The Magic of Mercar Yogi Dr Malik ventures into unfamiliar territory and samples a facial from Carina Coen Shops vibrantly displaying their goods, hundreds of people walking around, some sitting outside restaurants and coffee bars with their shislak, others eating on Edgware Road is a perfect snap shot of London. Had just left work – streams of deadlines, ideas, faces all still buzzing in my head. The evening was falling around and I was on my way to visit Carina Coen for a facial in the hope that I would feel calm and serene by the end of the evening. Stress is combated by regular practice of yoga and every morning I make time for my yoga practice at 6am. It’s the perfect way to start the day and keeps me grounded. Today I decided to check out what facials are all about.We men tend to pretend to shy away from anything that might sound “girlie” – but, as all women probably know, men just love creams and nice balms for their face too.And I’ve heard lots of stories from women who say it’s their brothers or husbands who use up most of their creams.Anyway I was talked into trying out the Mercarina experience: firstly I have heard about her wonderful ways in helping people just feel totally chilled and good (both sexes) and secondly someone told me “You’ll love it. I promise.”  Just around the corner of the hustling and bustling Edgware Road is the little sanctuary known as Mercarina. Here Carina Coen, a holistic beauty therapist, works her magic to help clients ease away the stresses and strains of everyday living.Mercarina is her trademarked name and she offers an amazing facial experience to melt you away. So I decided to give it a go, but with no expectations in mind. I wanted to check out whether some pampering could really do wonders for me.
Well, I was pleasantly surprised. Carina’s facial experience is actually a whole body experience and plenty more. It’s not just about the face, but finding balance and harmony in the whole body.The whole experience lasts 1 hour and 30 minutes. She’s an expert in aromatherapy and natural products for pampering your skin. The therapy room itself was cute: everything had its place and it was nicely orientated using feng shui principles. Clean and smelling delicious – you know you’ve come to the right place. For the treatment she uses a mixture of essential oils and pure Aloe Vera gel mask with plant-based products. There’s also Argiletz French clay mask which is used to detoxify the skin and give it life. Other ingredients used in this treatment include olive oil, essential oil and peppermint foot butter. But everything is tailored to your skin type. Carina takes out time at the beginning of the session where your skin is analysed and then the ingredients are mixed according to your skin needs.  A side from working on the face to give it an amazing burst of energy so that your complexion is glowing, Carina also uses various other therapies including massaging the arms, facial massage, acupressure and lymphatic drainage movements in the face, neck and shoulders to help remove toxins. And that’s not all; you get an ice massage, abdomen massage and therapeutic facial moisturiser. At the end Carina finishes with an uplifting positive message delivered by a card reading.
I felt totally rejuvenated and my skin looked amazing. Totally blissed out I made my way back into the streets of London. Mercarina Facial Experience lasts 1 hour and 30 minutes and is available exclusively with Carina Coen at: Mercarina Private Clinic in Marble Arch, LondonW1;The Life Centre, 15 Edge Street, Notting Hill, London W8; and at Dance Works, 16 Balderton Street (opposite Selfridges), LondonW1.
www.mercarina.com |