GABRIELA MILODA

Did you know that ninety percent of woman have cellulite? So it's not a big surprise that cellulite is considered the number 1 beauty issue of most woman. But what exactly is cellulite? Cellulite is fat cells that have bulged into the skin's middle layer, where they pull on connective tissue to create an unattractive, dimpled skin surface. So what can be done against it? There are some obvious solutions like eating your greens, exercising and of course drinking a lot of water but if you want to try something different then I might have a suggestion. I tried out the anti-cellulite treatment at Zen Spa at the Al Ghurair Rotana Hotel to prep myself for the (European) bikini season. I didn't really know what to expect to be honest. After some hot ginger tea I was brought to the treatment room.

To start I was treated with a soothing foot ritual, which I thought was a wonderful starter to the treatment. The therapist then began brushing my skin with a dry brush made out of cactus so it was not surprising that it felt much rougher on my skin than the one I have at home. Then she went on to massage my skin with Aromatherapy Associates Revive Evening Body Oil. That was the pleasent part and I started to relax. Just as I was about to drop my guard the therapist started what seemed like using my thigh as a boxing bag. I was completely taken aback before it dawned on me that I have in fact never heard of or experienced a "pain-free" anti-cellulite treatment. So I bit my teeth as she hacked, beat and cupped away on the backside of my thigh. It felt as if it was going on forever although it must have been only a couple of minutes. Just as I thought I would ask her to go a bit slower she switched to the massaging part of the treatment. I was so relieved but also worried because there were still many other "cellulite-prone" areas she hadn't covered yet.

Although the rough parts were tough to bear I really enjoyed the Swedish and Thai massage elements in between. Also knowing that this sort of interval massaging would break down cellulite and orange peel kept me optimistic. The body parts she concentrated on were the back and front of my thighs, my buttocks and my arms. In my opinion the arms were the least painful or maybe I had gotten used to the sensation by that point. I absolutely loved the stomach massage as well as the head massage in the end which I think were very well deserved if I may say so myself. The therapist was highly trained with techniques and customer service skills that were impressive. She informed me that to see results one would have to do the massage twice a week for a whole month. I asked her about bruising too but that only affects woman who generally bruise easily.

The next day my legs felt as if I had done an intensive cardio session at the gym or a ninety minute yoga class. They were sore but they felt strong too! I would definitely do this again although I'm not sure about the twice a week part of the deal. If you're looking to start asap my suggestion for at-home solutions is to body brush on a regular basis. To really make it part of your routine try doing it every morning before taking a shower. Daily body brushing, stroking in the direction towards your heart, or a strong-handed massage on your problem zones such as the one I tried at Zen Spa will increase fat dispersion and support circulation. And since cellulite forms in areas with the least circulation hopefully it will banish the dreaded orange peel in time for the summer. To find out more about the summer promotion at Zen Spa go to: http://roho.it/qsgyt