Stylish Spy goes on the hunt for cocoa-inspired treatments for the true chocoholic, finding three close to home and three in another Galaxy (sorry). Happy Easter.
At home...
Temple Spa Champagne & Truffles Deluxe Facial
(90 mins, £150)
The crème de la crème of facials, this super luxe treatment packs it in with an anti-ageing lifting and sculpting massage, resurfacing peel, hydrating and brightening alginate mask, rose quartz stone massage therapy and an application of spa nectar: Skin Truffle moisturiser. Your skin will be visibly plumper, firmer, radiant and glowing. And if all that’s not enough, the treatment ends with a flute of bubbly and a handmade chocolate truffle.
Try it at: Lincombe Hall Spa, Devon & Verbena Spa at The Feversham Arms, Yorkshire
Choco 02 Facial
(90 mins, £58.00)
Even self-confessed chocoholics will tire of the stuff after this Karin Herzog facial which begins with a bulk-standard back massage before moving onto the sticky business: a chocolate cleanser, a chocolate exfoliating oil, a nourishing mask made of Swiss chocolate and oxygen creams (removed with a towel infused with the smell of chocolate no less) and a head massage. You may never want to set eyes on a bar of chocolate again - or for a week, at least.
Chocolate Ritual
(75 mins, £140)
This exclusive treatment has been designed to highlight the benefits of the dark sweet stuff on our skin – from antioxidant properties that fight anti-ageing to that all-important mood-lifting chocolate-y smell. Melted down dark chocolate is mixed with nourishing almond, coconut and essential aromatherapy oils to create a wrap designed to remove toxins and promote healthy skin. Follow this with a Champagne afternoon tea for a real Easter treat.
Try it at: The Intercontinental Spa at The 02, London
And abroad...
Chocolate Scrub
(40 mins, price confirmed on arrival)
Heading to the source of the cocoa bean may be going that extra mile (literally), but an excuse for a far-flung holiday always gets our vote. The open-air spa at Nayara Springs uses locally-grown organic coffee, chocolate and volcanic mud to create its innovate treatment menu. A paste of cocoa beans and nourishing, local ingredients is used to exfoliate the skin in the choccie scrub - a great option for soothing sun-burn, too.
Try it at: Nayara Springs, Costa Rica
Whipped Cocoa Bath & Manicure
(65 mins, £76)
A whipped cocoa bath and manicure with a chocolate-sugar exfoliation sounds pretty good but if you’re going to head all the way to The States - and stay at Hotel Hershey no less - why stop there? Make a day, or week, of it with a chocolate bean polish (a scrub made of cocoa bean husks and walnut shells), a chocolate immersion (a wrap made with a non-edible combo of chocolate mud) or a chocolate-dipped strawberry experience (a strawberry scrub followed by a chocolate wrap).
Try it at: Hotel Hershey, USA
Cacao Detox Body Wrap
(60 mins, £96)
When the spa name is Beauté de Cacao Spa, the hotel Hotel Chocolat and the destination St Lucia – with its chocolate heritage dating back to the 1700’s – you know you’ve hit gold when it comes to chocolate-based treatments. Even the Cocoa for this detox wrap is harvested on the hotel’s estate. The treatment starts with a virgin oil infused with cocoa to moisturise the skin, followed by a wrap made of clay, banana paste and chocolate. Once removed, cocoa butter is massaged into the skin.
Try it at: CocoaJuvenate Spa at Hotel Chocolat, St Lucia
Stylish Spy
5th April 2022
Spy Likes:
Minimalist lines; organic products; facial massage; tranquillity; interesting people-watching.
Spy Dislikes:
Discarded towels on loungers; steam rooms that aren't steamy; mobile phones.
