Had an aromatherapy massage with Jade end of June. Too much pressure was applied to my sacro iliac…read morejoint area which resulted in an inflammation to this area and required me to seek Osteopathy support and purchase medication. No existing back problems. Flared up within 24 hours of the massage. Left a review on google but they seem to have deleted it! How convenient!

Imagine a one house amongst many others as ordinary as many others, very a like many others... but…read moredifferent on the inside, mostly compared to many others... A decorated house in turquoise paint, butterflies and dragon flies... One room is slightly different to what most houses would properly have in that area, because it has been created into a relaxing and a beautiful massage room. The prices are cheap for a private massage place. It has really friendly people there and I thought I would end up falling asleep during my massage, but actually I spent the whole time talking to the lady who did my Hot Stones massage. Relaxing music plays away and quiet, girly chatter... whilst I feel warm female hands, oil and then later hot stones as well as the warm oil already soothed into my body as the hour passes us by. I would recommend all women, massage spa fans, and those with back problems or aches and pains; I loved it and would go back again. It is near Barry town shopping centre.

Bodywise is my 'local' beauty spot and venue for all of my brilliant spray tans. It's cheap, quick…read moreand efficient. Just the way I like it. For £15 you can get blasted with a hose full of brown dye and be on your way within half an hour. One of the women there asks me how my job interview went every time I go there and I don't have the heart to tell her that she's probably mistaken me for another girl. Still, she maintains eye contact when I'm in the nude and has probably seen me naked more than anyone else has in the last few months. All the girls at Bodywise are sweet, friendly and easy to chat to when you're having your treatments. They will also do their best to accomodate you if you're in dire need of a tan/wax/tint. As if you needed any more convincing, at some point last September my best friend burst in with yeti legs and and an unruly bikini line and swears blind she had the quickest and least painful waxing of her life.

This is a calm and serene place to go for your treatments. It's beautiful and clean and the staff…read moreare friendly. Prices are not too bad and results make it worth it (even the pain of a bikini wax)!! I have recommended this to friends and I will do again!

Fantastic nail salon Professional, respectable and…read moreunbeatable quality simply cannot praise highly enough

I got a 1 hr deep tissue massage which was very relaxing and had good pressure. He stated his…read morespecialty is shiatsu, which I would probably go for next time. The cost is a more than other massages in the area, but I figure you get what you pay for.

I have ha my fair share of treatments before but this was an Excellent remedial massage, he really…read morenew what he was doing and individualized my treatment. He explained what stretches would help me and created an essential oil blend specific to my needs. If I lived in Cardiff I would be a regular.

This is a newish branch in Radyr, there's also one in Penarth. If you are feeling bad about…read moreyourself (not bad in general) and want a touch of pampering and have a few quid of pampering dosh this is the place to come. A huge range of stuff from the slightly unlikely (ear candles) to the downright tempting full back massage. There's a small after note that mentions that there are men's therapies but generally they go to the golf club. And then they have to come for the phisio. You can get a special rejuvenating facial treatment - so if you think the population of Radyr is getting younger - it's just an illusion brought on by this emporium.

Avoid if you want holistic caring therapists and not to be talked down to as if you are an…read moreimbecile. Having been to Ener-chi before and been satisfied if not overly excited I walked in to book an appointment. I wasn't sure about the suitability but was assured by the therapist taking the booking that all would be fine. When I arrived for the treatment 2 days later, I was told bluntly and rudely by the allocated therapist that she wouldn't be doing it - her reasons were not well thought out and if she'd bothered to find out that I was a doctor and my level of knowledge she might have been able to have a discussion. My appointment was in the middle of the day and I wasted a whole day when if she'd had concerns, she could have contacted me earlier. To be honest, I wouldn't want anyone with that little human decency touching me - maybe i had a lucky escape!

Simon Webborn is a well established osteopath(and qualified acupuncturist) whose good reputation…read moreled me to having osteopathic/physio treatment with him. Over the years he has helped me with sciatic pain then to recovery from whiplash plus physio treatment for a foot injury. Every time he has made a huge difference and from suffering for weeks with episodes of sciatic pain prior to osteopathy, I found relief from my first session with him. Simon is absolutely professional and makes you feel comfortable and confident in his treatment. He also has patented his own back support, called the back wrap.

