SPA IN THE CITY

As part of This Is Edinburgh's year-round mission to make our capital city as lovely as possible, Spa in the City is back for its eighth year, with free beauty treatments, talks and tips for all to enjoy.

This year, Spa in the City has been spread over two weekends (23rd & 24th in St Andrew Square, and 30th & 31st in the West End). I was invited along to the St Andrew Square weekend with a few other bloggers to try out some treatments, and the weather was beautiful!

St Andrew's Square is a lovely place to hang out, whatever's happening (even more so now the grass has finally been fixed after the winter!), but there was such a lovely vibe in the Square - beauty tents were dotted about, a band was playing, and everyone was just soaking up the sunshine.

Sassoon Salon step by step updo

We started the morning at the Beauty Heroes Marquee watching a blow & style demo by Sassoon Salon, who showed us how to do a few looks from their blow bar. It's always really interesting seeing hairstylists in action, and the difference a few simple steps can make to a style - I liked their dishevelled ponytail a lot!

Lush Spa

Then I headed off for my treatment - a shoulder and neck massage from Balance Spa at the Roxburghe. This was SO WONDERFUL, I just didn't want it to stop. The masseuse used Decleor essential oils so it smelled amazing, and in the treatment tent you could hear the soft murmur of people in the park, and music drifting through.

Afterwards I went for a wander around the other tents (making a beeline for the Lush Spa tent), then met up with my blogger pals for a Cocktail Master Class with Element, where we learned a few tricks and sampled a few drinks (and then were super inspired to use our 2 for 1 cocktail vouchers at their lovely bar on Rose St!).

And did I mention it's all free? And you get a goodie bag when you go to their registration tent? Mine included treats from Lush, mascara, face masks, and a special Spa in the City offer book (which can also be downloaded online) with discounts for food, drink, spa treatments and shopping (including H&M!).

If you fancy taking part in Spa in the City next weekend, it's popping up outside the Huxley on 30th and 31st May between 11.30am and 6pm. All treatments available are offered on a first come first serve basis, so it's worth heading down early to make sure you can get booked in. Treatments include Aveda massages, Benefit makeovers, Regis massages, hair styling with James Alexander Hair, and more!