FreakyDolphin's profile

I'm already a regular at this branch of Destination Skin and as usual had a great experience. Victoria (who has sadly left) was my regular therapist and carried out the treatment with her usual professionalism. My skin looked much fresher and it was a nice pre-christmas treat. I would recommend this clinic.

This is the review from my 2nd Iyashi Dome treatment. There is nothing much more I can add to my previous review as I had the same experience-relaxing and felt 'detoxing' but no inches or pounds lost (however I'm not naive, I know had I lost any weight it would merely be fluid!). I would like to point out that it it best to go wearing minimal make-up, however they do supply a range of face and body wipes to cleanse with if necessary. There is a shower with gel etc provided though they recommned not using this (something to do with interrupting the fat-burning process...) and provide baby wipes, body wipes, deoderant (spray!) and towels which make a reasonable substitute.
I wouldn't pay for a course, or pay full price for a session but I enjoyed the experience at mobdeal price! Thanks Wahanda.

I'm a regular at DestinationSkin London, however I'd never tried microdermabrasion before. This fantastic mobdeal allowed me to have a course of 3 at an affordable price! The treatment feels like having a vacuum cleaner going over your face as crystals blast away the dead skin cells. You're left looking a bit pink but this is very temporary and the end result is lovely smooth skin. Victoria is my regular therapist and I highly recommend her.

Well, I actually bought 2 of these mobdeals (the max allowed!) as I loved the sound of it. This review is for my 1st visit, I haven't used my 2nd one yet. It was hard to find the place, I was wondering around the healthfood shop for a while before I spotted a door on the lefthand side of the shop, gingerly pushed it open, walked down the stairs and knocked on the door below. It was only at this point I knew I was in the right place!
The dome itself was very relaxing-but then I'm someone who enjoys baking in the sun and sweating at the gym! I'm claustrophobic but had no problems with this at all. The therapist was lovely though there were no before/after measurements taken.This actually suited me as I'm extremely self-conscious but may annoy others. I had weighed myself at home prior to attending, when I got home to my surprise I weighed the same even though I sweated an incredible amount.
In conclusion I would say it's a nice, relaxing treatment for those of us who like to sweat but for weightloss, you're better off down the gym!
I will report back after my second treatment to see if I have a different experience next time around.

Avoid at all costs. the 'salon' was grubby, staff inattentive and generally unpleasant.Also got messed about with my appointment day and time.I had a quick rethink about my requirements, having originally thought I'd have a good cut I changed to only wanting a light trim to remove split ends.Not even the wash was up to much, very rough, my hair was so tangled after and when dry my naturally straight, shiny hair managed to achieve a look of being frizzy yet lank at the same time.Dreadful place.

So disappointing.I went to Scin (Great Portland Street) using my mobdeal for a Murad facial, massage and essie file/shape/polish along with a £10 Murad product to take home. I was a couple of mins late (less than 5) and was given a form to fill in.I had assumed that filling in form time would be factored in to the appointment length as I hadn't been told to arrive early to fill it out. this was not the case, the time was taken from my treatment time-I have alot of medical issues and medications which means it takes me a few mins to fill out the form, however the therapist kept coming up the hall to ask if I'd finished yet. When I finally got in the room, the first thing she said was as I was so late my treatment time would be cut.
The massage itself was actually quite pleasant, though she didn't take any notice of where I said I got most tension/discomfort.I also have no idea what oils she used.
The facial was...well I haven't got a clue! she rubbed something on my face and massaged it a bit then said I could have it removed or left on/!?!? What 'it' was I couldn't tell you. Then she asked me what colour nail polish I liked before saying she'd see me upstairs.
I got dressed and went up for my file/polish to find she was already waiting with the polish she'd selected for me. If I didn't like it I could have picked something else but I didn't know where the polishes were and it was obvious she was just trying to get me done ASAP. No, it wasn't a colour I'd have picked but I didn't feel able to say.Not that it mattered, it was already chipping off by the next day.
Further more, I HAVE NOT HAD MY £10 MURAD PRODUCT which I paid for as part of the deal-this was not a freebie or optional extra.I asked about it and was told it would be posted to me within a few weeks as they'd run out. However it is now nearly July.this has left me feeling scammed.
I wouldn't buy a mobdeal for Scin again, I was seriously unimpressed.

