Ayurveda Facial at Dr. Shyam's Ayurveda centre

I always say that the best base for any make up is great skin so I do spend quite a bit of time every day and weekly on my skin routine. You can keep a look out for it on my instagram stories. If you are looking for my entire routine you can find it here.

For my skin type (oily combination) facials should be considered on a monthly basis for skin rejuvenation. That's when Dr. Shyam reached out and offered to try out their 100% organic treatment.

I visited Dr. Shyam's Ayurveda Centre on Al Wasl road, near Life Pharmacy, Dubai. Their Ayurveda facial comprises of a blend of natural cleansing agents, toner, exfoliants and essential oils. They don't use any chemicals, hence no side effects.

What I really liked about the facial is that it includes a consultation with a doctor who identifies your skin type and recommends the best facial and packs to try accordingly. After the consultation with Dr. Jomol I was asked to wait for 15 minutes as the therapist prepared freshly made packs personalized to my skin. During my wait the staff kept checking on me if I needed anything.

All the ingredients used to make the packs were herbal and natural including neem, sandalwood and Njavara rice. You could sense the freshness of the ingredients and herbs just by the aroma. I also felt that the smell helped in creating a calm environment.

After that I was taken to the therapy room. It definitely wasn't luxurious but it was practical and quite a spacious room. What I also liked was the the fact that each room had shower facilities in case you want to shower after the treatment.

Fresh Packs:

The best part about the facial was exfoliation. It was interesting to learn that in ayurvedic facials, they don't believe in poking and extracting the black and white heads. Instead they use njavara rice scrub to do that. This rice and herbs are cooked in coconut milk or cow's milk (depending on your skin type) and then applied as a mask. After keeping it on for a few minutes, the therapist gently scrubbed out the black and white heads. This resulted in a soft and supple skin and it even gives a lustrous glow. This rice even acts like an anti ageing agent and reduces wrinkles and prevents early ageing signs.

What I didn't like?

Admittedly, during that week I did have excessive oily skin. So, after a few days I felt the facial over-dried my naturally combination skin because the therapist put less essential oils as she felt my skin was super oily. I do think a lot of ayurveda is about feedback, so I did realize that next time when I go back, I am going to ask them to add the right amount of oils.

Another thing was, because I wanted to experience the natural form of the treatment, I didn't give my feedback on pressure. I felt like at some stages of the scrub the pressure was a bit hard, I presume to increase blood circulation in the nerves, but ideally a slightly lower pressure would have been ideal. That being said, the entire time I felt like I was in expert hands and felt like I could trust the friendly therapists and team of doctors at Dr. Shyam's. I can't wait for my next treatment with them.

Opening hours: 9 am to 9 pm

Price: Dhs. 190/- for the Ayurvedic facial