‘Tis the Season to be Selfish – Tried and Tested Christmas Pampering at Sense of Touch

December 16th 2013 Christmas is all about giving, but that doesn’t mean you can’t treat yourself a little while you’re at it, right? Crystal Wilde managed to put her selfless nature aside for a few hours and submit to some serious festive indulgence at Hong Kong’s award-winning spa Sense of Touch. Does she know it’s Christmas time? No doubt! When I was invited to test run the Christmas Sparkle package at the Crowne Plaza branch of Sense of Touch, I figured it would be rude to say no. Although I’ll still be typing my fingers to the bone until the end of the week, the little huddle of Balinese-style treatment suites instantly put me in a holiday mind frame, even before the pampering began. Each of the seven cutesy cabins comes with its own luxury on-suite bathroom - with four different water outlets, the shower alone is a feat of engineering worth mentioning. First up was the reviving body scrub, made from a blend of finely crushed kukui (Hawaiian nut) grains, unrefined sea salt, lime, ginger, camellia and jojoba oil. Although Mother Nature’s magic potion was a bit chilly going on, it quickly warmed up as the therapist worked it gently into my skin. Although it was all over fairly quickly and the exfoliation didn’t feel in the slightest bit harsh, I was pleasantly surprised to find even the oft-ignored soles of my feet feeling silky smooth after rinsing off in the pre-mentioned shower of dreams. Next came the pièce de résistance, an hour-long full-body aroma massage designed to sooth away festive stress and limber me up for the unavoidable seasonal onslaught of socialising and speed shopping. Although this was without doubt the highlight of my date with escapism, I can’t report too much on this due to an unavoidable state of ecstasy-induced intermittent consciousness. Pure bliss! Topping off my indulgent day was a quickie facial with Sense of Touch featured skincare range Elemis, followed by a basic mani-pedi with the nail technician’s new polish crush Vinylux. Although I’m the first to admit that feeling a little restless after three hours of pampering is undeniably a First World Problem of the highest degree, my favourite thing about this brand is that it combines the colour and the basecoat in one, meaning my nails were dry enough to carefully slip into my flip-flops and waddle out onto the street in a matter of minutes - not before a couple of mugs of ginger tea and an entire plate of festive biscuits that is. Life waits for gingerbread. Hopefully I’ve made you jealous enough to extend that “good will to all” festive malarkey to yourself, as I can assure you that even a gallon of eggnog won’t put you in the Christmas spirit quite like this pampering marathon – and you’ll also save yourself some serious sickness. If you insist on being selfless however, the Christmas Sparkle Package, and the other festive delights on offer at Sense of Touch, are sure to put you on a loved one’s nice list for the rest of the year.

Call, email or visit any of the seven Sense of Touch locations in Hong Kong to organise the ultimate stocking filler. All contact details can be found on the Sense of Touch Localiiz profile page.

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