Male Lounge, at Abu Dhabi’s World Trade Centre Mall, is a newborn twin of the UML at The Galleria, and a masculine sibling to its sister NStyle International chain of nail bars. While many posh spas let self-importance get in the way of relaxation, the package part of UML’s menu is rife with a playful side. And right at the top of the tree, above options such as The Player and The CEO, is the Chairman of the Board leviathan: 240 minutes – a whole four hours of head-to-toe attention.
The marathon begins with a hot lather shave that left me looking about 10 years younger. Then it was out of the salon and into one of a mini-warren of treatment rooms for the dual-therapist attack of The Deal Maker manicure and the Hole-in-One pedicure. The television, remote control and headphones took second place to a gentle snooze and staring idly into space.
The next element was the Hoof It Off Callus Eliminator. I’d assumed that it would be a fairly superfluous, or painful, treatment. Neither preconception proved entirely accurate: though I’m quite conceivably an inch shorter now, the combination of skin-softening foot wraps and vigorous filing ensured soles to be proud of.
Next up was the main event: the Thai Blend Hot Stone Massage. Mixing techniques, as that title suggests, the male therapist went tough on the Thai influence via a series of semi-agonising contortions that revealed their full muscle-loosening effect days later. I was left to relax for a moment before the Revitalizer Facial, a multi-layered face fixer of masks and peels based around products from the top British skincare brand Heaven.
I wasn’t actually offered the final part of the Chairman package, although I will put the lack of a shoe shine down to a sensible glance at the lack of suitable footwear – the polish would probably have ruined a pair of Adidas.
After four hours of pampering, the Chairman of the Board will leave you feeling like a boss.
• A 240-minute Chairman of the Board package at Urban Male Lounge, World Trade Centre Mall, Abu Dhabi, costs Dh1,000, plus taxes. Call Urban Male Lounge at 800 865 for bookings
[ aworkman@thenational.ae ]
Martin Sabbagh profile
Job: CEO JCDecaux Middle East
In the role: Since January 2015
Lives: In the UAE
Background: M&A, investment banking
Studied: Corporate finance
Also on December 7 to 9, the third edition of the Gulf Car Festival (www.gulfcarfestival.com) will take over Dubai Festival City Mall, a new venue for the event. Last year's festival brought together about 900 cars worth more than Dh300 million from across the Emirates and wider Gulf region – and that first figure is set to swell by several hundred this time around, with between 1,000 and 1,200 cars expected. The first day is themed around American muscle; the second centres on supercars, exotics, European cars and classics; and the final day will major in JDM (Japanese domestic market) cars, tuned vehicles and trucks. Individuals and car clubs can register their vehicles, although the festival isn’t all static displays, with stunt drifting, a rev battle, car pulls and a burnout competition.
The Mother
Director: Niki Caro
Stars: Jennifer Lopez, Joseph Fiennes, Gael Garcia Bernal, Omari Hardwick and Lucy Paez
Rating: 3/5
Dates for the diary
To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:
- September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
- October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
- October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
- November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
- December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
- February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
Company Profile
Company name: Hoopla
Date started: March 2023
Founder: Jacqueline Perrottet
Based: Dubai
Number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Investment required: $500,000
Sweet Tooth
Creator: Jim Mickle
Starring: Christian Convery, Nonso Anozie, Adeel Akhtar, Stefania LaVie Owen
Rating: 2.5/5
Company Profile
Name: Direct Debit System
Started: Sept 2017
Based: UAE with a subsidiary in the UK
Industry: FinTech
Funding: Undisclosed
Investors: Elaine Jones
Number of employees: 8
The biog
Name: Salvador Toriano Jr
Age: 59
From: Laguna, The Philippines
Favourite dish: Seabass or Fish and Chips
Hobbies: When he’s not in the restaurant, he still likes to cook, along with walking and meeting up with friends.
Gully Boy
Director: Zoya Akhtar
Producer: Excel Entertainment & Tiger Baby
Cast: Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Kalki Koechlin, Siddhant Chaturvedi
Rating: 4/5 stars
The stats and facts
1.9 million women are at risk of developing cervical cancer in the UAE
80% of people, females and males, will get human papillomavirus (HPV) once in their lifetime
Out of more than 100 types of HPV, 14 strains are cancer-causing
99.9% of cervical cancers are caused by the virus
A five-year survival rate of close to 96% can be achieved with regular screenings for cervical cancer detection
Women aged 25 to 29 should get a Pap smear every three years
Women aged 30 to 65 should do a Pap smear and HPV test every five years
Children aged 13 and above should get the HPV vaccine
