SensAsia Urban Spa’s Skinni-Mini treatment promises to blast away cellulite, but does it really work?

SensAsia Urban Spa is offering body bootcamps to tone up and blast away cellulite. The last-minute de-bloating treatment, the Skinni-Mini, promises to tighten, tone and reduce water retention from the thighs and abdomen.

A pins-and-needles sensation is common during the skin-stimulating Skinni-Mini treatment. Courtesy SensAsia Urban Spa
Powered by automated translation

The long winter is behind us and summer is upon us, which means it’s time to hit the beach before it gets too hot. But beach time means bikini time and if, like me, you’re too busy, or lazy, to spend hours at the gym, stepping out in swimwear can fill you with dread. However, there is a quick fix: SensAsia Urban Spa is offering body boot camps to tone up and blast away cellulite.

The last-minute de-bloating treatment, Skinni-Mini, promises to tighten, tone and reduce water retention from the thighs and abdomen. Sceptical that a 90-minute treatment would make a visible difference, I headed to the Village Mall branch of SensAsia in Dubai’s Jumeirah.

My therapist warned that it was not an altogether comfortable experience, what with the unpleasant-smelling algae mask and feeling cold and wet. The electrical pulses that would go through my body would not hurt, she promised, but would feel strange. After some light body-brushing of my legs and stomach, it was time for The Machine. With a cold mask applied to my stomach, thighs and buttocks, the machine was placed underneath and on top of me. It felt like a thick rubber mat and soon I could feel a light tingling, like pins and needles.

As the power was upped, it felt like my muscles were being pulled and pushed from the inside, the result of two types of stimuli:galvanic and faradic.

The type of galvanic stimuli the machine uses is called iontophoresis, which is meant to push the mask’s fat and toxin-busting properties deeper into the epidermis. The second type of stimuli is faradic, which contracts and relaxes the muscles, and is used to tone as well as flush toxins out into the lymphatic system.

It was a highly unusual experience, but not painful, although I did feel like the patient in a game of Operation. Although I couldn’t notice an immediate difference, the next day my stomach and thighs felt tighter and more toned – I didn’t need to hold in my tummy in my skinny jeans. The machine is a great quick-fix but, for most of us, I don’t think it can replace time at the gym and a healthy diet. However, for gym-avoiders such as me, it’s always nice to have the option.

• Skinni-Mini is Dh515 for 90 minutes at SensAsia Urban Spa, Village Mall, Dubai. For more information, call 04 349 8850 or go here

sferguson@thenational.ae