Scottish spa treatments: Guy's Relaxation Morning, The Players Lounge, Edinburgh

A spruce-up at The Players Lounge leaves Rolf Rae-Hansen feeling seriously suave
The Player's Lounge in EdinburghThe Player's Lounge in Edinburgh
The Player's Lounge in Edinburgh

The treatment

Costing £78, a Guy’s Relaxation Morning at The Players Lounge is a 90-minute package which, actually, you can have any time of day. It kicks off with a designed for blokes 60-minute Urban Cleanse Facial. The process of cleansers, steaming towels, scrubs, mud mask, oils and moisturisers aims to purify and improve even the manliest, most rugged mug. The last half hour is given over to a shampoo, cut and finish, to ensure you leave looking top dollar.

Why go?

Gone are the days when men don’t care about their looks, right? The same can be said of The Players Lounge itself, which recently had a makeover of its own. The new look is on-trend urban with reclaimed wood, stripped stone and unshaded lighting. There’s a lot of green, too – in the environmental sense. The Lounge makes use of low-energy lighting and equipment, and mainly employs planet-friendly organic products, such as the styling range from Edinburgh’s own Cahoonas.

Our spy says

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The facial was a supremely relaxing experience. Laid back in the comfy leather chair, salon manager Susana Davila placed the first hot towel over my face and mental silence descended, the stress of a busy day in the office dissipated along with the steam. The process was good (and later visibly so) for my skin too. I was cleaned, scrubbed, massaged and treated with down-to-earth, wholly good stuff like Green People’s organic cleanser and a finishing of almond oil.

There’s no point in your face looking good when the mop on top’s a distracting mess, so it was on to a shampoo, condition and scalp massage, and from there to another equally comfy chair for a cut and finish.

The Players Lounge is up (or is that down?) with the latest trends but each cut starts with a consultation to ensure you end up with a style that suits your facial features and fashion fierceness. I was tended with scissors (the regular kind), clippers (over comb, not barber-style with a graded guard), thinning scissors and a seriously sharp razor for a look that was contemporary and full of edgy texture.

The results

Finished off with a spray of Salty Dog and a smudge of Cahoonas’ Matt Putty Wax, I swaggered down Edinburgh’s Rose Street looking like a man transformed and feeling determined to add some serious grooming to my regular routine.

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