Beauty Editor, Ronita Dutta tries out a relaxing luxury facial at Alpha Beauty, a funky new day spa in fashionable Kensington

Spa: Alpha Beauty, 246 Kensington High Street, London
The treatment: Alpha Luxury Holistic Facial
Duration: 75 minutes
Cost: £70

The setting

Alpha Beauty is a girlie day-spa decked out in true boudoir style with twinkling chandeliers, silk scatter cushions and cosy pink walls. The celebrity clientele includes Heidi from the Sugababes who has her nails done there whenever she's in town. I popped in to try out their holistic facial.

The Treatment

The holistic facial isn't just any old facial. It begins with a relaxing back, neck and shoulder massage. Only once you're thoroughly relaxed does the facial proper begin. A gentle steamer placed above the face and neck gently simmers away, helping to open pores while Dermalogica cleansing products are applied and worked into the skin to remove every last trace of dirt and grime, followed by a gentle exfoliating scrub to get rid of any dead skin cells.

Once the skin is thoroughly cleansed, gentle facial massage techniques are employed to encourage lymphatic drainage and revive tired-looking skin. Extractions of blackheads and whiteheads are also performed while the skin is relaxed and supple. A deep cleansing mask is also applied to the face to extract tough dirt and grime. The treatment finishes with a spritz of refreshing toner and lashings of moisturiser.

The results

I'm always a little reluctant to try facials as they often leave my skin feeling tight and dry and are followed by a breakout of zits a few days later. But, I'm happy to report that Alpha's holistic facial did neither. My face felt refreshed, my eyes, which have a tendency to look sunken after a day of staring at a computer screen, looked bright and healthy and my skin seemed to glow.

The results lasted for quite a few days after and I also noticed that my make-up looked better because the quality of the canvas had improved. I'd definitely consider making the holistic facial a regular treat.

Alpha beauty also offer a selection of spa packages at discount so it's worth checking out their latest offers.

Alpha Beauty
246 Kensington High Street
London
W8 6ND
Tel: 020 7751 1107