Love the skin you’re in

Some people revel in nudity and the feelings of freedom and empowerment it brings them. Yet for others, the very thought of being naked evokes feelings of awkwardness, or even worse, shame – be that through social conditioning or self-confidence. Here in Ibiza, Open Spa – the luxurious wellness centre within the Five Star Grand Luxe Ibiza Gran Hotel – offers an all-new full body treatment that helps you embrace the beauty of your bare skin, no matter which camp you fall into; once you’ve experienced it for yourself it’s hard to fall back into any body shaming habits.

The treatment in question is the Glow Body Treatment by Anne Semonin – an incredible 90-minute treatment using all natural, aromatherapy-based products to restore your skin’s surface – body and face – to a pure, smooth and glowing state. The introduction of the cutting-edge Anne Semonin range to Open Spa in 2018 has been hugely successful – the award-winning products and custom-designed beauty treatments offering the perfect level of results-based luxury to Ibiza Gran Hotel’s discerning guests and visitors. Founded in 1985, the brand has over three decades of experience in pioneering products and treatments – all of which can be customised to suit your skin type.

As with all treatments at Open Spa, the Glow Body Treatment begins with a short relaxation session in the low-lit waiting area, complete with a heated lavender compress on your shoulders to ease you into it, cosy slippers on your feet and an array of herbal teas, fruits and chocolates at your fingertips. Your therapist then leads you to the pristine treatment room and gives you a brief introduction to the treatment ahead – you’ll be asked what kind of results you’d like to achieve (relaxing, energising, detoxifying or restorative) and offered four different oils to sniff in order to discover which your body is drawn to, or which you’d prefer to experience. Surprisingly – your subconscious will, on occasion, step in and make you feel attracted to a certain scent, for example lavender if it feels you need to relax.

It’s worth listening to your intuition (combined with the wise words of your therapist) in order to get the best results. Once you’re lying face-down on the massage table, the pampering begins. A beautiful, all-natural exfoliator – the Anne Semonin Nude Body Scrub – is applied in long, firm strokes all over your body. Obviously, a scrub is a little rough in texture, but the gentle, rhythmic massage serves as a balance to any abrasiveness. Given that the product is all natural, including pink quartz powder, hibiscus, lemongrass, sea salt and citrus oils, you can feel it doing nature’s good work on your body as the rough textures removed dead skin and the fragrant oils restore moisture at the same time. As your therapist works her way over your body, from top to bottom, back to front, be sure to breathe deeply – the heavenly aromatics contribute to the relaxation process.

After taking a shower to remove the grains of salt all over your body – another incredible aromatic experience as the water further activates the scent of the oils – you return to the massage table for part two of the treatment. Your chosen oil is gently massaged all over your body in order to deeply nourish, further soften and re-mineralise the skin, in the same style of massage as the original scrub, an experience that almost soothes you to sleep. Mixed in with your oil is a touch of another of Anne Semonin’s cult beauty products, Glow, an essential oil-based essence that adds an instant hint of pearlescent sun-kissed bronze to your skin that means you can walk out of your treatment looking like you’ve just walked off the beach. The product has been designed to adjust to all skin tones and also offers further hydration throughout the day.

The finishing touch of this treatment is an express Anne Semonin facial, to ensure every last centimetre of your skin leaves the treatment room glowing. A gentle cleanse and detoxifying exfoliation is followed by a hydrating oil and moisturiser, plus just the right amount of Glow. As you rise from the massage table, it’s impossible not to love the skin you’re in – it’s baby smooth, glowing like a bronzed goddess, feeling almost brand-new and still tinged with a heavenly aromatic scent. If every woman (and man!) in the world could experience this treatment, our collective body confidence would be raised through the roof. If only they could teach this feeling in schools…

The Glow Body Treatment is suitable for everyone – for those who’ve just arrived, looking to start their holiday fresh after a long-haul flight, it’s the ideal way to slough off tired skin cells and start anew, looking gorgeous and bronzed by the pool. For island residents who’ve spent their summer enjoying the beach, it’s also the ideal refresh – removing traces of sun damage and restoring the skin’s surface to silky smooth without losing your tan. For brides looking for the ultimate wedding day glow, for party girls looking to dazzle on a night out or for those who may not be a sun-worshipper at all, but want to treat themselves to the feeling of simply spectacular skin – this treatment is for all of you.