I decided that Valentines Day was best celebrated by pampering myself - because we should learn to love ourselves and have a moment out of our busy lifestyles to just relax.
Le bf had work all morning and so I decided to book myself a pamper sessions at Groom Spa Chadstone; I was actually very nervous but extremely excited at the same time.

Groom Spa is a new concept day spa chain, from the moment you step into their new look spas you the overwhelming feeling of relaxation and beauty can be felt. In 2013 Groom Spa won spa of the year in Australia (5 or more treatment rooms); I made my appointment for 9am this morning and made sure I was diligent and on time - I wanted to enjoy the atmosphere and the experience.

I was nervous because I have never had a facial before, but I was excited because I knew I would be receiving a manicure and a pedicure (one of my most favourite things in the world!).
My experience at Groom Spa was amazing, the girls there were professional and friendly; I was offered a seat in their store to fill out a form about  my skin and declaration of allergies. Once I had finished I was lead through a camouflaged door to the back where there were 6 beauty rooms - the atmosphere inside was quite and relaxing, with the lights dim and the sound of calming music playing you can understand why girls are willing to spend so much money on day spas.



My Groomer was a pretty girl called Lina, she explained the process and provided me with a skin analysis under purple light - to my utter horror, under purple light you could see my face with scattered white specks off my face!! I was in shock and thought it was sun damage, but I breathed a sign of relief when she told me it was dry skin. She identified that dehydration was my main concern and offered me several solutions (which costed extra money to the voucher) if I wanted to improve on hydration. However this was my first ever facial and I had no idea how my skin would react, so I stuck to my guns and continued on to the Maintenance Facial with no added extras.

The Maintenance Facial went on for a duration of 30 minutes, and it included a cleanse with the clarisonic brush, a warm towel wipe down, an exfoliating scrub, a warm towel wipe down and then a clay mask for hydration. Overall the experience was wonderful, I finally understand how amazing it was to feel pampered
Then I moved on to my manicure and pedicure; where I opted in for the extra foot peel and shellac instead of normal polish for my manicure! Lina was so great, she was friendly and her attention to detail was absolutely amazing.



I feel the downside to this pamper experience was that I was very wary of the up-selling that continued throughout my 2 hour pamper session. I feel like I would be more relaxed if I could let my guard down a little; I am easily persuaded and skin is very important to me and if I have even  small feeling a product could help or is worth a try then I would most likely end up getting it.
But my mum reminded me before I left for the facial that my old work team had already paid $190+ dollars on this voucher, and there is really no need to feel pressured in making decisions straight away. So I took mums advice, and declined all add ons and linked products (serum - $185 and exfoliator - $87). Instead I went with things like the pedi foot scrub (extra $20) and shellac instead of normal polish (extra $15).
I still feel that I had an amazing time, and by adding on things that I knew was what I had wanted made me feel positive about the experience all together. I had read reviews before of girls feeling pressured to add on a vitamin facial or to buy a product so they didn't look cheap - but I am glad that I stuck to my plan - which meant I did not leave feeling cheated. Instead, I look forward to heading back again on my own accord for another pamper session.


Overall, what girl does not love a good pamper session! If you are looking for something professional and ascetically pleasing I would recommend a trip to Groom Spa. From talking to Lina, I know that they often have special promotions for certain facials, or for mothers day and things like that! So if you would like a cheaper pamper experience look out for what is on special!