Lynnie's just told you about offers at Urbana, but what if you're uncomfortable with the intimacy and expense of salon and spa treatments and wish you could dispense with the whole shebang? Seems you can, because US franchise Planet Beach Contempo Spa has just opened in The GlasHaus, Tallaght.
400-strong in America and smartly tagged as a fully automated, attendant-free experience, what that means is this is a zero frills experience, and you'll basically do your treatments yourself. Do not expect an ESPA journey, because you won't get it. Planet Beach is low-glam and you won't be given scented foot baths, a choice of massage oils tailored to your mood or carefully arranged fruits when your treatment ends.
But for as little as €17 a week, you can become a member and take advantage of unisex facilities like aqua and hydro beds, a cloud 9 oxygen bar, UV light therapy and an infra-red sauna. Treatments include Mystic spray tan (in an automated booth), a hand spa, teeth whitening and facials. There are also treatments to aid weight loss and help you to quit smoking.
Hmm. While I'm naturally sceptical about the efficacy of self-administered treatments - especially teeth whitening, yikes - two things stand out to me as worth investigating further, and they are the aqua massage and oxygen components. There's a trend in beauty at the moment towards relaxation and sleep therapies - the Dr Hauschka Spa in Dun Laoghaire has a dedicated room where you can book in for a lunch-time 40 winks, for example.
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Massage can help to reduce stress and fatigue, and oxygen can help with headaches and general knackeredness, so if for no other reason, this could be a useful place to decamp when stress gets the better of you. But I just can't believe a self-administered facial can be as good as one performed by a trained professional. Though having said that, I've had a few humdingers in my time, including the C3PO facial, and the one where I came out with my lipstick still intact ...
Has anyone been to Planet Beach? More importantly - do you like the idea of an unattended spa where you do your own beauty treatments? And if one came to your area, would you be queuing up for membership? Let us know in a comment!
Planet Beach Contempo Spa, The GlasHaus, Tallaght, 01 462 9999. Opening hours are 9am – 9pm Monday to Friday, 9am – 6pm on Saturday and 10am – 6pm on Sunday.
