Spa Review || Diva Lounge Spa

DIVA LOUNGE SPA

Diva Lounge Spa, The Gate Mall - West Bay

Pedicure at Diva Lounge Spa - West Bay

One lazy Friday afternoon during Ramadan (last week!) my friend Suzanne and I decided that we NEEDED a pedicure.  The mission was on!  We called many, many salons, big names and smaller local ones in a bid to find a place that will rescue our feet, all were fully booked and only had spaces at 9pm... it was 2pm and we wanted something within the hour.

Just as I was about to give up all hope, lucky call number six put me thought to Diva Lounge Spa in The Gate Mall, West Bay.  They had space for two people and we had 40 minutes to get there - easy peasy on a Friday and it was ramadan too.

After squeeles of excitement (mainly from me) we were off!  We arrived and the spa was empty - perfect, just how I like them.  What amazed me was the other branch was jam packed and had no space until 9pm!  However, being in a close mall clearly has it's advantages.

Diva Lounge Spa - Reception Area

Friendly staff, clean, new, and roomy, we we both very pleased with our new find - neither of us had been there before.

Diva Lounge Spa - View from Pedicure seat!

As we sat there chit catting we looked at the beauty menu and wondered what else we could be tempted with seeing as we were the only two in there!  With too much to choose from it was going to have to be another, better planned, visit to the spa!

Diva Spa Lounge - new feet! 

One-hour later and slightly sleepy from our relaxing pamper - my feet look brand new again and adorn a perfect french pedicure... my failsafe when I cannot decide on a colour!

As we left I spotted these nifty card holders - how nice are these?

Overall a very pleasant, relaxing, reasonably priced visit (145 QR for a 1-hour pedi with french paint).

I will be going back again, especially during a very quiet time too!

Happy Spa-ing!

Beauty Salon Review || Desert Princess

Desert Princess 

British run hair and beauty salon

Dermalogica Facial Experience

Dermalogica Facial.  Source: Google Images

Located off Salwa Road, this beauty salon is a wonderful hideaway to escape to when you need to leave Doha and return to the UK (without paying for a flight!).

Desert Princess Waiting Area. Source: Desert Princess 

Well thought out and decorated with British charm, this beauty salon has much to offer; Swimming Pool (covered), large hair salon, nail bars and beauty treatment rooms.  

My reason for the visit today was to have a 60 minute Dermalogica facial.... dreamy! Having been in Qatar for over a year now, a Dermalogica facial as I know it to be (steam, extractions, peels, head massage, scented oils etc) was very hard to find. Other salons offer facials, but not a Dermalogica one which is what I specifically missed! 

I met with my therapist, Veerle, who is from Holland and very nice, I told her my facial woes and what i'd love to achieve over a period of time.  After a quick chat and filling out of a questionnaire, I was led upstairs to the beauty room. 

Upon entering the room had wonderful relaxing music playing, candles lit, and a perfectly positioned beauty bed with my name written all over it!  60 minutes flew by, but they were relaxing minutes and I was in utter bliss knowing that I was in great hands, and that i'd finally found my go-to place for my Dermalogica facials.

Once Veerle had finished this amazing treatment, we had a chat about other products I can add to my Dermalogica collection at home, and any areas of concern.  Reluctantly getting changed, I sorted my 'post-facial hair' and headed down to reception where i met Veerle and swiftly booked in another appointment for next month.... this time a 75 minute one with a full neck and shoulder massage too.

I will certainly go to Veerle each month to keep on top of my skincare routine, she is very knowledgeable and i'm so excited to have found Desert Princess!

Desert Princess Logo. Source: Desert Princess Facebook Page

Hints & Tips || Qatar Social Media

Qatar Facebook Groups & Pages

Qatar Social Media   Photo Source: Google Images

99% of the people in Qatar will be on Facebook and as a result, there are lots of wonderful groups and pages with useful information or interests / hobbies that you may like to be a part of.  Here are a few groups and pages that I have liked and joined, that you might wish to add yourself to.

