Pick Me Up facial with LED
This one’s perfect if you feel like you’re not going to survive the rest of the day, or if you have a dinner date. There isn’t any extraction involved—the usual double cleanse is followed by exfoliation using natural enzymes. After, the therapist will put you under an LED light that best matches your skin’s needs (red for collagen stimulation and repair, for example), before applying a gel mask, toner and moisture protector to keep your complexion safe from the weather’s harmful effects. You also get a quick head and shoulder massage while your mask is setting.
$60 for 30 minutes at Porcelain, The Face Spa.
Jet Cell Restore
If you work within the Central Business District, Jet Concepts is probably one of the easiest (and cosiest too, we might add) spots to escape to for a quick fix. As with every other treatment here, the Jet Cell Restore starts off with a couple of minutes under the Jet-M machine, which uses saline and oxygen to cleanse, detox and buff skin. The same machine then infuses a customised combination of ingredients like vitamin A and E serums for exfoliating and revitalising, or vitamin B5 for acne-prone skin. Like Porcelain’s Pick Me Up facial, this also uses LED light to target different cellular functions.
$98-180 for 45 minutes at Jet Concepts.
Sakura treatment
Need to pretty up your nails? With Vedure’s Sakura treatment, you get a luxurious soak for your hands and tootsies on top of a manicure and pedicure. It can be tweaked to occupy only your lunch hour, but promises some serious pampering for your skin using a Japanese rice sake bath that makes it smell delicious. Vedure is also known for being one of the few providers of Minx nails, boasting radically textured nail patterns worn by the likes of Lady Gaga and Rihanna.
$69 for a manicure and $80 for a pedicure at Vedure Nailspa.
St. Gregory Executive Facial
Another one that’s suited as a midday pick-me-up or post-event prep is this practically instant radiance booster. It’s only available at the new PARKROYAL on Pickering, which also provides the Anti-Stress Massage, a neck, shoulder and back rub that’s bound to knock a significant amount of tension out of you.
Both treatments are $80 for 30 mins at St. Gregory (PARKROYAL on Pickering).
Eyes Wide Open Treat
House at Dempsey is probably one of the best integrated lifestyle spots in the city, which makes it the perfect place to go for a lunchtime pick-me-up. You can get a quick meal at Barracks, then head to Spa Esprit for this wet microdermabrasion treatment that infuses the skin around your eyes with hyaluronic acid, chamomile and aloe vera. They make for smooth skin and reduced dark eye circles, so you can come back to the office looking bright-eyed.
$55-100 for 30 minutes at Spa Esprit (Beauty Emporium).