I bought a mobdeal voucher for the Vit.C peel, although I'm already a regular at DestinationSkin Westfield! My therapist, Victoria, is a real sweetie and I'd recommend her to anyone but especially when you have treatments that necessitate some waiting around- it's important to have someone you can have a natter and a giggle with to pass the time! The peel itself has left my skin feeling lovely and soft, as well as fresher.
One thing to note when attending DestinationSkin is that it is a clinic, not a salon so don't expect fragranced oils burning and 'New Age' music with the aim of relaxing and de-stressing you! It's a different experience but one that I find gets results!

I'm writing this on behalf of my mum for whom I bought this mob-deal. She enjoyed the face peel and felt her skin looked fresher but she was disappointed in the actual clinic. There were no toilets for customer use, she had to go back out into the shopping centre to find the public toilets in order to 'make herself comfortable' before the treatment- my mum is coming up to 70yrs old,I feel the staff could have been more helpful. Nor was she offered a drink of any description at any point. My mum was also surprised there were no mirrors anywhere, she had to wait for someone to find a little hand-mirror before she could see the immediate results, reapply her lippie etc.
In conclusion, she enjoyed the treatment, said her therapist was 'very sweet' but felt the actual clinic was a letdown and could do better to improve the customer experience.

I used my cut/ treatment/ blowdry mobdeal voucher and was seen by Nathan. He was great company and put alot of time into cutting and blowdrying my hair. I have very long, fine straight hair and tend to just 'wash n' go'.Nathan showed me how to blowdry my hair with brushes to achieve waves etc if I wanted to do it differently for a special occasion.
A week later,I called the salon back.Whilst pleased with the cut overall, once left to its own devices one side didn't hang right at the front.I was able to go back and see Nathan again, this time in their new salon just around the corner. He made a few 'tweaks' and gave me another lesson in styling it!
I was very pleased with my treatment and would certainly recommend booking an appointment with Nathan.

I used my £2 for £20 worth of treatments for a City manicure. It took place in the basement, the hair salon was at street level. Although not a veteran of manicures, reading the City Manicure blurb on Compton's website, I was anticipating a professional 30min treatment in a nice environment resulting in pretty nails for my weekend away.What I got was a bored looking girl with a towel on her lap.Yes, this salon doesn't even have have a table to do manicures on.My cuticles were roughly snipped after applying some gel, which I'm sure didn't have time to penetrate.Then she started applying base coat-I asked about buffing and she said not on the express manicure.For the 3rd time since my arrival I had to say I was having a CITY manicure (twice as long).After huffing and puffing she removed the base coat, did a cursory buff then reapplied base.After applying my polish she went looking for topcoat, eventually she came back saying she'd have to use shellac because she couldn't find OPI.Apparently this was a bonus.However, the varnish wasn't well applied and due to the Shellac topcoat, was a nightmare to remove.My nail varnish remover is normally very efficient, even on dark purple glittery toenails(!),but this stuff was awful-took forever,had to be very rough and scraped it off.Thank goodness it was a pale colour,maybe shellac needs specialist remover?In conclusion, never again and wouldn't recommend manicures there to anyone else either.

Having read the previous reviews, I was fully expecting Gennie to be late- she was, by around 45mins. As other reviewers have pointed out, it appears to be a room in a hair and beauty salon that Gennie rents independent of the salon itself. However, it was well worth the wait- Gennie is absolutely lovely and the facial was amazing, like nothing I've ever experienced before and so much more than 'just a facial'! I couldn't afford the full listed price but if Wahanda have any more deals with her I'll be signing up without hesitation.

I took advantage of the mobdeal and visited AquaSculpture along with my mother for a facial, back/neck/shoulder massage and file/polish of finger nails (1hr 30mins). The spa is a 5min walk from Stamford Brook underground station or 10-15mins walk from Hammersmith (there are also plenty of buses along King Street). The outside of the spa is rather unassuming- you could easily walk by and miss it.

Due to staff availability, we had to see the same therapist back-to-back. This however turned out to be a good thing as it meant we were both treated by the lovely and exceptionally gifted Agatha (I think that's how her name is spelt- she's Polish!). The traetment room was clean and relaxing. The facial left my skin feeling smooth and clean, my mother's skin had an amazing glow. The massage was absolutely divine, she removed knots I didn't even know I had! The manicure was fine- file 'n' shape and application of nail polish (Mum doesn't like polish so her nails were buffed and strengthener applied instead). There was no pressure to leave, we were able to relax whilst my nails were drying.

