Smooth you - snooze me

Time out has a number of vouchers for reduced massages and beauty treatments on offer - and there seem to be more in the run up to Christmas. Well, it is the perfect time to pamper yourself or buy gift vouchers for loved ones.

Today, I went to Smooth You for an Upper Body Bliss Package: back massage + facial + head massage. With the voucher this one hour treatment only cost £35 instead of £115. The salon is conveniently only a 15 minutes walk from the office. It's a hair salon upstairs with three beauty treatment rooms downstairs. Despite having worked near Angel for nearly five years now, I don't venture up north (of the tube station) very often. The salon is located on Essex Road and there are loads of nice pubs, restaurants and shops up there.

I was greeted by a very friendly receptionist. Unfortunately, I woke up with badly swollen eyes this morning. I've had this last winter, when the skin around my eyes gets really dry and swollen. Agi, the beautician, therefore recommended not to do the facial today as it might further irritate the skin. So, instead I had a longer back and head massage. And it was heavenly! I am pretty sure that at some point, I feel asleep.

The salon is very nicely decorated and clean and it looks all very professional. I always feel a bit self-conscious when using one of these vouchers, knowing that they usually charge much more for their treatment. But I didn't feel as if they treated me any differently. And I even got a goody bag (with a lip balm, a cream sample, mints and vouchers for some of the surrounding places) at the end! (and we all know by now just how much I love a goody bag!!!) 

Their normal prices are a bit steep for my liking, but overall, I would definitely recommend the place. The only comment I would make, is that the treatment wasn't quite an hour long. It was 55 minutes and I therefore always feel, I can't complain. But on the other hand, especially when paying more than a £ per minute, I think they should really fill the full 60 minutes. But today that was really just a minor complaint.