Vikki Harris goes in search of the perfect cleavage, and tests a new ‘miracle product’…

As a woman, breasts are hard to ignore. You spend your later primary school years yearning for your first bra, your teens longing for them to grow (and for the boys to notice), and the rest of your adult life wishing they were bigger, smaller, perkier, fuller, or less lopsided.
I’m one of the fortunate ones size-wise, but even with that on my side, as I moved into my thirties, I realised there was suddenly  a need for me to start looking after my assets a little more. After all,  I didn’t want them to plunge South prematurely.
So, my research began… how could I create (and maintain) the perfect cleavage? I pretty much disregarded the “I must, I must improve my bust” mantra in my early teens – although in hindsight, maybe that’s why they’ve ended up a tad on the saggy side.  Exercise will certainly tighten the muscles behind the breast and make them a little perter- then again, excessive exercise could also lead to a reduction in their size, or Hulk Hogan tits – so I gave it a miss. Although my yoga instructor did teach me something very valuable- and that lesson is posture, ladies. I know it’s a cliché, but standing up straight with your shoulders back does a lot for the confidence- and its good for your back, too.
I’ve always been skeptical about lotions that promise miracle cures, reasoning that they’re generally over-priced to look more impressive, and in reality, contain little more than E45. But I decided to give a much-lauded new gel, Boob Job, by Rodial, a go. The £125 gel promises to increase the cup size of breasts, and requires daily application. A study (by Rodial themselves) suggests that  Boob Job can provide up to an 8.4% increase in breast volume in 56 days. Ever the skeptic, I began religiously applying the gel; which was a little weird in itself – the girls have never had so much attention from me.
Turns out I was wrong to be cynical.  Astonishingly, the gel has pumped my chest up significantly enough for people to comment – (nicely!) so  this product does exactly what it says on the pack.  It sounds highly unlikely, but supposedly, it works by harnessing fat in the area where the gel has been applied, leading to a gradual increase in size. I’m genuinely amazed by the results (and the attention).
As a firm believer in making sure the wrapper is as good as its contents, I felt the need for a new bra to show the modified assets in their best light. As Gok Wan would tell you, ladies, you should hang your heads in shame if you ever leave the house in  a saggy, greying undergarment.  A big part of confidence comes from within-  and the right underwear goes a long way to achieving this. As I sashayed out in my newly-purchased Agent Provocateur undergarments, I was also wearing a cheeky grin. Hello Boys…

Rodial Boob Job £125, available at Harvey Nichols.

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Right now, 90% of women hate their bodies, and a quarter of men would have cosmetic surgery. We’re unhappier with our looks than ever before. So who’s really to blame? Psychotherapist Rachel Morris says it’s time to get real.

