Tuesday, April 14, 2015

AN AFTERNOON AT HARBOUR DAY SPA

Located just half an hour out of Brisbane CBD sits a luxury day spa with bay views. It's the perfect escape from the fast-paced city life that can get a little stressful at times. So instead of running around the city at meetings, yesterday I slowed the pace and spent the day unwinding at Harbour Day Spa. It was an all encompassing experience from the head, with a coconut oil treatment, to the toes, with an oil infused foot scrub.
 
It's a spa that obtains the philosophy of feel good, look good. So instead of leaving the spa oily and in a hoodie, you step out in just blown hair and freshly applied makeup. Let me take you though my pamper day step by step and explain all the treatments I experienced.

On arrival I was sat with some lovely tea and provided a form to fill out that helps your therapist customise the treatments to your preferences. I was receiving the Autumn Pamper Package along with a few extras including; Visia Skin Analysis, Signature Shampoo & Blow Dry and mineral makeup application.
 
After being given a tour of the unexpectedly huge property, I changed into a comfy robe and sat in the tranquil dim waiting room. I sunk into the unbelievably comfortable chair surrounded by flickering candles, soft music and beautiful scents in the air- needless to say that the relaxation was instantaneous.

After a few moments spent enjoying the serenity that was the waiting room I was lead by my therapist Jess ito my consultation for a Visia Skin Analysis session where they test your skin for a variety of possible issues such as sun damage, pigmentation, oil flow problems, blocked pores etc. I passed each test with flying colours which gave me some much needed relief since I have been interested in checking the status of my skin for a while.
As the doors to the treatment room opened, you could almost hear angels singing hallelujahs. This place was heaven and I was instantly greeted with a bowl of nice warm water with rose petals floating on the top. I was posed with the choice of two scents, a relaxing or energising blend, so I went with the more fruity scent since I find they ignite my senses while also relaxing me. What followed was a beautiful orange and almond foot scrub and soak, it was simply beautiful.

It was then time to move over to the massage table where I would be in bliss for the next hour and a half courtesy of my incredible therapist, Jess. I was given a lovely dry body brush then my aromatherapy back massage commenced, focussing on my upper back and shoulders since I indicated that is where my main tension lies. The use of hot stones to loosen the muscles was something new to me but it further made the experience incredibly relaxing and effective. All movements were carefully considered to achieve absolute relief of any tension.
It was then time to flip over for a relaxing one hour long hydrating facial that had many layers to the process. First was a gentle antioxidant cleanser that smelled good enough to eat, like a coconut pastry. Next was the 3 in 1 fruit peel mask that leaves the skin feeling silky soft and exfoliated. The facial was finished off with a mineral sunscreen that smelled to good I thought it was another cleanser or scrub. My skin has it's bounce and elasticity back again, feeling radiant and healthy due to the increased circulation. My time in the treatment room was finished up with a coconut oil scalp massage, lovely for relaxing your head and amazing for hydrating your hair.    
After changing back into my jeans and shirt it was time to refuel on some tea once again in the waiting room until I was whisked away into the hairdressing salon section of the spa that overlooks the beautiful bay. First up was a consultation with my stylist Cara, thinking of what we wanted to do regarding the style so we decided on a round brush blow dry focussed on body and curl. But first we had to wash out the beautiful coconut oil so it was over to the basins for some signature shampooing and conditioning.

We then added some Argan oil and lightly blog dried the hair before getting out the round brushes and beginning the blow out. Cara was incredibly skilled and it was the absolute best round brush blow dry I have ever had, and I have had at least 15 in the past few years.



Now for the makeup, we went with a very simple look using products from Curtis Collection, a brand I have spoken about here on the blog before. We went for a dewy base using the BB cream, bare eyes using only a light coat of mascara and a bright pop of colour with a beautiful coral lipstick. See the finished makeup above, pictured in the first image.
So that was a recap of my experience at Harbour Day Spa, obviously I had a wonderful time and would 100% recommend checking them out if you live in the Brisbane area. It's worth the travel since I spent just shy of four hours there with every moment being pure bliss and relaxation. This would make a beautiful gift for any woman in your life whether it be your mum, sister, grandmother or friend.

The Spa is run by two lovely ladies; Leanne and Tracey. I had the pleasure to speak with Leanne and get to know her to find she is extremely warm and welcoming, passionate, constantly looking to grow and expand her knowledge and always looking for ways to improve so it's safe to say the future of Harbour Day Spa is looking to only get better (despite already being incredible with no faults).

The package I received was the Autumn Pamper Package and retails for $180 while the skin analysis, hair styling and makeup application are all add-ons available for you.

Harbour Day Spa Cleveland
Corner of Shore Street and Masthead Drive
Raby Bay Cleveland Queensland 4163 Australia
T 07 3821 2955   F 07 3821 0477
relax@harbourdayspa.com.au

Thanks for reading!


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