Rebalance is nice enough in itself, and I'm sure that a lot of people appreciate the services that…read morethey offer, but I've been to a fair number of spa's in my time, and have had to conclude that the ones that seem to focus on superficial treatments just aren't my thing. That's not to say that Rebalance isn't heading in the right direction... it offers treatments like Reflexology and deep tissue massage that have a profound impact on the condition of the body... but it's just the way that the whole thing is marketed that makes me uneasy. Much of the fanfare is reserved for the superficial treatments like fake tanning and false nails, which is just a little too plastic-fantastic for my liking. It's not that I'm averse to faking it either... I own a bottle of St Tropez, and have used this product pretty consistently over a five year period, up until about a couple of years ago. These days I feel disinclined to bother with the faff, and probably won't invest in another bottle once my current one is spent. I've always been acutely aware of the perils of the objectification of people, and grew increasingly concerned when men became firmly at the centre of this kind of attention, alongside the women... to my mind two wrongs don't make a right! With boys now suffering from bulimia and other low self-esteem and low self image related conditions, I feel more inclined to veer away from endorsing businesses that trade in the promise of bodily perfection, and the maintenance of youth everlasting. Rebalance is nowhere near the likes of the clinics that offer cosmetic surgery... quite the opposite. It is moving more toward an holistic approach to beauty and wellbeing. But the fact that they use gorgeous girls with pursed lips and fake tans to market themselves doesn't sit well with me. It is neither representative of their client base, nor a realisable reality for most women. And even if I were personally able to conform to the appearances of these beauties, I certainly wouldn't be adopting any of the expressions that they all seem to sport in the publicity posters... sun drenched sex kitten isn't a look that would suit me!

This is a spa and a beauty salon combo, offering a range of treatments including many using water…read moreas their base - such as the hydro dermabrasion (water jet peel), and aqua blitz body treatment. I haven't tried either of these, but I have enjoyed a Dermalogica facial here, which was very relaxing and made my skin feel fantastic. The therapist even gave me a hand and arm massage, which I wasn't expecting. She was very professional, going through the proper Dermalogica 'face mapping' process before deciding on the best treatment - and although the effects may be short-lived, it's great for a quick boost, and a relaxation treat in itself! I'll be back sometime to try some of their other treats, such as their deep tissue massage (£30 for 30 mins, £45 for 60 mins) - as they're more reasonably priced than most hotel-based beauty salons.

Gaia Lifestyle has two clinics in Cardiff, one in Pontcanna and another in Roath. They are…read more'dedicated to creating awareness of the benefits of Complementary Therapies, Ayurveda, Yoga and more'. Positioned around the corner from The Feet and Face Place, which provides a plethora of treatments that deal with looking good on a pretty superficial basis, I have to admit preferring the Gaia approach to health and beauty. It's not as flash as The Feet and Face Place, but it offers curative treatments as well as the purely cosmetic. It also provides Ayurvedic nutrition and lifestyle consultations, which deal with health and beauty on an essential level. (One thing in their favour is that the The Feet and Face Place offer Reflexology, which certainly does work on a more profound level than their other treatments). The Gaia Lifestyle Centre in Pontcanna operates an appointment only system, (as does their other clinic). They do not provide a reception as such, and so bookings are made with the individual practioners. A full list is available on their well maintained website. www.gaialifestyle.com/

Gaia's Ayurvedic treatments were what attracted me to try this place out, and I can only report…read moreback on this small area of their far wider range of holistic alternative treatments. Ayurvedic massages are meant to be incorporated into part of an overall treatment programme, often also incorporating yoga and nutritional advice. The practitioner at Gaia starts off by having a consultation with you about your lifestyle and then goes on to suggest massage treatments, and offers advice about yoga practice and nutrition. What I am most keen to tell everyone about, however, is the divine Ayurvedic Shirodhara treatment available here. This is also known as the 'third eye drip', which sounds far less appealing than it actually is! Basically, you start off enjoying a face, neck and scalp massage, and then the practitioner sets off a flow of warm oil onto your third eye on your forehead, creating the most unbelievable feeling of relaxation and peacefulness. I would actually go as far as to say this treatment totally transports you elsewhere, inducing a kind of dream like state without actually sending you to sleep. I can't recommend it highly enough, based on my own experiences!