HealthWorks is a pleasant health and beauty spa based in the Village Hotel in Cardiff. It offers a…read morerange of treatments for men and women including facials (aromatherapy, skin-brightening, re-balancing, regenerating and men's purifying), holistic back, face and scalp massage, pre-natal treatment, spray tans, and a range of massages for your body. If you tend to hunch over your laptop for hours on end, ignoring ergonomics, I'd recommend booking in for the Life Saving Back Treatment, it does what it says on the tin, takes 40 minutes and costs £37. Basically a facial for your back, it combines a deep tissue massage with exfoliation and a relaxing candle-lit setting. It'll leave you feeling rejuvenated and properly pampered. Give it a go!

I first came across this place when a friend invited me on a hen do that involved staying at the…read moreMecure and enjoying the delights of its Spa facilities. Since they had a great special deal on it turned out to be great value for money. There were 14 different spa treatment rooms offering up the usual sorts of massage and facials, and then there was also a beautiful pool area where we could all get together and spend hours catching up, and a bar not too far away!! The room itself was really spacious and comfy and clean and all the staff seems genuinely happy to offer any help they could. The second time I was there, I was working on a film shoot and we were filming up in the penthouse. The rich really do get all the luck because its an amazing space with 3 bedroom I think and the 360 views over Cardiff. Amazing.

This contemporary, 4-star hotel and spa is central and fairly luxurious, located within a few…read moreminutes' walk of Queen Street's pedestrianised shopping area and other top city centre attractions. I've been to meetings there, and to the spa and pool area, all of which is very modern. The heated indoor swimming pool's ceiling feels quite low, which I felt made it seem a tiny bit claustrophobic - but with sleek lines and the walls painted white, I think they've probably made the best use of the space they had available. The pool and changing areas were very clean, and this seemed to be the same story throughout the hotel's public spaces - all in all this hotel seems to have high standards and good facilities as well as a top location.

Caressa Beauty is a brand new business on City Road. It has entered a pretty saturated local…read moremarket, where a number of reasonably priced beauty care salons already exist. Caressa Beauty appears to be addressing the market as a whole, rather than specialising in products of particular ethnic origin and pitching their business at a specific demographic. I would say that this approach will serve them well. Their premises are also very visible, and have been tastefully equipped and decorated; again, I believe that this was a smart move considering the quality of the competition. Caressa Beauty offer a pretty comprehensive range of beauty treatments and massage. They provide at least four different styles of massage including, aromatherapy, and my personal favourite, Swedish massage. Beauty treatments include facials, manicures and pedicures, and gift vouchers are available. They also intend to rotate a number of special offers and packages, and so it's worth checking out their website for discounts. 07576615433

The park plaza certainly is a jack of all trades. From the fabulous hotel itself to the excellent…read moreLaguna bar and this, the spa and gym smack bang in the middle of Cardiff. A friend of mine was a member there and so suggested I come and try it out for the day. Of course we bypassed the gym and went straight for the equally taxing pool/steam room/jacuzzi. The pool area is an oasis of calm in the middle of a very busy city. The walls are tranquil blue and it's has the feeling of being pure indulgence. The water is treated with a combination of UV and chlorine which means you don't get that OTT feeling of dry horrible skin that you get in other pools that just use chlorine. People watching is great here, for some reason the most beautiful men in Cardiff chose to swim at this establishment. Great if you're a bit of a perve like me but it's advisable to keep your wits about you to avoid drowning.

In this area of the city centre there are at least three good gyms all competing for membership:…read morethis, the Laguna Health & Spa at the Park Plaza Hotel; Vitality, around the corner, which is based upstairs above Henry's Bar on Park Place and doesn't have a pool; and the Hilton's small LivingWell gym, which can get busy during peak times. This cluster of gyms in close proximity has created plenty of competition between them to attract membership, so there are usually some promotions on at each of them to try to lure you in. The Laguna is good for those into swimming, and its pool is filtered using UV rather than just chlorine (unlike the Hilton's LivingWell pool), which makes for a less chemical swimming experience. They have a relaxing jacuzzi and a steam room next to the pool, and the changing rooms are very smartly done out. Here you definitely get the feeling you can indulge rather than just exercise hard, and it's a relaxing space to spend some time after work or at the weekend. If you want a real treat, the spa also has a range of beauty and relaxation treatments, most of them fairly expensive (as is the case with most spas). They also have a proper gym, of course, and about 35 exercise classes a week (unlike the Hilton LivingWell, which has no space to hold group classes). The gym has cardio vascular stations including treadmills, rowers, cross-trainers, steppers and walking machines, plus fixed resistance stations, a free weight area, a warm up and stretching area, a Power-Plate® Machine, and screens showing sport, news and music while you work out.

