Experience a designer facial

When Italian fashion house Missoni chose Edinburgh as the location for its first hotel back in June 2009, the capital won lots of brownie points from fashionistas.

So we knew it was only a matter of time before they would add five-star pampering to their repertoire, to keep us beauty fans happy.

The spa is tucked away on the second floor of the hotel, and with just two treatment rooms and a small but perfectly formed "chill zone", it's an intimate affair. However, as follows in the rest of the hotel, the attention to detail has resulted in a very stylish space, which is decked out in the brand's distinctive prints and dotted with chic pieces of furniture.

There are more than 50 treatments to choose from, all of which are courtesy of luxury brands Natura Biss and Eve Lom. (Beauty junkie alert: it's currently the only spa in Scotland to offer treatments from the former).

I'm here to try out Natura Biss's The Cure facial, which the literature describes as consisting of "cutting-edge thermoactive enzymatic detoxification".

First I slip into something more comfortable. Instead of the usual one-size-fits-all white gown, I preserve my modesty with a cute and colourful Missoni dressing gown. Then it's on to the heated bed, which is covered with fluffy towels.

My therapist, Zoe, explains that the use of varying sensations is integral to Natura Biss treatments.

I soon get the idea, thanks to a cooling cleanser which is followed by a fragrant tonic.

It's now time for a glycolic peel, which contains a natural fruit acid and produces a warm, prickling sensation. My face feels itchy. More products are added, before there's an unsettling bubbling sound, accompanied by heat. Thankfully, Zoe warned me about this, so I take it in my stride.

My skin is now primed for the next element of this treatment - the extraction. Zoe works across my chin, nose and forehead, pinching and, thus, removing blackheads. By now I'm a tad concerned that I shall be leaving the Missoni Spa with a traffic-stopping beetroot-coloured face. I needn't have worried, however, as the treatment now steps down a gear.

While a calming face mask works its magic, Zoe gives me an arm and hand rub. There's also a very gentle face massage and by the end of the treatment I'm ready for bed. Once The Cure has been completed and I'm left alone to get dressed, curiosity leads me straight to the mirror. What do I see? Phew. No redness, just lovely glowing skin.

Missoni Spa, Hotel Missoni Edinburgh, 1 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh (0131-220 6666, www.hotelmissoni.com)

This article was first published in The Scotsman, 1 January, 2011