Meso-dose thermotherapy, Ritz Carlton hotel in JBR
While many body-sculpting treatments promise results after the first session, few deliver. That’s why the meso-dose thermotherapy at Dubai’s Ritz-Carlton hotel in JBR deserves a mention. I tried the spa’s 60-minute signature slimming treatment, geared towards breaking up fat cells and reducing the appearance of cellulite, and it worked. Not to be confused with mesotherapy, which involves homeopathic and vitamin injections, this spa treatment was non-invasive. While a course of up to 13 sessions is recommended, after a single treatment I noticed that my skin was smoother and my jeans looser, not least through the loss of water retention.
Before commencing, I had a consultation with a therapist and decided upon an area of the body to focus on. Common “problem areas” tend to be the thighs, stomach or arms. Once inside the treatment room, she started by applying body thermogel to my legs, which acted as a conductor for the creams to be applied next. Made with turmeric, cinnamon and ginger oil, the product smelled like freshly baked biscuits and glided on smoothly before gently heating the skin. The warmth was a blessing because next to be applied was a cold, thick slimming serum called meso-contour.
The ultraconcentrate contained green algae, caffeine, mango and shea butter and reacted swiftly with the thermotherapy gel below it to stimulate circulation. Acting as a detoxifying and sculpting mask, the wrap was left to work for 15 minutes while the therapist massaged the rest of my body. This time she used another slim-contour cream by Natura Bissé, rich with brown algae and caffeine. Once the wrap had been peeled away, it was time for a vigorous leg massage to get the blood flowing and flush out the toxins.
This treatment is one of many under the banner of Detox and Cleanse at the spa and you can choose whether you’d prefer to focus on slimming, lifting or re-contouring the body upon each visit. I instantly noticed my skin was hydrated and my silhouette refined rather than drastically altered, but who’s to say what another 12 sessions might yield? With a healthy diet and plenty of exercise, the therapist assured me that a full course of the thermotherapy would continue to help the body produce collagen and retain its elastin. It’s also suitable for those who have varicose veins and want to stay away from light, laser or electric-current treatments, which some argue worsen the symptoms.
If you’re looking for a relaxing spa experience, this intensive one probably isn’t for you. It’s geared towards getting results, fast. However, if you’re embarking upon a new gym and nutritional regime and want a morale boost from the get-go, this treatment should probably be on your list.
• The Signature Meso Sculpting treatment costs Dh550 for 60 minutes at the Ritz-Carlton JBR Visit www.ritzcarlton.com
Slimming specials
1. Votre Slimming Spa, Dubai
Total body lipo-massage, 35 minutes. Fifty per cent discount for August; Dh175. Visit www.votreslimmingspa.com
2. Amaryllis Clinic, Abu Dhabi
Endosphere AK55 therapy with lympho drainage, 20-45 minutes. Each session costs from Dh300. Visit www.amaryllisclinic.com/spa.aspx
3. Oxygen Spa, Dubai
Stretch-mark reduction therapy, 60 minutes. Free consultation, sessions start from Dh800. Visit www.oxygenspadubai.com/bodytherapy.html
Stay Liquid till Lunch by Detox Delight
One way to embark upon your new health regime this month is with a quick juice cleanse. For newbies such as myself, one of the easiest programmes to follow was the three-day Stay Liquid till Lunch box set from Detox Delight, not least because of the door-to-door delivery in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. My package contained six bottles of green juice and six bottles of super-green juice; their ingredients included everything from spelt grass and coconut water to leaf spinach. The programme did exactly what it promised and provided me with vitamin-packed liquid drinks until around 1pm, after which time I opted for a protein-rich lunch and dinner. Far from leaving me famished, the juices left me full and surprisingly flat-stomached. After three days, I was able to substitute the green juices for cold-pressed homemade alternatives. Which, if you haven’t yet mastered your kitchen gadgets, can be ordered from Detox Delight (organic apple, pear, ginger, Swiss chard, courgette and fennel). For longer-term detoxes or complete overhauls, there are full menu options of soups, detox teas, protein meals, gluten-free snacks (and vegan options) available online.
• Flexible daily packages start from Dh370. Visit detox-delight.ae
Kaya’s Kitchen Detox
If you want to learn how to shop and cook nutritious meals, sign up for a private home visit from the health and lifestyle expert Kaya Peters. For Dh1,495 she will help you demystify food labels, arm you with staple shopping lists alongside ingredients for cooking and a cookbook. Call 050 344 6832.
rduane@thenational.ae
The specs
Engine: 0.8-litre four cylinder
Power: 70bhp
Torque: 66Nm
Transmission: four-speed manual
Price: $1,075 new in 1967, now valued at $40,000
On sale: Models from 1966 to 1970
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
MATCH INFO
Cricket World Cup League Two
Oman, UAE, Namibia
Al Amerat, Muscat
Results
Oman beat UAE by five wickets
UAE beat Namibia by eight runs
Namibia beat Oman by 52 runs
UAE beat Namibia by eight wickets
UAE v Oman - abandoned
Oman v Namibia - abandoned
If you go...
Etihad flies daily from Abu Dhabi to Zurich, with fares starting from Dh2,807 return. Frequent high speed trains between Zurich and Vienna make stops at St. Anton.