Fashion & Beauty

www.facebook.com/FashionRocksQatar

'Fashion Rocks Qatar' - managed by two ladies, Kellie & Charne, and proves to be an excellent 'go-to' page for all things fashion and beauty.  The page is fun to read, addictive and certainly a good find!  Additionally, FRQ hold events which are worth attending, such as their recent 'High Tea Fundraiser for Cancer Awareness'. Currently the page has over 20,000 likes, showing just how many ladies love to keep up to date with FRQ.

www.facebook.com/BespokeEyelashes

'Bespoke Eyelashes' - As an eyelash extension addict in London, I was pleased to find this page dedicated to eyelash extensions and beauty.  An advanced, British mobile professional, with 4 years experience, (including extending the eyelashes of Miss England - OMG!!) who has moved to Doha to extend the lashes of Qatar!  Excellent prices (350QR for a set of eyelashes extensions!!) Certainly another excellent find especially as we are coming up to party season.... I mean, who wants to wear mascara?? Not me!  The silky lashes are placed onto your natural lashes with perfection, leaving you with longer, thicker eyelashes lasting up to 8 weeks.  Definitely a must 'Like' to your list.

www.facebook.com/pages/Glow-American-Salon

'Glow, American Salon' - Mentioned in another post (Hints & Tips || Beauty Needs), another Facebook page which I enjoy seeing in my news feed, especially as they give away freebies, such as Waxing, HD Brows, Massages and Manicures! Glow has three salons, filled with employees from all around the world!

www.facebook.com/bluebrushhairstudio

'Blue Brush Hair Studio' - Their Facebook page is filled with high-fashion photo shoots proving their excellence in hair colouring, styles and cuts.  Also another giver of freebies, such as hair treatments, manicures and blow dries!  I LOVE seeing the new hair trends that Blue Brush has created, they certainly know their hair folicles inside and out, and their Facebook Page is definitely a must 'Like'!

www.facebook.com/pages/Qatar-International-Beauty-Academy-Tajmeel

'Tajmeel'- is a beauty training center for anyone who wishes to peruse beauty courses such as how to apply make-up to yourself, hair styles, how to apply colour and so forth.  It is also a page for those who do not mind being a guinea-pig, or do not wish to spend fortunes getting your beauty fixes!  Regular post-ers, another delight to see run in my news feed and certainly worth a 'Like'!

Health & Fitness 

www.facebook.com/SupYogaDoha

'Stand-up Paddling Yoga' - Yes, you heard correctly!  This is a wonderful group who grab their paddle boards, cruise along the warm Doha waters and perform their Yoga exercise, while still on the paddle board!  If you have never done this before, don't fret as you can have a lesson beforehand which will assist you when you do get to join the group on the waters.  I've not personally had the chance to do this yet, but i'm working on it!

www.facebook.com/rawmeqatar

'RawME Qatar' - RawME stands for Raw Middle-East, and are providers in cleansing juices and neutritional detox juices.  Regular post-ers of healthy food, drinks, fruits and so forth, these guys are definitley worth a 'Like' to remind you that you do need a healthy balance in your life!  Another on my to-do list, and now that you can order the good stuff directly to your door there is no reason not to give your body a good detox and rid of all those naughty delights you've been having.

www.facebook.com/groups/dohabayrunningclub/

'Doha Bay Running Club' - this is a group for those who love to stay fit and in shape by running.  Often running along the corniche early on a Friday morning, this group is very motivating to follow and will have  you up and running in no time!  They organise running trips, races, impropu workouts after work so if this is your cup of tea, or looking for a group to run with, these are you people!

www.facebook.com/fitnessqatar

'Fitness Qatar' - A great page to add if you need motivation to get fit and in shape!  They have a list of avialable personal trainers who are on tap to give you that little bit of extra help to get you moving in the gym or outside! 

