My main issue with this place is, surprise surprise, the price. The actual salon is quite…read morebeautiful, laid out in that relaxed, slightly new-age, high-market way you would expect from a salon. I only went to get my nails done but I definitely won't be going back regularly. The cheapest manicure treatment that they offer is £17.50, for a standard nail shape or cuticle fixer. To be fair, it's not as though you don't get your money's worth with regards to time. The longest treatment that they offer for your nails lasts for something crazy like an hour and a half. Salons, in general, scare me a little bit. I was recommended this one by a friend and was put off for a little while by the pictures of strange electronic machines all over the website. They seem to be used for slimming. I'll just eat less, thanks.

I would not recommend this place. I was kept waiting half an hour for a 930 am appt - the excuse…read morefor this was that they had to get the room ready!! I was the first appt so thought that was shoddy. Decided to give it another go and was telephoned the day before informing me that my appt had to be cancelled as they had double booked. Very poor customer service.

Spoil yourself I started going to Beauty Infusion after reading a review on qype about Imtiaz's…read moreamazing massages and facials. Since my first appointment 18 months ago I have become a regular. The reason is that Imtiaz really cares about providing the best treatments and service.

I don't even know where to start…read more I am a self-confessed beauty junkie, and Kiehl's is my drug of choice, so if budget allowed, I'd buy my entire skincare regime from this delightful counter in John Lewis. For now, it's just essentials like face cream and serums, but I have sampled most of their products, so I'll just keep this fairly simple: They. Are. Amazing. From shampoos to self-tan, Kiehl's provide a range of skin and hair products from naturally derived ingredients. Fellas, they haven't forgotten about you, either. Kiehl's offers a range of male grooming products from shave cream to hair wax. What really won me over was the sales assistant's attentive service, cheerfully explaining answers to each of my questions. Even better, when I signed up to their mailing list, I received a hand-written (!!!) letter thanking me, in addition to three samples of their most popular products. You'll also enjoy invites to product launches and beauty evenings, which typically are held a few times a year and includes treatments like facials, massages, as well as goody bags.

I've been using Kiehl's products for about 6 years and have previously only been able to buy them…read morefrom selected stores such as Selfridges. I was therefore very pleased when I heard that John Lewis in Cardiff would be selling Kiehl's products. The staff at the Kiehl's counter are always helpful & provide good service. Their products aren't cheap, but good quality. I regularly pop in to John Lewis when I need something and enjoy sampling new items when they are launched. Their men's line is fab; "Facial Fuel" face wash, exfoliant & anti-wrinkle cream are my staples. I also like the shampoos & "Stylist Series" products, body cleansers & the new "Cross Terrain" range. Would recommend this store for a good shopping experience.

Rebalance is nice enough in itself, and I'm sure that a lot of people appreciate the services that…read morethey offer, but I've been to a fair number of spa's in my time, and have had to conclude that the ones that seem to focus on superficial treatments just aren't my thing. That's not to say that Rebalance isn't heading in the right direction... it offers treatments like Reflexology and deep tissue massage that have a profound impact on the condition of the body... but it's just the way that the whole thing is marketed that makes me uneasy. Much of the fanfare is reserved for the superficial treatments like fake tanning and false nails, which is just a little too plastic-fantastic for my liking. It's not that I'm averse to faking it either... I own a bottle of St Tropez, and have used this product pretty consistently over a five year period, up until about a couple of years ago. These days I feel disinclined to bother with the faff, and probably won't invest in another bottle once my current one is spent. I've always been acutely aware of the perils of the objectification of people, and grew increasingly concerned when men became firmly at the centre of this kind of attention, alongside the women... to my mind two wrongs don't make a right! With boys now suffering from bulimia and other low self-esteem and low self image related conditions, I feel more inclined to veer away from endorsing businesses that trade in the promise of bodily perfection, and the maintenance of youth everlasting. Rebalance is nowhere near the likes of the clinics that offer cosmetic surgery... quite the opposite. It is moving more toward an holistic approach to beauty and wellbeing. But the fact that they use gorgeous girls with pursed lips and fake tans to market themselves doesn't sit well with me. It is neither representative of their client base, nor a realisable reality for most women. And even if I were personally able to conform to the appearances of these beauties, I certainly wouldn't be adopting any of the expressions that they all seem to sport in the publicity posters... sun drenched sex kitten isn't a look that would suit me!