FIXTURES
Monday, January 28
Iran v Japan, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Tuesday, January 29
UAEv Qatar, Mohamed Bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Friday, February 1
Final, Zayed Sports City Stadium (6pm)
Race card
6.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (Dirt) 1.600m
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 2,000m
7.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 1,600m
8.15pm: The Garhoud Sprint Listed (TB) Dh 132,500 (D) 1,200m
8.50pm: The Entisar Listed (TB) Dh 132,500 (D) 2,000m
9.25pm: Conditions (TB) Dh 120,000 (D) 1,400m
The biog
Family: He is the youngest of five brothers, of whom two are dentists.
Celebrities he worked on: Fabio Canavaro, Lojain Omran, RedOne, Saber Al Rabai.
Where he works: Liberty Dental Clinic
Race results:
1. Thani Al Qemzi (UAE) Team Abu Dhabi: 46.44 min
2. Peter Morin (FRA) CTIC F1 Shenzhen China Team: 0.91sec
3. Sami Selio (FIN) Mad-Croc Baba Racing Team: 31.43sec
What is Folia?
Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal's new plant-based menu will launch at Four Seasons hotels in Dubai this November. A desire to cater to people looking for clean, healthy meals beyond green salad is what inspired Prince Khaled and American celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to create Folia. The word means "from the leaves" in Latin, and the exclusive menu offers fine plant-based cuisine across Four Seasons properties in Los Angeles, Bahrain and, soon, Dubai.
Kenney specialises in vegan cuisine and is the founder of Plant Food Wine and 20 other restaurants worldwide. "I’ve always appreciated Matthew’s work," says the Saudi royal. "He has a singular culinary talent and his approach to plant-based dining is prescient and unrivalled. I was a fan of his long before we established our professional relationship."
Folia first launched at The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in July 2018. It is available at the poolside Cabana Restaurant and for in-room dining across the property, as well as in its private event space. The food is vibrant and colourful, full of fresh dishes such as the hearts of palm ceviche with California fruit, vegetables and edible flowers; green hearb tacos filled with roasted squash and king oyster barbacoa; and a savoury coconut cream pie with macadamia crust.
In March 2019, the Folia menu reached Gulf shores, as it was introduced at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, where it is served at the Bay View Lounge. Next, on Tuesday, November 1 – also known as World Vegan Day – it will come to the UAE, to the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and the Four Seasons DIFC, both properties Prince Khaled has spent "considerable time at and love".
There are also plans to take Folia to several more locations throughout the Middle East and Europe.
While health-conscious diners will be attracted to the concept, Prince Khaled is careful to stress Folia is "not meant for a specific subset of customers. It is meant for everyone who wants a culinary experience without the negative impact that eating out so often comes with."
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Tour de France
When: July 7-29
UAE Team Emirates:
Dan Martin, Alexander Kristoff, Darwin Atapuma, Marco Marcato, Kristijan Durasek, Oliviero Troia, Roberto Ferrari and Rory Sutherland
MATCH INFO
What: India v Afghanistan, first Test
When: Starts Thursday
Where: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengalaru
TEST SQUADS
Bangladesh: Mushfiqur Rahim (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Imrul Kayes, Liton Das, Shakib Al Hasan, Mominul Haque, Nasir Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Mehedi Hasan, Shafiul Islam, Taijul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman and Taskin Ahmed.
Australia: Steve Smith (captain), David Warner, Ashton Agar, Hilton Cartwright, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Matthew Wade, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Renshaw, Mitchell Swepson and Jackson Bird.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Rain Management
Year started: 2017
Based: Bahrain
Employees: 100-120
Amount raised: $2.5m from BitMex Ventures and Blockwater. Another $6m raised from MEVP, Coinbase, Vision Ventures, CMT, Jimco and DIFC Fintech Fund
Top tips
Create and maintain a strong bond between yourself and your child, through sensitivity, responsiveness, touch, talk and play. “The bond you have with your kids is the blueprint for the relationships they will have later on in life,” says Dr Sarah Rasmi, a psychologist.
Set a good example. Practise what you preach, so if you want to raise kind children, they need to see you being kind and hear you explaining to them what kindness is. So, “narrate your behaviour”.
Praise the positive rather than focusing on the negative. Catch them when they’re being good and acknowledge it.
Show empathy towards your child’s needs as well as your own. Take care of yourself so that you can be calm, loving and respectful, rather than angry and frustrated.
Be open to communication, goal-setting and problem-solving, says Dr Thoraiya Kanafani. “It is important to recognise that there is a fine line between positive parenting and becoming parents who overanalyse their children and provide more emotional context than what is in the child’s emotional development to understand.”
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
BRAZIL SQUAD
Alisson (Liverpool), Daniel Fuzato (Roma), Ederson (Man City); Alex Sandro (Juventus), Danilo (Juventus), Eder Militao (Real Madrid), Emerson (Real Betis), Felipe (Atletico Madrid), Marquinhos (PSG), Renan Lodi (Atletico Madrid), Thiago Silva (PSG); Arthur (Barcelona), Casemiro (Real Madrid), Douglas Luiz (Aston Villa), Fabinho (Liverpool), Lucas Paqueta (AC Milan), Philippe Coutinho (Bayern Munich); David Neres (Ajax), Gabriel Jesus (Man City), Richarlison (Everton), Roberto Firmino (Liverpool), Rodrygo (Real Madrid), Willian (Chelsea).
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
