London’s only Vicky Shower launched this autumn at the luxurious Akasha spa at Hotel Café Royal. Guests to the spa are offered the option of three hydrotherapy-based Vichy treatments, each one tailored to enhancing and rejuvenating a different part of the mind and body.
Lying on a snug leather massage bed, six powerful water jets, which are integrated into the ceiling, allow 30 litres of water per minute to massage the skin. During this time, a dedicated therapist provides a body massage. During the treatment the therapist will tailor the water pressure to suit the individual. Hard pressure and colder water is applied to give the reinvigorating effect of a sports treatment, while warmer water and softer jet pressure will achieve a more relaxing experience. The effect of the water combined with the massage creates a treatment with the body becoming more fluid and supple to the experience.
Alternatively, guests can opt for a Vichy Rainstorm Scrub. Using only natural ingredients, the rainstorm cleanses and invigorates the skin, with the heat of the water opening up the body’s pores to allow the therapist to massage in the body scrub. Shower jets stimulate circulation and the nervous system. A Rainstorm Scrub is £60 for 30 minutes.
There’s also the Vichy Shower Hydro Massage, which combines the detoxifying benefits of the water jets, with an individually tailored massage. A therapist will create unique water pressures and temperatures to gain the desired affects; coupled with the healing powers of breathing and mindfulness exercises. The Vichy Shower Hydro Massage is £130 for 60 minutes or £190 for 90 minutes.
Lastly, the Detoxifying Vichy Shower Ritual starts with a traditional hammam, which is the perfect tonic to release tension and open the pores. Guests are then massaged with the shower’s warm jets and receive a wonderfully skin-softening exfoliation using a special Sultan du Saba scrub containing green tea, ginger and salt, which stimulates circulation. Then comes the really good part: post-shower, guests are cocooned in shea butter and tea powder, which works to draw out toxins, while a lymphatic draining massage and a moisturising mist finishes the treatment. The Detoxifying Vichy Shower Ritual is £140 for 75 minutes.
Caferoyal.com