New in Qatar 

www.facebook.com/QatarLiving

'Qatar Living' - this is the most popular place to start when looking to move to Qatar, or for those to refer to once they have arrived in Qatar.  It is a huge, informative website which also has a Facebook page filled with useful information that will appear in your news feed.  Qatar living also shares important news articles, such as the recent alcohol ban outdoors beside water (beach/pool etc).   Certainly like this page to assist your day-to-day life in Qatar, or the run up to it. 

www.facebook.com/dohamums

'Doha Mums' - A large group for mothers or mum-to-be, who are in Doha.  A wonderful group who are a great support network for mummies new to doha.  They have an extablished website too, which is where you can find out information about how to become a member, when and where they all meet and mum's nights out!  http://www.dohamums.com

www.facebook.com/TrinityTalentQatar

'Trinity Talent Qatar' - need some extra cash?  A natural born poser?  Excellent waitress?  Excellent host?  Want to become a model / hostess?  This is your chance!  TTQ is a well established talent agency who have many, many jobs requiring any of the above.  Friendly and fun, I recommend registering with them because they are always in need of extras and models.  Like their page to see the latest roles that need filling.  Registration is free!

www.facebook.com/EventsDoha

'Events Doha' - the who, what, where of Doha.  Know what's going on at the weekends, the biggest events and how to get there!  Good for your social life - so a definite 'Like'!!

I hope that you enjoyed this post and find new friends along the way!  If you have a page or group you love, post it below and share with us!

Hints & Tips || Beauty Needs

 

Source: Pinterest

 Beauty 

 ..... every girl's favorite word after diamonds!  As an avid pursuer of all things hair and beauty, I take every opportunity to visit salons and spas when time permits, and now that I have been in Qatar for 7months, I am starting to get into a routine of where to go for what treatment.

Glow American Salon

Glow has three locations: Salwa Road; West Bay Lagoon and Beach Tower, and has everything that you would desire; hair, nails, massaging, waxing, eyelashes, eyebrows.... the list goes on.  Owned by American's, they certainly know a thing or two about customer service and the importance of it's existence.   Glow's receptionists are friendly, smiley, extremely helpful and the Salwa Road branch now greet me by my first name as I walk in, and they also recognise me on the telephone when I call to make (another) appointment, which I think is professional and impressive considering the large numbers of clients Glow has!  

Glow's prices are very reasonable across the board, I have so far had, and regularly have: highlights, cuts, blow dries, manicures, HD Brows, Facials, Massages and LVL lash treatments - it's safe to say that I am addicted to their hair and beauty treatments.   

Glow regularly sends out newsletters to those who have signed up to their mailing lists, with news updates and very often amazing offers.  Offers require booking by a certain date, with a certain person and you must take along the coupon on the email.  Additionally, as Glow is growing and training new therapists, or stylists, they often need models too.  I recently assisted Glow by allowing their wax therapists to train on me, it was free of charge and I have continued with the treatment ever since.  

Overall, Glow is on-trend, first for new treatments in Qatar, easy to find, addictive and have very good newsletters too!  So, my advice to you is go to Glow, they will take you under their wings and look after you.

Website: http://www.glowamericansalon.com/intro/

Blue Brush Studio

 

Based in The Hilton Hotel, Blue Brush is run and managed by a team of French professionals.  There is a gentleman (David) who is an expert with cutting and styling your hair, and an excellent colourist (Saoud) who will transform your hair, whether it be a new colour, or maintaining your existing colour. 

Easy to find, easy to park, Blue Brush is petit in size but grand in quality.  I recently decided to change my hair colour, from platinum blonde to a red head :)  As always, I took along photos to give Saoud an idea of what I would like to achieve.  A couple of hours later I was transformed: the coverage was excellent, the colour was shiny and beautiful, and I was a very happy customer.  I had gone in with black roots, blonde hair and come out with a colour that looked like it was my natural colour.  Saoud is a very friendly lady, I very much enjoyed chatting and giggling with her, and she provided me with some excellent advice on how to manage my new colour.  Reasonably priced, I highly recommend 'Magic Saoud' to colour your hair and David to give you the highest technical cut and blow that your hair needs.  Children are welcome as guests or customers, both Saoud and David have great patience with them, which is good news for all of you mummy's out there.  Highly recommend Blue Brush for your hair.

Website: http://www.bluebrushhairstudio.com/who/

I will keep adding to this list as I venture out to more salons and spa's, so keep your eyes peeled!