On my trip to Kuwait this week, I made it my mission to find a local beauty lounge that could give me a post-flight overhaul. With an army of Instagram devotees, Rola’s Beauty Lounge topped my must-try list.
The beauty salon-come-spa offers myriad treatments—it’s easy to see why Kuwaiti beauty mavens would spend many an afternoon here being preened to perfection.
As a tour ensued, down a long black lacquer corridor I spotted a series of treatment rooms nestled far from the hub of the nail and hair stations.
Behind every door a different treat was revealed. From state-of-the-art machines designed to target unwanted fat, to pain-free laser hair removal, microdermabrasion stations, and a Hammam chamber, it felt a little like Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, but for beauty aficionados.
Just as the art of the perfect sandwich is important to a man, a flawless manicure/pedicure is everything to a lady. I opted for the Volcanic Pedicure— a local favorite, I was told. What better way to reduce plane-induced swollen ankles than a ten-minute soak in a water-jet propelled jacuzzi? After a series of cleansing, exfoliating, and scrubbing, a thick layer of the CND Raw Earth Masque was applied to the skin to eliminate toxins and inject moisture.
Sitting there, with cellophane-wrapped limbs, I couldn’t help but smile as I witnessed regular customers come and go. Each lady was known by name and her favorite colors for hair, nails and feet awaited her. With a new nail art corner, one therapist asked her client if she would like to try something different from her usual ‘French’ — to which the glossy haired lady replied, “When I’m married, we can go crazy with neon colors and nail art, but until then, I’m sticking to alternate shades of baby pink.”
With my hand and foot massage complete, followed by precision painting, I left the salon with a set of glassy fingertips and rehabilitated feet. I truly get the sense that this is a crowd accustomed to a superior level of attention to detail, and I like it.
Rola’s Beauty Lounge, Symphony Mall 2nd Floor, Salmiya, Salem Al Mubarak Street, Kuwait
