Gemstone Facials: The Ultimate Wellness Escape at elu.spa

Amongst tall skyscrapers and busy business ventures, the need for an escape is sometimes essential to pull you away from the city bustle. The newly-opened oasis elu.spa offers the perfect grounds for an urban retreat, focusing its practice on natural and organic products to enhance wellbeing. Elu, the Estonian word for life, caters to a well-deserved pampering to bring your mind at ease from any stress. We visited the luxury spa for The Ultimate Wellness Escape for Couples’ experience.

All images courtesy of Adam Thompson | CSP Times.

First Impressions

Situated in the prime of Central, the sanctuary is up on the 7th floor of 46 Lyndhurst Terrace decked with deep wooden interiors for an instant calming ambiance. First, we entered the cosy, minimalist lounge, featuring a Hermés blanket draped over the plush armchair and a display of fashionable and aesthetically-pleasing coffee table books, including a black hardcover Chanel. There’s an immediate feeling of luxury meets nature—from the beautiful orchards and scattered plant pots to the natural and organic skincare brands on display.

Experience

I arrived with my partner and we made ourselves comfortable on the lounge chairs, taking in the meticulously-appointed décor and aromatherapy oil scents. Our lovely organiser, Tiffany, showed us around the spa facilities which included one couples’ treatment room, a nail bar facing the outdoors and several single-occupancy rooms. We were scheduled in for the 180-minute Ultimate Wellness Escape for Couples—available year-round but making a special appearance for our Valentine’s Day.

Gemstone Rollers

Gemstone rollers are all the rage right now particularly in the world of wellness being sold online for home-based treatments. elu.spa is one of the few spas in Hong Kong which uses this method in its spa, offering its signature gemstone facial treatment to increase the level of lymphatic drainage in the face. Each gemstone (Pink Quartz, Clear Quartz, Jade Stone, Amethyst Quartz or Black Obsidian) has its own qualities to tackle toxins, stimulate acupressure points, reduce puffiness and improve skin elasticity—the spa also sells its own iconic gemstone rollers available online here for $480HKD.

The Ultimate Wellness Escape for Couples

The couples’ package at elu.spa was a beautiful, intimate experience—a real indulgence for Valentine’s Day or for reconnecting with your partner in the most relaxed spa setting. First, we had an introduction and consultation with each of our designated therapists, where we chose our massage oil scent and the rubbing pressure desired with a side cup of organic lemongrass and ginger tea and some pastry snacks. I went for soothing lavender (to help with muscle tension and deep sleep enhancing). Our treatment began by entering the couples’ room decorated with a bed of rose petals, and floral script reading “Be My Valentine ” across our massage beds. Everything about this scene eluded romance—from the dim lighting to the luxurious in-room bath.

We first had the Coconut Melts & Coffee Body Scrub, a heated exfoliator made from 100% natural ingredients enriched with Organic Vitamin E, sea salt and other natural essential oils and active ingredients. This mixture is aimed at targeting cellulite, stretch marks and other skin imperfections—something that is great for anti-ageing. It also smelled absolutely delicious and felt absorbent against the skin, a warming way to ease into the treatment. The therapists then wrapped our bodies in hot towels as a cocoon-like body mask to open the pores and soak the scrub into the skin effectively—the whole process took around 30 minutes before we were unravelled and taken to shower.

After taking a shower in the private bathroom—a space decked in quality skincare and body products including Aesop and Aromatherapy—we returned to freshly cleaned beds for the next stage of the package. The bespoke aromatherapy massage (my chosen oil was lavender) was a 60-minute medium pressure soothing knead—one that put me in and out of light sleep and pure relaxation. Designed to soothe tired muscles and fatigued bodies, the treatment helped me to relieve any tension or stress from the body, leaving me feeling rejuvenated and completely relaxed—mentally and physically. My masseuse was extremely accommodating and focused on my shoulders and back, as requested, to help loosen the tightness accumulated from hunched days over my laptop.

The last part of the treatment was elu.spa’s signature gemstone facial which lasted for 60 minutes. Using techniques of the specially-curated facial rollers and masks, the facial aimed to treat individual skincare needs to restore and recondition for a smoother, more luminous complexion. After a deep cleanse and exfoliation on the face, my skin was moisturised with a serum and massaged with the hot jade stones loosely on my chest and neck followed by the Rose Quartz face mask—an iconic feature image in many of the brand’s promotion posts—for a cooling after effect. Once the mask was removed, I was moisturised with SPF to intensely radiate my skin and protect it from the outdoor sun. My face felt awakened yet I felt calm and composed—ready to continue the day refreshed.

Perfect Relaxation

The treatment left my partner and I felt completely restored and reconnected—being in such a zen, comfortable environment released any tension from external stresses and instead left us both in a state of bliss—from head to toe and in a calm state-of-mind. My complexion felt a lot healthier and clean—and my body, relieved from office fatigue and sleeping positions. It took a while to shake off the breezy spa feeling but helped to alleviate any discomfort throughout the day. It was a very intimate, pampering experience for my partner and me and was a great way to embrace each other’s company in the most tranquil setting with the same unwinding treatments—one that would make a divine gift for Valentine’s Day and beyond.