This is a spa and a beauty salon combo, offering a range of treatments including many using water…read moreas their base - such as the hydro dermabrasion (water jet peel), and aqua blitz body treatment. I haven't tried either of these, but I have enjoyed a Dermalogica facial here, which was very relaxing and made my skin feel fantastic. The therapist even gave me a hand and arm massage, which I wasn't expecting. She was very professional, going through the proper Dermalogica 'face mapping' process before deciding on the best treatment - and although the effects may be short-lived, it's great for a quick boost, and a relaxation treat in itself! I'll be back sometime to try some of their other treats, such as their deep tissue massage (£30 for 30 mins, £45 for 60 mins) - as they're more reasonably priced than most hotel-based beauty salons.

1. I hate my feet 2. I am a wimp…read more In the weeks running up to my birthday last year, I mentioned to my mom that my feet were looking like particularly ugly alligator feet and I really ought to get a pedicure. I also mentioned to my sister that I wanted to try out the Heaven Sent Day Spa that had just opened by her house. I wasn't dropping hints... So on my birthday, I was presented with a gift voucher for £40 for the Spa from my sister and her family and it was suggested I could take my best mate and we could both get a little treatment. Yeah, well. My feet need extra special attention. It took a bit of effort to book in to begin with. I wanted to get the Ultimate Pedicure and called last Saturday to book in. I was advised that I would need to speak to the chiropodist to make the appointment as I would need to see her first and then I would transfer to the beauty side. I was told someone would call back on Monday. No one did. If I had not had the voucher, I would have just given up at this point and gone elsewhere. Instead I called again Tuesday and was able to book in for the following Thursday. The actual place is very nice. The car park was a bit ropey at the time but they have since had that repaired... Nice inside though. I was wondering if I could peel off a few sheets of the wallpaper in reception without being noticed for my upstairs bathroom... I have seriously ucky foot issues - I have hammer toes, thick toenails, slightly webbed toes (gross, I know... my whole family has them), claws instead of little toe nails, very dry skin, scars (from mosquito bites due to my stupid skeeter syndrome), stubby, weird-shaped feet, hard skin on my heels, and arthritic pain. Therefore, I force my feet into cute little Betsey Johnson shoes that are most definitely not made for walking because they look pretty. I hate having my feet looked at or touched and I especially don't like having anything done to my toenails. However, this is my issue and I need to deal with it. First I saw Jacquie, the chiropodist. She masterfully hacked away at my tough old nails (that have broken TWO pairs of clippers in the last year) and she whipped out a blade and sliced off my hard skin. It was pretty disgusting to see what was removed but also rather satisfying. She's very nice and I was not scared at all. The only discomfort was when my leg went dead for a moment but I waved it about and was fine again. The actual treatment was surprisingly painless. Then I went to have the pedicure side of it. Andrea (the manager) did that and was also very nice. I started off in a foot bath that had something in it that went all frothy. It was great! She filed my nails, did that cuticle thing, and generally tidied them up. Then a salt scrub, a foot mask, and heated booties while I "relaxed" in the massage chair for 15 minutes (it was like getting beaten up by my cute little Chinese guy in Alhambra all over again). Then a long foot massage. It was much more relaxing than usual - the guys in the SGV literally leave us bleeding... Nails painted and done. I took my own nail polish - the Absolutely Alice from OPI's Alice in Wonderland range. They do have a really good range of OPI but the colours are slightly more subdued than I normally go for (though there was a nice pink I had to scour ebay for). My feet were very pretty afterwards. But I never went back... Here's why... A few months later, my mother decided to go see Jacquie to have her own feet done. She called and was again told she would be called back. She wasn't. Mom would have again given up at that point but I called again and made the appointment for her. She went off and had her feet done and it was fine. But then me and my best mate decided we wanted a spa day... Their website was being modified at the time so there were no descriptions or prices for treatments. I asked on Facebook when the website was likely to be up and running as we wanted to book a spa day and wanted to make some choices before hand. No response. Nothing. Not even a "it might be a while so feel free to drop in for a treatment list". That was it for me. No amount of good treatments makes up for poor customer service. So it is a great place to go if you have lots of money to spend and don't mind slightly shoddy service. But obviously make your own decisions about the place as a few of my sister's friends have had bad experiences there...