Flicking through a magazine recently, I came across an article on body image. The message was clear; we must all love and accept our “sexy, Nigella-style curves” if we’re to survive in this body-conscious culture. On the opposite page was a waif-like model, draped over a chair. She was maybe fourteen years old; styled as the ideal woman we’re supposed to want to be – entirely devoid of personality and body fat. The magazine had accidentally laid out a very modern paradox: learn to love your love handles, but better still, be thinner, younger and more beautiful-� the ultimate achievement.� Because all ads that use young, beautiful models to sell products (which is most of them), are also selling youth and beauty itself. It’s an incredibly� powerful message because it addresses our biggest fear, and reminds us that the fewer wrinkles you have, the further you are from death.
No wonder we struggle to compete with the impossible standards paraded before us on a daily basis. A recent survey found that 90% of women felt “down” about their bodies and that they think about it every day. Of them, 36% would seriously consider cosmetic surgery. The surgical option is increasingly accessible and affordable. Getting rid of our funny noses, post-pregnancy tummies or cellulite didn’t used to be an option – but now it is, we� can’t ignore it. And it’s not just women who look to the knife as a quick fix. According to a poll of 1000 men by Opinion Health, 1 in 4 men said they’d consider surgery to improve their looks. These days, the male grooming industry is worth £800 million a year, and with the likes of David Beckham and Brad Pitt as yard sticks, it’s no wonder men feel paranoid they’re not measuring up. There are almost as many glossy magazines on the shelves for men as for women, filled with just as many images of unattainable bodily perfection. And unlike women’s magazines, there are no quick-fix hair cuts or styling tips that can fake the impossibly toned torsos, sculpted limbs and chiselled jaw lines of the male cover model.
Even the pre-teens aren’t spared, since ‘get ‘em early’ became a marketing mantra. Several women’s glosses now have “little sister” versions for teenagers, giving advertisers the opportunity to get their claws into the most vulnerable consumers out there. Adolescent boys and girls have always mooned over pictures of their idols, yearning to copy them. Unfortunately, today’s teens are looking to malnourished Barbie dolls to show them the way. Want to be famous? Bag a footballer. How do you do that? Check out the missus- beautiful, tiny, high-maintenance WAGS, like Victoria Beckham, Cheryl Cole and Alex Curran. (Thank the Lord of Sensible for Coleen). Twenty years ago, flicking through my copy of Just 17, I was blissfully ignorant of the existence of bulimia or anorexia and as cosmetic surgery was only for reconstructive purposes I just prayed my boobs would grow eventually.
But� things have changed- our obsession with perfection is gaining momentum, even though� barely a week goes by without a news story or TV programme introducing us to new and terrible ways our body conscious society damages us. Thanks to oft- quoted experts, we’re psychologically savvy about the whole thing. We know that eating disorders, low self-esteem, anxiety, depression and even suicide are possible consequences of feeling under pressure to achieve physical perfection. So is anyone else really to blame for our body-image problems? Or is it simply that in a world where youth and beauty are so highly prized, we’re no longer prepared to settle for looking normal?
A common theory is to blame skeletal celebs for being a bad influence. Angelina Jolie, Lindsay Lohan, Keira Knightley, Kate Bosworth, Nicole Richie and Mischa Barton have all had their bony frames papped in various states of apparent starvation.
But few women really want to be a skinny Size 0. The tabloids may suggest we’re impressed, but I suspect our reactions have more in common with glee at seeing them look so dreadful. It’s payback for all the times when they looked too good and made us feel so bad. Of course, we experience a similarly guilty pleasure from seeing those same celebs balloon up until they resemble… well, us.

Then there’s the pressure to please your partner, make sure he –or she-still fancies you, and see off the increasingly youthful competition. Maybe if he didn’t stare at every leggy blonde in a short skirt, she wouldn’t feel the need to compete so hard, and if she didn’t go giddy at every semi-naked hunk, he wouldn’t feel so self-conscious about his prolapsed six pack.

And of course, there’s the real bogeyman of blame, the fashion industry. Women demanded a ban of size 0 models from the catwalk, and Milan, at least, complied. But why? The average UK woman is a size 14 (US size 10). Isn’t the difference between 0 and 2 just splitting hairs? Besides, we can’t blame the fashion industry when they’re only giving us what we demand. Studies prove over and over that both men and women are more attracted to products modelled by visions of perfection than by regular folk. Maybe we’re secretly hoping that attractiveness is something you can catch. And yet I’ve been a therapist to dozens of fashion models and celebrities over the years and some of them have had more insecurity in their perfect little fingers than I’ve seen in even the most clinically obese of my eating disorder clients.

Ultimately, blaming is a waste of time.� If we want the things we imagine beauty will give us – confidence, self-esteem, success and love-� we need to accept that there are no short cuts. Even the most physically charmed have to work for it, which is why most Hollywood stars spend more time in the gym that they do on set. Unless you’re genetically blessed and under 25, it’s a simple equation. If you want to be thinner, eat better and exercise more. If you want a six-pack, start training. If your man-boobs are destroying your confidence, get a surgical consultation. If you can’t motivate yourself, see a therapist. The bottom line is; if we’re healthy, we’re in control of our bodies. But if you prefer chocolate and the couch to cabbage soup and spinning classes, fine. The real key to body confidence lies in knowing what you really want and why – then being prepared to do whatever’s necessary to get it.

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Would you have a serious operation, just to improve your looks? Thousands of us do – but is it worth the pain and money?

