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Why the cocoa bean is your skin's friend, not foe

Ahead of Easter, Suzi Dixon gets covered in melted chocolate - all in the name of research, of course

Treatment check-list

What? CoCo2 Chocolate Facial

Why? A unique combination of Herzog’s unparalleled oxygen skin care products and beneficial properties contained in chocolate, guaranteed to stimulate all of the senses, leaving you feeling uplifted and looking radiant.

Where? Amala Spa and Club, Hyatt Regency Birmingham, 2 Bridge Street, Birmingham, B1 2JZ.

 

Easter may still be a few weeks away but, thanks to overzealous supermarket stockers, the shops have been choc-full of eggs for a while now.

So as your thoughts turn to chocolate, fear not for your complexion – the cocoa bean is your friend, not foe, in the battle for good skin. Forget old wives’ tales about chocolate causing spots, because the high-quality stuff has been used as part of facials, wraps and pedicures for years.

Why? The cocoa bean’s fibrous coating is a whizz at breaking down free radicals, giving creams containing the extract anti-oxidant and anti-ageing properties. That’s before you consider the mood-boosting properties of chocolate – just the smell can make the brain release endorphins into your system.

The cocoa bean is also full of magnesium, which helps to stimulate the body to produce progesterone, a vital hormone that plummets at certain times of the month and is ideal for tackling hormone or stress-related breakouts.

With that in mind, it’s no wonder top Birmingham spa Amala features both a chocolate facial and wrap high on their menu, using Karin Herzog’s popular oxygen-boosting products.

My therapist, Louise, was friendly and professional and led me swiftly to a subtly decorated treatment room. Low lighting and stone-coloured décor set the mood. The hour and a half of indulgence starts with a back, neck and shoulders massage – a nice touch, I found this help me relax and unwind before the serious work of the facial began. First, surface dirt and make-up is removed with Finest Chocolate Cleanser, using a warm flannel to open the pores.

Next, a gentle scrub dealt with blackheads, then Louise applied Vitamin H cream to overly dry areas of the skin (it’s also ideal for dealing with chapped lips). Herzog’s trademark oxygen eye cream, loved by supermodels and civilians alike, was applied next. This cream is excellent at tackling dark circles, and Linda Evangelista is one of the product’s many devotees.

Now it was on to the serious business of the Essential Mask. Dubbed ‘facelift in a tube’ because of its tightening properties, Herzog masks deliver two per cent oxygen to the skin - ideal for dehydrated city chicks like me. The mask felt cool and calming.

Next Louise covered my face in a layer of gauze, then painted Choco2 Chocolate & Oxygen over the top. The smell was divine, like being surrounded by Green & Blacks bars, the mask was warming and tingled in places as the cream got to work on problem areas. To keep the heat in and help the mask set, I was then wrapped in cling film, with ample breathing holes of course. Louise then gave me a quick hand massage, then left me to drift as the mask worked its magic.

It was a little disconcerting being so thoroughly covered – I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone claustrophobic – but time passed quickly and Louise was soon removing the layers and rubbing in Chocolate Comfort Cream as a final moisturising flourish.

Two days on, congested ‘hormonal spot’ areas are much improved - my skin looks well moisturised and springy. The use of chocolate products is much more than a gimmick, it’s a wonderful indulgent experience that can give your complexion a boost, as well as your mind.

• Amala Spa web site:
  http://birmingham.regency.hyatt.com/hyatt/pure/spas/

• Original article feature at The Telegraph
  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health