Creation was recommended to me by a friend who lives in Penarth and because they offer a bit of…read morepampering as well as hair cuts I decided to treat my mum to a morning there for mothers day. She got a cut and blow dry and a neck, back and shoulder massage. They also offer facials, reiki and different body treatments too. We were both made to feel really welcome and I was kept topped up with tea and magazines as I waited. The hair cut looked fab and my mum was really relaxed and happy after the experience. Prices are very reasonable too, hair cuts from £27-£47 depending on who you have.

My usual hairdresser had moved back to the USA so when an offer on Groupon came up for a Cut and…read moreRe-style plus Hair Conditioning Treatment for £21 (Worth up to £66.20) came up, I joined at the opportunity in the hope I had found my new hairdressing salon. The salon website looked promising so I bought two Groupon vouchers for myself and another as a gift for a friend. My one and only visit in February 2011 was disastrous from the word go: the receptionist was rude at the time of booking an appointment over the phone, initially refusing to give me a time for the following week instead suggesting I booked for the following month, calling me by some other customer's name when I hadn't given mine yet and sounding generally uninterested and unwilling to help when I queried about the location of the salon. I should've taken this as a sign of the utter incompetence the salon staff suffers in terms of customer service, still I went ahead with the appointment, I had bought a Groupon voucher after all, I wanted my deal fulfilled. On the day, I was ignored when I entered the salon whilst staff was bantering at the reception desk. Only one other customer was receiving treatment at the time so the salon wasn't exactly buzzing with activity, yet I was made to wait twenty minutes before being taken to the wash seat. No consultation was offered regarding my hair type and when I asked which conditioning treatment I was receiving the woman replied it was a Redken product, not an Aveda one as promised in the Groupon deal. After the conditioner was removed I was made to wait another ten minutes in an empty salon (the other customer had since left) before a junior hairdresser deigned attending to me. The deal had also promised a senior stylist as the original price was based on a senior stylist service, this clearly was not happening. The hairdresser even stated my hair was in terrible condition when I asked for advice on how to look after coarse greys which was inaccurate and unprofessional. I had to direct the hairdresser what she should do and gave me a Supercuts design... My friends all confirmed the cut was average and unimpressive. My best friend had accompanied me on the day and witness more unprofessionalism whilst I was getting my hair cut: the staff was slagging me off in the reception area, seemingly unaware of the proximity of my friend was waiting on the seat directly next to the desk. It made her extremely disappointed and angry to have to sit through such an appalling lack of respect, needless to say I have not given the gift voucher to my friend, she refused to visit the salon again. I have contacted Groupon to warn them not to use Creation again in light of the poor service all round and they have refunded my vouchers. I am now waiting for my hair to grow back before I visit another salon with a better reputation.

Always empty and this was the second worst haircut I have had in Cardiff. Do not rate Simon's…read morecutting skills at all. My friends said I looked like I'd been dragged through a hedge backwards.

From the owner: Lead by Claire Bellamy and a team of award winning industry experts this unique hair and beauty…read moreconcepts boasts an exclusive hair studio, barber shop, beauty salon and luxury spa. Set over three floors, Belle Toujours elegant and sumptuous surrounds will transport you away from the hustle and bustle of the city, offering the very best in all-round sensory indulgence. The Belle Toujours philosophy is based around the English translation of the French Belle Toujours- Forever Beautiful. With a vast range of services and treatments based around health and well-being, Belle Toujours can help you realise your body and minds full potential.