Day at the Gin Spa

Gin Spa in Glasgow is the first ever Gin-inspired (or should I say ginspired…) botanical day spa. It is the brainchild of the team behind Glasgow’s first dedicated Gin Bar, Gin71. They sure know their botanicals, but how will it transfer into the treatments? The only way to investigate was to have a girls’ afternoon at the Spa!

We both had the “Just the Tonic” package, which includes tea on arrival, a personal consultation and a 30-minute treatment, a G&T of your choice and an afternoon tea with prosecco at the Cup Tea Rooms (also known as Gin71). Can you think of a better way to spend the afternoon?!

What is a Gin Spa?

The Gin Spa is an urban day spa, meaning it only has treatment rooms and a little relaxation area where the gin is served. Unfortunately, there is no pool or sauna, but let’s hope they expand in the future and we can all sip G&Ts in a jacuzzi! That’s not to say the Gin Spa is any less impressive – their treatments are top notch!

They use a selection of Scottish botanical products from JustBe Botanicals, which are all handmade in Scotland using pure and natural ingredients. The botanicals used in the products match well with the Gins served at the spa. The team really understand their botanicals and offer bespoke treatments and tips based on your needs and your skin type. For example, lavender and cloves are good for aching muscles, or to lift your spirits botanicals such as bergamot and pink grapefruit will do the trick. We both opted for a facial and wanted to feel energised. The treatment was excellent, a very different facial from what I am used to, but in a very positive way.

Our treatment

At the beginning of the treatment we had a chat about how I felt about my skin at the moment and what I would like to achieve from the treatment. You can also choose some of the products used based on how you feel at the time. The facial included a neck and shoulder massage, a double cleanse and several serums and oils. Based on the consultation and treatment, your therapist will recommend a product suitable for you, which can be purchased at the end. They aren’t pushy about it, so there is no pressure to buy anything. I thought my recommendation was helpful and I ended up buying it, but it really is up to you. The therapist also suggests a treatment for the next visit based on the treatment you have just had.

After the facials we were guided to the relaxation area where the Gin trolley was waiting for us! Our therapist was very knowledgeable and was able to recommend different Gin and tonic pairings – not only do they have a wide variety of Gins, they also offer a range of tonics and other mixers. We sat there relaxing and drinking our G&Ts for a good while, before being taken to Cup Tea Rooms for a yummy (and huge!) afternoon tea. They were happy to cater for my pescatarian friend and the scones were fresh from the oven – great service! As the tea room is part of Gin71 they have a huge selection of Gins to admire, but also nearly 50 varieties of tea!

Overall

After the facials we did feel rather oily, but also energised. So much so, we both had a sweating fit as the facial included a gentle massage of reflex pressure points (as well as the shoulder massage), which clearly worked and helped to remove toxins from the body. I recommend you don’t make many plans after this type of treatment, or at least give yourself more time to relax afterwards.

It was a great experience, even though the Gin really is secondary. I will definitely return as the treatment was superb and I would like to try another package next time, maybe the one with the Gin-inspired tasting menu!

The Gin Spa, 2 Virginia Court, Merchant City, Glasgow