This is a wonderful Spa! The staff are excellent, extremely…read moreprofessional, very friendly and polite. The spa itself is beautifully decorated, light, airy and has a lovely, calm, atmosphere. There are loads of treatments to choose from (see their webpage for a full list). I enjoyed a wonderful deep tissue massage. Family and friends have also had a variety of treatments and all have been extremely happy with their chosen treatments and have gone back again. I will certainly be going back.

I've just been to Beauty Within Spa in Cowbridge and had my nails and LVL's done with the amazing…read moreYana. I've been going to Yana for about 2 years now and each time I go she does the most incredible job. her attention to detail is second to none, they use the highest quality products and are always so friendly and welcoming. I couldn't recommend it enough!

Prepare yourself for a day of decadence…read more It's the perfect setup for a lavish afternoon with your mum on Mother's Day, or ideal if you fancy spending the better part of an hour slathering mud all over your beloved in an Arabic temple (more on that in a moment). The Beauty Within Medi Spa, situated neatly on the high street of a lovely little village called Cowbridge, offers a range of beauty treatments, as well the latest in aesthetic laser therapy, skin rejuvenation and hair removal techniques. I've been the joyous recipient of an Exotic Steam Rasul experience, where you spend 45 minutes in a darkened Arabic temple applying different coloured medicinal chakra muds to specific areas of the body. The idea is to gently inhale the steam infused by pure herbs, which, according to the spa's website, apparently helps cleanse your respiratory system, smooth the skin and detoxify the body, while revitalising your chi energy. Not bad for a Saturday afternoon. The best part is the warm shower that pours down from the ceiling, rinsing your skin, and making you feel like kids caught out in the rain after an afternoon of making mud pies. The Exotic Steam Rasul is a creative gift for the difficult-to-buy-for couple - trust me, it's way better than a John Lewis voucher! The Beauty Within website offers a full price list, and once in a while they even have a 10% off treatments voucher which you can print out and bring along. There's no train station in Cowbridge, unfortunately (the closest is Llantwit Major and it's not really in walking distance), but you can take a bus out here, although your best bet is probably just to drive.

Gaia Lifestyle has two clinics in Cardiff, one in Pontcanna and another in Roath. They are…read more'dedicated to creating awareness of the benefits of Complementary Therapies, Ayurveda, Yoga and more'. Positioned around the corner from The Feet and Face Place, which provides a plethora of treatments that deal with looking good on a pretty superficial basis, I have to admit preferring the Gaia approach to health and beauty. It's not as flash as The Feet and Face Place, but it offers curative treatments as well as the purely cosmetic. It also provides Ayurvedic nutrition and lifestyle consultations, which deal with health and beauty on an essential level. (One thing in their favour is that the The Feet and Face Place offer Reflexology, which certainly does work on a more profound level than their other treatments). The Gaia Lifestyle Centre in Pontcanna operates an appointment only system, (as does their other clinic). They do not provide a reception as such, and so bookings are made with the individual practioners. A full list is available on their well maintained website. www.gaialifestyle.com/

Gaia's Ayurvedic treatments were what attracted me to try this place out, and I can only report…read moreback on this small area of their far wider range of holistic alternative treatments. Ayurvedic massages are meant to be incorporated into part of an overall treatment programme, often also incorporating yoga and nutritional advice. The practitioner at Gaia starts off by having a consultation with you about your lifestyle and then goes on to suggest massage treatments, and offers advice about yoga practice and nutrition. What I am most keen to tell everyone about, however, is the divine Ayurvedic Shirodhara treatment available here. This is also known as the 'third eye drip', which sounds far less appealing than it actually is! Basically, you start off enjoying a face, neck and scalp massage, and then the practitioner sets off a flow of warm oil onto your third eye on your forehead, creating the most unbelievable feeling of relaxation and peacefulness. I would actually go as far as to say this treatment totally transports you elsewhere, inducing a kind of dream like state without actually sending you to sleep. I can't recommend it highly enough, based on my own experiences!

Convenient location, polite staff, reasonable prices. Only problem was my sister had a wax here and…read moreleft her covered in a rash and they offered no advice on how to deal with this. We had to go to another salon to buy a product to correct this.

Value for money, very helpful staff. received voucher and was thrilled with all my treatments, one…read moreof best salons I have been to, girls working there were lovely, recommended this salon to all my friends and family