Rixos Royal Spa. Courtesy Rixos Hotel
Rixos Royal Spa. Courtesy Rixos Hotel
Rixos Royal Spa. Courtesy Rixos Hotel
Rixos Royal Spa. Courtesy Rixos Hotel

Going on a different path at Rixos Royal Spa


  • English
  • Arabic

When it comes to massages, I generally don't deviate from the tried-and-true deep tissue variety for fear I'll spend 60 minutes wishing I'd done things differently. And so it was out of character to go for an entirely different style as part of the New Year, New You package at the Rixos Royal Spa. But the detox-promising combination of a lymphatic drainage massage paired with an instant glow collagen facial proved too enticing, particularly on the heels of overindulging on various treats throughout the holiday season.

The set-up

Just eight months old, this is the first hotel the popular Turkish chain has opened in the UAE with a second planned, also for Dubai, in the coming months. Located on the east crescent of The Palm, about 10 minutes after Atlantis, it has all the luxury you would expect from a five-star hotel along with gorgeous sea views. All spa clients are free to use the steam and sauna services, with rooms that specialise in couples' treatments. Before heading to the facilities, a staff member asked me to choose the scent to be used in the massage (lavender), the music style ("chill-out") and the colour of room (blue). Much to my surprise they were not referring to the paint, drapes or accessories, but the actual colour of light used in the room. I could only be glad I didn't choose red, as blue lent a disco vibe to the proceedings that I wasn't really a fan of.

The treatments

The therapist warned me that the massage was to be conducted entirely while laying face-up and would not do anything to help ease knots and sore muscles in my back. She also offered to change it to something else, but we stuck to the original plan. She then spent 45 minutes very gently massaging small areas around my knees, hips, upper arms and upper chest, where the lymph nodes are concentrated, which proved so relaxing that I actually nodded off. I left feeling calm, rejuvenated and lighter, too. My face caught up with the rest of me after I made my way upstairs for the "instant glow" portion of the proceedings. Promising to deeply moisturise, and blessedly free of the dreaded extraction, my therapist explained that she would be using Thalgo products, which are rich in marine-based minerals. While the proceedings offered the typical cleansing, exfoliation and a facial massage using "piano" strokes, I felt it was the collagen sheets, augmented by two doses of moisturising serum and applied for 20 minutes, that really worked magic.

The service

I was impressed with the massage therapist and facialist (both from Turkey) who offered the treatments. Although the facialist spoke very little English, she had a colleague translate her advice for taking care of my skin at the end of the session. I was also offered a welcome mocktail, fresh juice, tea and the most gorgeous and varied plate of fruit of my life - so plentiful I could only eat about half of it.

The prices

The New Year, New You package is quite reasonable, at Dh850. The spa is also offering four different Valentine's Day packages for two in February, including a Turkish hammam and head and neck massage for Dh900.

How to book

You can contact the Rixos Royal Spa at 04 457 5555 or through www.rixos.com.

The Farewell

Director: Lulu Wang

Stars: Awkwafina, Zhao Shuzhen, Diana Lin, Tzi Ma

Four stars

The National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Scores

Day 2

New Zealand 153 & 56-1
Pakistan 227

New Zealand trail by 18 runs with nine wickets remaining

COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dresos%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20September%202020%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Vladimir%20Radojevic%20and%20Aleksandar%20Jankovic%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Fashion%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%24285%2C000%3B%20%24500%2C000%20currently%20being%20raised%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Crowdfunding%2C%20family%2C%20friends%20and%20self-funding%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands

50-man Royal Rumble - names entered so far include Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, The New Day and Elias

Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match

WWE World Heavyweight Championship AJ Styles (champion) v Shinsuke Nakamura

Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe

United States Championship Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal

SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos

Raw Tag Team Championship (currently vacant) Cesaro and Sheamus v Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt

Casket match The Undertaker v Chris Jericho

Singles match John Cena v Triple H

Cruiserweight Championship Cedric Alexander v tba

 

Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
The biog

Favourite food: Fish and seafood

Favourite hobby: Socialising with friends

Favourite quote: You only get out what you put in!

Favourite country to visit: Italy

Favourite film: Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.

Family: We all have one!

The Gentlemen

Director: Guy Ritchie

Stars: Colin Farrell, Hugh Grant 

Three out of five stars

German intelligence warnings
  • 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
  • 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
  • 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250 

Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution

WHY%20AAYAN%20IS%20'PERFECT%20EXAMPLE'
%3Cp%3EDavid%20White%20might%20be%20new%20to%20the%20country%2C%20but%20he%20has%20clearly%20already%20built%20up%20an%20affinity%20with%20the%20place.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EAfter%20the%20UAE%20shocked%20Pakistan%20in%20the%20semi-final%20of%20the%20Under%2019%20Asia%20Cup%20last%20month%2C%20White%20was%20hugged%20on%20the%20field%20by%20Aayan%20Khan%2C%20the%20team%E2%80%99s%20captain.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EWhite%20suggests%20that%20was%20more%20a%20sign%20of%20Aayan%E2%80%99s%20amiability%20than%20anything%20else.%20But%20he%20believes%20the%20young%20all-rounder%2C%20who%20was%20part%20of%20the%20winning%20Gulf%20Giants%20team%20last%20year%2C%20is%20just%20the%20sort%20of%20player%20the%20country%20should%20be%20seeking%20to%20produce%20via%20the%20ILT20.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%9CHe%20is%20a%20delightful%20young%20man%2C%E2%80%9D%20White%20said.%20%E2%80%9CHe%20played%20in%20the%20competition%20last%20year%20at%2017%2C%20and%20look%20at%20his%20development%20from%20there%20till%20now%2C%20and%20where%20he%20is%20representing%20the%20UAE.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%9CHe%20was%20influential%20in%20the%20U19%20team%20which%20beat%20Pakistan.%20He%20is%20the%20perfect%20example%20of%20what%20we%20are%20all%20trying%20to%20achieve%20here.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%9CIt%20is%20about%20the%20development%20of%20players%20who%20are%20going%20to%20represent%20the%20UAE%20and%20go%20on%20to%20help%20make%20UAE%20a%20force%20in%20world%20cricket.%E2%80%9D%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A