You couldn’t describe Blasé as imposing, inviting yes – with its small shop-front looking into an ultra-modern reception area – but very few clues are given to the haven of tranquillity situated a few steps from the midday hustle and bustle of Gloucester city-centre’s Worcester Street.

Beyond the glass doors the beauty salon spans three floors – containing no less than three treatment rooms on the top floor; a make-up room, traditional men’s barbers, nail bar and St Tropez spray-tan booth on the second; as well as turbo sunbeds, a giant Jacuzzi and sauna, as well as a fresh, modern hair salon on the ground.

The décor is a pleasing combination of mint green and white walls, modern lightening, with slate and laminate wood flooring throughout. All three floors are so newly-decorated that you can almost smell the fresh paint, and the smiling pictures of Blasé’s staff, proudly lining the entrance, is also a nice touch for getting to know the faces who will soon be preening, pampering and pandering to your every wish.

While Blasé is conveniently-located for routine treatments – such as waxing, manicures and pedicures – lunchtime-trips to the sunbeds are also close at hand if you work in the city centre. The elevated treatment rooms, however, are peaceful enough that an indulgent massage can transport you to a far away retreat the second your eyes close – with only the occasional whirring of sirens breaking the tranquil music on our visit.

Highly recommended are the Elemis facials – particularly the Fruit Active Glow facial which is tailor-made to individual skin types and concerns. The hour-long treatment, which costs £38, offers both a glowing pick-me-up for flagging complexions, as well as a gentle introduction for facial first-timers.

Lie back on Blasé’s batik-sarong-covered bed in one of the stylish and compact treatment rooms, and your skin will be deeply cleansed and stimulated by Eastern massage techniques – to reduce puffiness and encourage toxins to be expelled. The nourishing properties of Elemis’ line of quality, natural products then get to work on conditioning the complexion, with a fruit enzyme peel used as a non-abrasive way to slough away the dead skin cells, before intensive moisturisers give you a renewed appearance within 60-minutes.

Blasé’s friendly beauty therapist Debbie Thompson put her 13-years of experience into practice to give our tired skin the overhaul it needed, with each step of the Elemis facial being fully explained, before she imparted her wisdom with helpful hints on the home beauty regime we have left by the wayside for a little too long.

Also recommended for a well-deserved bit of pampering, the Elemis aroma stone therapy is a welcome indulgence for relieving stress and tension. Smooth basalt pebbles are warmed and placed beneath a towel for you to lie on and two stones are placed on key energy points, before a scalp, arm and shoulder massage is given using warm aromatherapy oils – selected according to your mood.

By the time you turn over onto your front, the muscles in your back are thoroughly warmed-up and an invigorating rub down with the warm stones will work out any knots and kinks. Apparently one stroke of the hot stones is worth ten hand strokes, and after the one-hour back, neck and scalp massage, which costs £40, we walked away feeling lighter, looser, less stressed and ready for an afternoon siesta.

The Tardis-like salon packs so much into its Worcester Street base that seeing really is believing. There is far more than meets the eye at Blasé Health & Beauty, and the salon which first opened its doors in December 2006 certainly deserves its reputation as one of Gloucester’s most upmarket beauty salons. You don’t have to take our word for it, book an appointment to find out what all the fuss is about for yourself.

Michelle Byrne
25 August 2007