Is A Himalayan Salt Scrub Worth The Time And Money? This Post-Winter Body Treatment Is Timely

If a full-body pick-me-up is on the cards, enter spring with skin that feels smooth to the touch. Viva’s Dan Ahwa takes it for a test drive.

With a few days left before we’ve officially hit spring, it’s an ideal time to look at how winter’s harsh elements have taken their toll on our skin. With an opportunity to shed those winter layers and embrace warmer days ahead, combining a relaxing body treatment with a body scrub and facial is a pampering treat that will leave you feeling prepared.

On the menu at Tāmaki Makaurau’s SO/Auckland spa is the perfect spring-ready duo: Triple Berry Performance Spa Facial and Himalayan Body Scrub Detoxifying Salt Treatment.

The promise

Triple Berry Performance Spa Facial: the equivalent of a berry smoothie smothered across your face, this specific facial treatment is good for congested skin and inflammation. As someone with a little shaving rash around my jowls, this is an ideal way to help give my skin some much-needed nourishment.

Featuring 15% vitamin B and rejuvenating hyaluronic acid, this mixture also includes active ingredients by Australian skincare brand Waterlily, a known leader in biotech-led beauty. The combination of these ingredients is said to help hydrate skin, boosting skin resilience and luminosity.

In addition, it helps to detoxify skin - leaving complexions looking bright and clarified.

“New patented technology Plexozome are ingestible liposomes designed to deliver pure ingredients with increased stability and absorption,” says Waterlily founder Michelle Reeve. “We use these in our products for increased efficacy in the skin. These ingredients are food-grade, which makes them not only biochemically compatible, but also safe.”

The facial follows a Himalayan salt body treatment, a one-hour-long body scrub that uses solid, emerald-cut pink salt stones combined into a full-body massage.

The focus of this treatment is to purify and cleanse skin, removing build-up while reintroducing minerals to the skin. Both forms of movement and the double dose of contact with the salt is said to improve microcirculation, rejuvenate the metabolism and restore energy.

The practice

Complementary valet parking is always useful in Auckland’s CBD, and once I check in with the concierge in the glossy-walled SO/ lobby, I take the elevator down to the basement, where the spa is located by the swimming pool and gym.

Once I check in, my friendly specialist Caitlin goes through the standard paperwork inside a calm waiting area before escorting me to my treatment room. The site of the former Reserve Bank does have that subterranean feeling of calmness about it that is perfect for the concept of leaving the world behind for a moment of relaxation.

Starting with my body scrub, the first contact with the Himalayan salt stone takes a few minutes to get used to, the circular motion of the stone across my body designed to slough away and remove dead skin cells while encouraging my blood circulation to flow better, too. After a warm shower, I rest in preparation for part two.

This scrub is followed by a simple facial treatment where Caitlin gently massages my skin with her concoction of collagen-delivering nutrients. Like clockwork, I fall asleep for the rest of the facial, lulled by the serenity of the treatment room.

The inclusion of Waterlily products is another main attraction - this is the only spa in New Zealand to offer its popular Vino Therapy Performance Spa Facial, and the first hotel spa in New Zealand to welcome the brand as part of its spa treatments.

The food-grade ingredients and nutraceuticals are exclusively used in every treatment and product, making this entire treatment feel like a complete indulgence for my skin.

SO/Auckland, corner of Customs St East and Gore St, Auckland 1010. Phone (09) 379 1878. All.accor.com

The price

$175 for a 60-minute Triple Berry Performance Spa Facial and $175 for the Himalayan Body Scrub Detoxifying Salt Scrub treatment.

The verdict

If it’s a spring refresh you’re looking for, the combination of a relaxing massage with the use of Himalayan salt rocks makes this an ideal body treatment for this time of year. The natural essential minerals were perfect for my dry skin, and I awoke the next day feeling like my body was smoother and much less irritated.

The same for my face. While I am prone to getting shaving rashes, my face was noticeably clearer and brighter the next day.

Both treatments also ensured my skin felt much more hydrated than it had been all season. The facial is personal to each person’s requirements and skin types, and while great, I would probably return sooner for the Himalayan salt treatment for its all-over ability to make you feel instantly good. The perfect pick-me-up.

More beauty

The Viva team take beauty for a test drive.

Head Spa, Review: This Tingly Massage Offers A Moment Of Grounding. At Morgan & Morgan, you’ll find a senior stylist offering a tingle-inducing head spa, advice for deep-cleaning hair care and an excellent blow wave. Viva takes the treatment for a test drive.

How To Build A Low-Waste Beauty Routine. Overwhelmed by plastic piles, Madeleine Crutchley trials a low-waste beauty routine for one week.

Fire & Ice Facial, Review: Would You Try Cold Shock Therapy On Your Face? It’s affectionately known as the “red carpet facial”.

Safe, Efficacious Skincare That Can Be Used If You’re Pregnant. Lucy Slight shares a line-up of pregnancy-safe New Zealand skincare to splurge or save on.

Is The Shark Beauty Hot Brush Worth The Hype? A Beauty Editor’s Review. Can it really transform tresses in the face of humidity? Viva beauty editor Ash Cometti found out.