Me time: Sensationally selfish ways to spend 60 minutes

You should Coco

At this stage we're all aware of the importance of exfoliating: it sloughs off dead and dry skin cells, revealing the plump new skin underneath, it boosts circulation, giving you that healthy glow, plus it helps your serums, moisturisers and creams to penetrate the skin more effectively. The problem with exfoliating is that doing it every day can be a bit of a chore... unless, of course, you leave the hard work to somebody else; namely expert therapist Val at Coco Beauty Spa & Clinic, Main St., Ballincollig.

Ushering me into a dimly-lit room, Val explains that detoxifying and moisturising body treatments are becoming an increasingly popular part of pre-holiday prep routines at Coco. Nowadays in fact, they're right up there with waxing, tanning and pedicures... and with good reason.

Once I'm comfortable on the cosy heated bed, covered in giant towels, Val starts the treatment, working the scrub in small circles and covering every inch of my arms, legs, back, décolleté and tummy. As it turns out, exfoliation is quite pleasant when someone else is doing all the hard work.

Once Val is finished, I'm left to rinse off the scrub in an invigorating power shower, revealing skin that's softer than it's ever been before. Next my pink new skin is enveloped in pure coconut oil (so natural it's suitable for all skin types, even sensitive souls) and cocooned in a cotton wrap. The lights are turned down for 15 minutes to allow the oil to penetrate as deeply as possible. I'm stunned to find that, afterwards, every drop of it has absorbed.

The benefits of the treatment continue for weeks: not only is my skin still silky smooth, but a spray tan I had days later went on like a dream and lasted much longer than usual, thanks to the expert exfoliation.

With seven treatment rooms, make-up and nail bars and a medical suite, Coco Beauty & Spa, Main St. Ballincollig is open from 9pm to 6pm daily. Exfoliating and detoxifying treatments start at around €100 for more than an hour of pure indulgence. For appointments call 021 487 87 17.

Words: KM