My only quibble was about the temperature in the waiting/reception area- it was really chilly and could have done with some heating! However, the gorgeous lemon and ginger herbal tea helped warm me up!
This mobdeal was spectacular value and the treatments of exceptional quality- in fact we both left generous tips for Agatha as we were so impressed.
I would not hesitate to return to this spa and fully recommend it- just take an extra layer for whilst you're waiting upstairs!

I visited Hydrohealing for a 1hour facial using my £20 mobdeal voucher.I got held up and ended up being 20mins late but the staff were lovely.The salon reception was bright and clean, I was shown to a comfy seat towards the back where the lights were dimmed, brought a much needed glass of cold water and introduced to my therapist. We went downstairs to the treatment room where she got to work.I had been feeling very harrassed and flustered yet didn't feel I was being rushed and the stress slowly subsided!The REN facial itself included a steam machine to open the pores, extractions plus application and removal of various products. My therapist was very nice, I felt extremely comfortable with her, however I would have liked to have had each stage explained so I knew she was doing without having to ask.A minor quibble in the grand scheme of things! It so happened that she didn't have a booking immediately after me so gave me my full hour. Afterwards she offered me a drink then left me to get myself together and make my way back upstairs where I found a pot of herbal tea waiting for me.The therapist then brought me some information and a sample of the product she had recommended, however there was no pushing of products or pressure to buy which I have experienced in some other salons/spas. She had also recommended I try hydrodermabrasion but again, there was no 'hard sell' going on.
My skin felt very soft afterwards but I can't say it had any real effect with regards to my current breakout-but I suppose that would be a bit of a tall order!
I would definitely go back to this salon and would be very happy to see the same therapist again should a good deal come along. I wouldn't have wanted to pay the list price of £65 for this facial, but at £20 it was a very enjoyable way to spend an hour.

Well, I promised I would report back once I'd had acouple of treatments as I was a tad scathing about what felt like the pressurised hard-sell at the Wahanda event. I have to say that as a client I am extremely impressed both with the clinic itself and my treatments. I have had 2 Pumpkin Peels so far and my treatment programme consists of a combination of 3 Pumpkin Peels and 3 IPL facials. Already my skin looks loads better. What I particularly like about the clinic is the professionalism and conscientiousness shown: going through my medication to see if any increase photosensitivity, the timing of the patch tests etc. The clinic is also immaculately clean and all the staff are lovely. My particular therapist is Siobhan and I have absolute confidence in her and the treatments she is carrying out; plus we spend our time having girly gossips! Siobhan even takes the time to cover up my blemishes with some mineral foundation from their testers before I leave.
Highly recommended clinic, don't be put off by the Wahanda event because it doesn't really reflect my experience as a regular client. I've noticed they're having another Wahanda event soon and hopefully the staff will tone it down a bit this time, I think they may well have lost potential customers last time becuse of the pressurised approach: sometimes less is more!

I took advantage of a free Power Plate trial at the end of May. I chose the Fulham branch because of previous glowing reviews on Wahanda even though it wasn't my nearest branch. It was definitely the right decision! I had to change the time of my session twice at the last minute and Jason (manager) couldn't have been more accommodating! Unlike the session I had attended at 'Movers&Shapers' where I barely got to try the plate so busy were they trying to pressure me into signing up for courses, and certainly didn't get to experience a real PowerPlate session, at Fulham Jason went through the basics and I then did a normal session with another regular client- Jason said as it was my first time he'd keep things lower, I protested that I don't know the meaning of the phrase 'low impact' so in the end I had a really good workout! When we had finished our session, the regular client left and Jason said that as they only had one person booked in for the next session (they have 4 PowerPlates in total so that is the maximum you would have in the class), if I was up to it, I could stay for that one too this time with Heidi! YESSSS- that's like holding a red rag to a bull! I have to say I was tired towards the end of the second session and was warned I might be a bit sore the next day, but I'm happy to report I felt absolutely fine. As well as the usual press-ups, sit-ups etc on the Plate, we also did moves using medicine balls, and worked our biceps, triceps and deltoids using the strap attached to the plate.
It was obvious that Jason knew his stuff and whilst I was doing the PowerPlate, another client was having a Personal Training session with an instructor who, judging by the size of his arms, took weightlifting very seriously! The studio also had a small amount of other equipment: weights/ dumbells, rowing machine etc.
The difference with Fulham Powertone Studios is that the people working there are professional sports instructors unlike many places which are glorified beauty salons. The atmosphere was friendly and comfortable, there were alot of laughs and the staff were motivating without being patronising. When I made mistakes there was no criticism, just giggles (from me!) and gentle correction. That also inspired confidence in the trainers- they were very conscientious, checking that our bodies were in correct positions etc.
There was no hard sell or pressure to sign up for courses, in fact it was me who asked for a pricing schedule at the end as I was leaving! The prices seem reasonable and there are discounts for block bookings and off-peak. Although I'm not in a position to attend right now, if and when I decide to incorporate PowerPlate into my exercise regime, I will definitely be heading down to Fulham.

