Somewhere amidst the poker nights, the golf afternoons and the ‘no-girls-allowed’ outings – there is a little slice of heaven for us, without them! A classic girls spa day and evening cocktails … no men allowed!
Quite honestly I’d be happy to spend almost all of my time with J, but for all his plus points, his gossiping skills don’t quite cut it ;). So last weekend, I blocked off Friday in the diary as ‘Girl’s day out’ and went for treatments and dinner with a girlfriend of mine in Dubai.
I’d heard a lot about The Heavnly Spa at The Westin in Habtoor City, and I was filming with Virgin Atlantic that end of town in the morning (You can watch that here!) so it made the perfect choice. Habtoor City was kind of an anomaly in Dubai’s scene until three stunning hotels recently opened there – The Westin, The St Regis and The W Hotel. Between them, they now have some of my favourite restaurants in Dubai too.
The spa is a floor in itself, complete with a gorgeous sauna, lined with pink himalayan salt stones, a steam, welcome and relaxation area. The bathrobes are especially soft and makes you feel relaxed the moment you slip them on!
Couple rooms are available but unfortunately we missed a trick with that, so went off into our treatment rooms alone. Pretty, inviting and quiet – exactly what you want :)
Tip: I always use my time at a spa to try and detox as much as possible for my mind, body and skin. Phones away is number one, not even having your phone in the same room allows you to unwind in itself, but also try to squeeze in a 30 minute sauna or steam before the actual treatments. If you’re having a massage, it gives the muscles a chance to warm up and relax so that you can maximise how effective the massage is for loosening up knots in the body, and if you’re having a facial, it enables the skin to sweat, getting a head start on opening up the pores and sweating out dirt and toxins!
I went for the Papaya Facial peel which is deep cleansing combined with a fruit acid peel to brighten up and nourish the skin. It also included a drainage massage and hydrating mask to stimulate new skin cells and elasticity leaving skin with a ‘rejuvenated glow’! This, followed by the “Green Coffee Sculpting” which is a dry skin rub and thermogenic chilli and coffee oil massage, helping to stimulate circulation and the metabolism was the perfect duo!
I also selected the ‘add on’ of an agave nectar hair and scalp mask.
My hair has always been in good condition but since moving to Dubai, it dries out so quickly because of the heat and constant aircon – the difference after the mask was really noticeable. It did mean I went to dinner ‘rocking’ the slicked back hair look but it worked well enough … I think!
It’s no secret that spas in Dubai can be expensive so it’s worth noting their Wednesday offer. Dubbed “Wellness Wednesdays”, they offer you 50% off over 20 different treatments for both men and women. You can have a look at the full treatment menu here.
After some fresh ginger tea and sticky medjool dates, we changed into more appropriate dinner attire and made our way to The St Regis hotel for dinner. The three hotels are all ajoining so you can walk through them to get around – convenient!
I’ve been to J&G Steakhouse before, it’s a stunning American restaurant specialising in the most exquisite and quality steaks, but also weighing in heavenly on some stunning fish dishes. I took Jack there for his last birthday – it suits both a group celebratory occasion and an intimate evening.
The interiors are elegant, rich with dark wood, leather and marble. Somewhat masculine but inviting all the same.
Cocktails are a must. The mixologist comes round with a drinks cart full of delicious fruit infusions and spirits – asking what might take your fancy. For me, a lychee and raspberry martini and for Frankie, an aperol spritz.
We ordered a selection of starters, including their popular black truffle and cheese fritters, fresh rock oysters, sea bass ceviche with mint sauce (a real delight), wagyu beef carpaccio and grilled prawns. Portion sizes are generous and every dish is packed full of flavour and punch.
The grilled prawns are paired with an avocado roll stuffed with grapefruit – a trick I’ll be taking home with me! The dishes are relatively dear, but they certainly deliver on the quality and you’re sure not to be left hungry!
We had arrived at first sitting for 6.30pm and I didn’t expect the restaurant to fill up until at least 8pm – people tend to eat later here especially for more fine-dining restaurants – but to my surprise, just after 7pm and almost all tables were taken. Always a good sign!
For mains, black cod with mizo glaze and honestly, no exaggeration, the best steak I’ve had. As you may have read from recent posts on the blog, I have massively cut back on my meat intake and now probably only have red meat once every 2-3 weeks.
It means when I do have it, I want to make sure it is the very best and worth every bite – J&G Steakhouse is the perfect place to do that. It was the ‘Stockyard Silver label Wagyu MB7’ fillet steak and if you are looking for the best steak in Dubai – this is where you need to go!
We skipped on the desserts, (I wasn’t lying when I said you wouldn’t go hungry!) and settled in for a final glass of rich red wine before goodbyes. J&G steakhouse will remain as one of the restaurants I give to people for recommendations and continue to visit myself. Chef Daniel Ferreira seriously knows his way around a kitchen and the waiters and waitresses are a great compliment to food served. A perfect end to ur evening and a wonderful girls day out!
You can check out both hotel websites below;
Hope you enjoyed this post and please do comment below with any questions or comments!
LLG x
