MECCA Beauty – organic spa and wellness treatments in Tsim Sha Tsui

Some of my friends have looked at me quizzically when I’ve confessed that I don’t indulge in facials – in fact, I’ve only had two in my entire life! This isn’t due to cost or fear of my skin being scrubbed to the bone or breaking out in unsightly red blotches, but simply because my skin is perfectly happy as it is!

Admittedly, I’m lucky and somewhat blessed with skin that behaves itself… meaning I have no real experience of the facial world, its jargon or what I am meant to feel or notice afterwards! But, when I was given the chance to check out new spa MECCA Beauty on Canton Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, my interest was piqued, because Mecca Beauty provides only purely organic treatments that focus on natural cell regeneration, as well as a variety of wellness services (some pregnancy-friendly) that have a more holistic approach.

Given that this was not going to be the usual run-of-the-mill facial, I went in with a curious and open mind. Some may dismiss holistic treatments and rubbish the idea of balancing chakras and restoring one’s ying and yang, but if it works for you when Western synthetic methods have failed, then I say embrace it!

MECCA Beauty is small but comfortable and welcoming, and as with most beauty establishments, floral aromatherapy smells enveloped me on arrival. After swapping my Converses for comfy slippers, I was ushered into one of their five rooms to change and was told to lie down, relax and have a snooze while they got ready; it wasn’t long before the harmonious soothing music lulled me to sleep.

I was nudged out of my slumber by my therapist Elssy, who had by then gathered all her paraphernalia for my 90-minute Feminine Sensuality Treatment. The Feminine Sensuality Treatment is part of a series of aromatic treatments from the skincare brand Alqvimia that focus on inner beauty, health and emotional balance. The facial I was having aims to give the skin a deep nourishing, toning and firming result, as well as rejuvenate and balance female hormones.

The treatment was ultra luxurious. First, there was a selection of scents – Bulgarian Rose, Sertoli or Jasmine – and after choosing one, I was told to take a few deeps breaths to release my inner tension. After removing my make-up and cleansing my face a few times with rosewater using soothing circular movements, Elssy toned, exfoliated, extracted and tidied up my brows. An application of a Super-Active Firming Face Mask with rose-hip oil stung slightly but the tightening grip left my skin refreshed. The best part of the treatment was an amazing head and shoulder massage with aromatherapy oils.

Meanwhile, the most intriguing part of the session was the Moxa treatment on the lower abdomen, which is applied to rebalance a woman’s hormones and soothe the female organs. Moxa treatment is a traditional Chinese medicine therapy which involves burning a stick of dried mugwort and heating the skin. At MECCA, the mugwort is applied over a cloth placed on the abdomen; the heat can be a little intense but it was soothing nonetheless and although I cannot claim to have felt any immediate effects, I like to think that my organs benefited!

The entire treatment plus nap time (I passed out during the massage!) took the full 90 minutes and once Elssy had applied a wonderful smelling moisturiser to my face, I was led back to the front room and served Chinese tea and Chinese vegetable soup to cleanse my body. I felt utterly pampered and relaxed and my skin did feel rejuvenated and a lot firmer – I was positively glowing!

At $2360 per session, it is eye-widening expensive, but, given everything that Elssy did and that the facial is more an overall wellness treatment rather than one that just tackles a specific skin problem, I would say that the Feminine Sensuality Treatment is a definite go-to for women who are extremely stressed and need a detox and rebalancing.

MECCA Beauty also have other more mainstream facials for calming, firming or clearing skin for those who are oil or acne-prone, priced at $1160 for 60 minutes and all using organic ingredients from the Oscar brand. I would certainly consider going back for my fourth ever facial if I ever need emergency cleansing, calming or just pure pampering!

The Feminine Sensuality Treatment costs $2360 for 90 minutes.

MECCA BEAUTY  17/F Chung Fung Commercial Building, 12 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
2736 8328  www.meccabeauty.com

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