A new pampering experience in the capital

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  Amra meets the world in Abu Dhabi: Emirates Palace Spa has the distinction of being the first location to offer facial and body treatments using the exclusive UK-based Amra line, which uses precious stones to rejuvenate and hydrate. Think Mystic Moroccan Hammam with diamond oil or Harmonising Palace Massage with gold oil. Spa director Hannah Dowd promises clients who go for the facials and body treatments using real pearl, gold, garnet, diamond, platinum and caviar will get results. “This is one of those treatments, where you will see a difference,” she says. Courtesy Emirates Palace Spa

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  Forlle’d — a first for the region: Products that are based on the Nobel Prize-winning scientific work of the Japanese scientist Koichi Tanaka, who in 2002 was recognised for identifying and analysing biological macromolecules, you say? This high-end company, whose professional use-only products are mostly found in medical spas and plastic surgeons’ offices, promises that its serums and cleansers contain low-molecular ­hyaluronic acid that is able to penetrate into the deeper layers of the skin for true hydration. Courtesy Emirates Palace Spa

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  Bastien Gonzalez nail spa: It just might be the most exclusive nail salon in the capital. With just two luxurious black-leather reclining chairs, the Bastien Gonzalez location is new to Abu Dhabi (and only the UAE’s second, following the first in Atlantis, The Palm). With techniques designed by the French chiropodist namesake, dubbed the “foot virtuoso”, the treatments go far beyond offering beautiful, stylish polishes free from formaldehyde and other harmful chemicals. Therapists actually treat the nails, hands and feet, offering special massaging techniques that can help speed healing of bunions and callouses — even easing clenched toes. Dry manicures and pedicures also use a leather chamois to give nails a break from polish — and leave them so shiny you won’t need any. Courtesy Emirates Palace Spa

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  The very best therapists: The spa did not replace anyone on its roster of 12 experienced therapists, and that includes the magical Thai massage master Daeng Yodwut. (His energy and talented touch have to be experienced to be believed — and is worth the Dh1,530 price of a 90-minute traditional Thai massage.) Two new therapists have been added to the Bastien Gonzalez salon, along with a barber working out of Gentleman’s Tonic. Courtesy Anantara Spa

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  Upscale pregnancy massage: Emirates Palace Spa’s pregnancy massages don’t incorporate specially designed tables, instead treating women lying on their side, “because pregnant ladies shouldn’t be lying on their stomachs, it’s too hard on their back muscles”, explains Dowd. The client is supported under the belly and the knees, as an experienced therapist works up and down either side of her body for deep relaxation. Massages can be done after the first trimester right up until birth. Wavebreak Media LTD/ Wavebreak Media Ltd / Corbis

Emirates Palace Spa in Abu Dhabi has gone through an extensive revamp over the past 18 months and launches today with the addition of men’s services, a nail salon and four product lines — one of them making its international debut. Here are six reasons to check it out.

Changing the game

After parting ways with Anantara last year, spa director Hannah Dowd said an opportunity arose to move away from Asian-inspired treatments and products associated with the brand and offer a menu that caters more specifically to the regional customer. A therapist herself, she helmed an international search for the newest and most innovative products on the market. The interior of the spa is still steeped in old-world Arabian luxury, with lots of tile, mosaic and marble, although the treatment tables are now covered in feather beds, fluffy pillows and down duvets, not just plain towels, and the new gentlemen’s salon from the independent designer Panudda Foers offers sleek wood and leather.