THANKS JASON!

I took advantage of the 2-for-1 'body sensation' deal through Wahanda so I could treat my mum for Mothers' Day. For £80 we each had a 25min facial and 30min hot stone massage- fantastic value, thanks Wahanda!
The spa is small but in a cosy not claustaphobic way. When we arrived we were offered a drink, however when my mum asked for a smoothie they found they had none left- this was at 2pm. Instead we had delicious herbal tea.
The treatments were lovely and my skin looked much better, the massage was fantastic. I had the Tri-enzyme facial and my mum had the collagen one for mature skin (she's 67yrs old).I have to say, her skin looked sensational- much fresher and it had a glow, the effects also lasted for a good couple of weeks or so she informs me!
My therapist was very sweet and good at what she did. However, she was not as attentive as my mother's who added those little extra touches that take the experience to another level such as analyisis with the skin scanner thingy and three cute samples of recommended products. When I said I hadn't had any samples, all my therapist had brought down was the facial wash I was purchasing, mum's therapist went and got me a tri-enzyme sample kit! Mum's session also lasted 10mins longer than mine and whereas I was just given a glass of water at the end whilst still in the treatment room, Mum was offered another herbal tea/ juice etc.
I was a tad miffed that the last 5-10mins of my session were taking up by the therapist trying to sell me Elemis products although she wasn't overly pushy.
All-in-all I would definitely recommend Elemis DaySpa and I would certainly be happy to go back again. I shall keep my eye open for suitable Wahanda deals!

I went along to the Destination Skin event on 21st May. I was running late and worried I'd miss my slot but even though I was 20mins late, there was no problem and I caught my breath back over a lovely chilled glass of white!
As other reviewers have pointed out, the skincare 'consultation' was actually an extreme hard sell from the off, something I wasn't very comfortable with and at times it bordered on aggressive. Obviously I'm aware that the purpose of these events is to promote their products/treatments, however if it hadn't been for the fact that in my 30s I'm suffering from acne that isn't responding to anything, I would have been completely put off by the experience.
In spite of my dislike of her hard-sell approach, my therapist was very helpful and I have booked a course of 3 peels and 3 IPL treatments with her- I did feel confident that she knew her stuff. This kind of thing is normally out of my price range but with the Wahanda deal (buy 1 course, get one half price/ 20% off lotions 'n potions) and by opening a House of Fraser account saving 20% off the total after the Wahanda discounts with 3 months interest free credit, I was able to indulge. I am pretty good at budgeting and know that I will pay off the amount within the 3month period- the interest rates are outrageous otherwise. I'm not a fan of creditcards and simply have one for large purchases in order to benefit from the added insurance and for emergencies- I will probably never use the HOF card again!
The 'facial' was all over in 5mins- blink and you'll miss it, can't say my skin looked any better but hey, it was a freebie!
All-in-all, I got what I wanted out of the event. However, my advice is to steer clear unless you are able to withstand the sales onslaught- I can well imagine people being pressured into signing up for hundreds of pounds worth of treatments that they can't really afford...always bear in mind when you attend these events that the whole purpose is to get you to sign up to things and spend money.

I will review again when I've finished my course of treatments but that won't be for a while as I'm having them well spread out!