Organic Cornish delights at Edinburgh's Balmoral

Experience the Cornish products that are good enough to eat at Edinburgh's Balmoral
The BalmoralThe Balmoral
The Balmoral

The treatment

A Spiezia Relax into Radiance treatment at The Balmoral Spa, Edinburgh, £110 for 90 minutes.

Why go?

To experience The Balmoral’s new range of treatments from organic Cornish brand Spiezia. Apparently, their products are so natural that they’re suitable for pregnant women and cancer sufferers. You can even eat a few of them (though, before you start chowing down, that’s not recommended).

Our spy says

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Before we start the treatment, my therapist Stephanie tells me a little about the brand. According to her, they produce the products with rather unusual techniques, involving maceration of organic flowers and herbs in oil, which is done at certain times according to the lunar cycle.

It kind of reminds me of biodynamic winemaking, but, even if you’re not convinced, the gorgeous products speak for themselves.

After I’ve sniffed a few, the treatment begins. Stephanie instructs me to stand up so she can guide me through a yoga move, which is designed to ease you into the treatment. I stand with feet apart (mountain pose) and breathe deeply, while she gently moves my arms round to prayer pose in front of my face. And repeat.

Then she leaves the room so I slip out of my gown and get onto the bed, face up. Once Stephanie returns, she kicks off by cleansing my eyes and lips, then she moves onto the body.

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Although this treatment might be officially classified as a scrub, there’s a kind of massage element, where your limbs are rubbed with a light oil to prepare for the exfoliating. It’s lovely – rhythmic and hypnotic.

Then Stephanie uses the pleasantly abrasive Embrace the Day Body Scrub, which contains sugar, wheatgrass, cocoa butter, lemongrass and marigold (this is one of the ones you could eat), to scrub me all over, front and back. This is left on my skin, and I’m wrapped in a towel.

A few rose buds are placed along the top of my cocoon, so I can smell them while Stephanie performs my facial, which involves a cleanse, a rose and chamomile scrub and a mask that’s gently dotted on. My hair is draped along the pillow, and I get a head massage, designed to “clear and calm the mind”, and Stephanie rubs a little rosemary oil onto my neck (as I’d said it was achey in my consultation).

The mask is removed, the treatment ends, and Stephanie guides me through to the changing rooms, where I shower off the grains.

The results

There’s something ritual-like about this experience that made me feel more relaxed than I have been for a while. I’m not usually a fan of body scrubs, but this is quite special.