IN PURSUIT OF THE PERFECT PEDI - LIFE DAY SPA - CAPE TOWN

Over the years I have had many pedicures, some good, some bad and some that have left me physically injured!

To me a pedicure is one of the most enjoyable and relaxing of all the beauty treatments you can have. I have decided to do a series of posts on my experiences with pedicures and rate them accordingly.

5 ***** are up for grabs in the seven scoring areas.

I'm really not expecting to find a perfect pedi on my quest, as I believe its quite a tall ask, but I will bring you my personal findings on the day of each pedicure I experience.

                                                                        Onwards in my quest:

For my 4th "In Pursuit of the Perfect Pedi" review I ventured further afield, in fact, to Cape Town and visited the Life Day Spa, which is situated in the Crystal Towers Hotel in Century City.

This Spa forms part of the Life Spa group and has won several awards over the past few years.

I have on several previous occasions visited this Spa for Pedicures, Hot Stone Therapy and Flotation Therapy treatments, all of which have been most enjoyable.

They have an extensive treatment and therapy menu and I suggest you visit their website for further info regarding prices, packages and treatment descriptions.

They have 3 Pedicures on offer and I chose the 

Luxury Stone Pedicure
60 mins
R280

A classic pedicure including a paraffin wrap, 

coupled with and a luxurious hot and cold stone massage

1. Booking Process: ****

I booked over the phone and it was all handled professionally and efficiently with a confirmation sms being sent to my phone within minutes. You can make an appointment for any treatment via their website, but any appointments needed within 48 hours must be booked telephonically. I have previously booked online and my appointment was confirmed via e.mail. I strongly advise that you book well in advance though, as I really battled to get my pedi appointment over the weekend.

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2. Bonjour: ****

The Spa is located on the first floor of the Crystal Towers Hotel and is beautifully equipped and laid out with the Spa guests being allowed to use the pool, sauna and steam rooms as part of any treatment booked, so go prepared with your costume...

My greeting at the reception was, as I expected it to be, both professional and slick.(This Spa is exceptionally busy and runs to time, so do not arrive late otherwise it's your treatment time that is eaten into)

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3. Ambiance:***

The ambiance of the Spa is luxurious and exudes calm and tranquillity . On arrival you are shown to a quiet waiting area, where you can partake in water, teas and some healthy nibbles, before filling in the necessary customer details/indemnity form. Your therapist then leads you to your treatment area. The Spa has a purpose built mani/pedi room, but a couple of years ago your pedi was done in the calm of a quiet treatment room, which I preferred, as it was far more relaxing and peaceful. Unfortunately the mani/pedi room is located alongside the gym and for 30 minutes of my hour long treatment I had to endure the irritating whirring noise of an energetic runner on a treadmill.

Waiting area complete with fruit,teas and healthy nibbles

Luxurious customised pedicure area

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4. Product : ***

Following my check in at the reception I was shown to the polish bar to make my colour choice,but I have to say that whilst the selection of brands on offer were good,( Morgan Taylor, CND Vinylux and OPI) I found the colour choice to be rather poor for this award winning Spa. I decided on a CND Vinylux polish, which I have used before and have always been impressed with the lasting qualities of this professional nail brand.

The Spa also uses and retails one of my favourite skin and body care brands - La Prairie.Other ranges used in treatments and available for purchase are Optiphi and Nimue.

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5. Treatment: ***

The pedicure itself followed the normal procedure of soak,exfoliation,cuticle work, massage and painting. I opted to pay an extra R60 to have a Medi-Heel exfoliation treatment, but  I will review this under a "Smooth Those Feet" post in the near future. Due to me having this treatment the foot scraper was hardly used and even though I expressed that my big toe nails needed cutting, as they were rather long I was told that they were short enough! Since no cutting took place, only filing, I actually ended cutting my big toe nails that evening. (My hubby even passed a comment as to why I was cutting my own toenails when I had just paid R340 for a pedicure)

I have had Hot Stone Therapy before during both a body massage and a pedicure, but I can't say I would opt for the stone therapy again during a pedi.My pedi also included a Paraffin wrap and my feet were placed in warm booties, but again I wasn't impressed with the so called "benefits" of either the hot stones or the wax treatment. Two coats of the quick drying polish were applied with no base coat as the CND Vinylux range negates the application base coat.

Hot and Cold Stone Therapy

Paraffin Wrap treatment with heated booties

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6. Au Revoir: ***

My therapist escorted me to the reception where my account payment was handled promptly, but there was no mention of me re booking another treatment. The Life Day Spa do offer a loyalty program and they do text you on a regular basis informing its members of special offers on treatments and product promotions.

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7. Was it a perfect pedi?

On my previous visits over the years, I have always come away feeling very satisfied with my overall experience, but alas this visit was marred by several things, the lack of polish colours on offer, the noise from the gym making it far from relaxing and the non cutting of my big toe nails even though I requested, all making this a very average pedi all for an above average price. R340 including the Medi-heel  treatment (R280 without)

Overall ***

The finished result. (Colour - Married to the Mauve)

Tel : 021 5253883 

Address : 1st Floor, Crystal Hotel & Spa,

Cnr Century Boulevard and Rialto Road , Century City. 7441

Operating Hours : 

Monday - Saturday : 8am - 7pm

Sunday & Public Holidays : 9am - 5pm

To read other posts in this series:

The Spa

Teremok Spa

Sorbet

My Nightmare Pedi