Branded Treatments And Products

 

When you're looking for a great spa experience, a home spa product or even a nice Christmas present, spa brands can be a great comfort factor.

 

In the 2014 edition of my book I've listed some of the most popular spa brands, but it's important to remember that brands can operate in different ways.  Some own and run spas and produce a range of products that can be bought for home use, for example Mandarin Oriental (it’s nice to know that whilst the price tag for treatments at the spa may be much higher than elsewhere the take home products can be more affordable), whereas others may simply produce a line of products and then train therapists from any spa on how to use them.

 

In some ways this is a great comfort factor in choosing a massage, but you have to remember that even if the massage is of great quality it doesn't mean the spa facilities will be.

 

Another tip on spa brands which has helped me find excellent spas is to look at the brands used in top spas, go to the brand website and then look at their local spa list.  This is particularly useful if you're looking for particular types of massage,
e.g. traditional gommage or rasul treatments in which case you could search by "La Sultane de Saba" as most of the spas in Europe I've visited offering this service use their products.  Their website doesn't seem to currently list any but their own spas in France and Belgium, but if you use the ESPA website you'll find a staggering number of spas listed.

 

If you have favourite products at home it's also worth looking for treatments using the same brand.

 

If you're buying branded beauty products a word of caution, these are susceptible to counterfeiting, just like more expensive perfumes, so be careful when buying online.  Some brands may choose to make their products only available through spas.

 

(Personally I think this gives you a good excuse to go to the Mandarin Oriental, indulge in a few hours of top end spa-ing and then buy all your Christmas presents on the way out.  All your Christmas shopping done in a few hours, plus heavy-duty relaxation before the festivities… priceless.)