YES: Says Marie Jenkins, patient coordinator at Birkdale Clinic

“The reasons for having cosmetic surgery differ so much, it’s impossible to stereotype the people who come in for consultations. And it’s important to realise that, although cosmetic surgery won’t change a person’s life, it may give them greater self-confidence and add to their sense of well-being- particularly when someone’s unhappy with their self-image. Cosmetic surgery is a very personal thing, and procedures are done for lots of different reasons. While breast augmentation is by far the most popular, there are plenty of others available, often reconstructive or even non-surgical.

Most of us who work in the industry genuinely feel that plastic surgery, whether cosmetic or reconstructive, encourages a strong, positive self-image. Even a small change on the outside can create an extraordinary change on the inside, and help somebody’s self-confidence to flourish. That helps you to shine, especially when it comes to meeting new people- and feeling positive means you’re happy to give more of yourself, both to family and friends, and at work.

Newspapers and magazines tend to place cosmetic surgery firmly in the domain of youth-obsessed celebrities and film stars. In truth, it’s a long way from that image. It’s simply about taking the opportunity to correct some aspect of your appearance that you’re unhappy with. Recently, I met a company director who had a breast reduction because she felt her size was holding her back in the workplace. Since the procedure, she’s really noticed a difference in the way she interacts with people. Her clothes look better and more importantly, she’s now judged for who she is, not how she looks.
Other ops can just give you a little lift. A recent client had the bags removed from under her eyes, because she felt she always looked tired and it was working against her in job interviews. Since then, she’s landed the new job she really wanted.
What plastic surgery is not, however, is a way of bypassing good food or regular exercise. Making the best of yourself is about much more than cosmetic procedures, and real confidence comes from take care of yourself in every way.

NO: Says Bella Campbell, a Manchester writer who recently turned 40.

(QUOTE: “When did feeling good start costing thousands, risking death, and offering a constant reminder that what you have naturally isn’t good enough?”)

“I’m all for cosmetic surgery if you’ve been disfigured in an accident, or have a medical condition that can be cured. But in the last ten years, what was once the preserve of Hollywood actresses and trophy wives has become as normal as a hair cut. When people talk now about “having some work done,” they don’t mean getting the bathroom replastered, but their face re-mastered.
Of course, with constant chivvying from the media to look as good as we can forever, and in a culture where ‘ageing gracefully’ means ‘giving up,” it’s not surprising that so many of us are turning to surgery to ‘cure’ the crows’ feet, or the sagging breasts. There’s nothing that can’t be improved with a little op, from labial tucks, to Botox in the feet.
But sometimes, I wish a few more of the intelligent, attractive women blowing their life savings to be remodelled, would ask themselves why. “It’s not for anyone else, I just want to feel good,” has become a 21st century mantra as familiar as “just do it”. But when did feeling good start costing thousands, risking death, and offering a constant reminder that what you have naturally isn’t good enough?
We’ve always enhanced our looks with cosmetics, hair dyes, and lengthy beauty routines, and as the owner of five different types of mascara, I have no problem with making the most of what we’ve got. What I find so troubling is the insidious acceptance of surgery as an answer to less than perfect beauty. Perhaps we’re so bombarded with images of the worlds’ most beautiful people that we’re no longer able to see difference as attractive. But human beauty isn’t about looking the same as everyone else. Our true appeal surely lies in how different we are from each other.
Most worryingly, the trend is affecting increasingly young women. It’s now routine for 16 year olds to request a nose job for the birthday, and boob job for their 21st, while 25 year olds are demanding ‘preventative’ Botox. Soon, we’ll be a nation of Barbies and Kens, all blonde, all beautiful, with big boobs, perfect pecs, and immoveable faces. It’s time we realised that ageing isn’t a disease, that beauty comes in many guises, and that self-acceptance brings far greater happiness than chasing a mythical ideal through an endless, painful series of nips and tucks.

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Women are ruining their lives to be less than zero, says John Robb.

There are insane times. World leaders talk like 5 year old children, footballers are feted like pop stars, and celebrities’ lives are meant to be interesting. Meanwhile men, and especially women, are under intense pressure to conform to hilarious and bizarre stereotypes.
Conned into believing that a stick insect body is some sort of fast-track to sex appeal, a generation of girls stick their fingers down their throats and fret in front of mirrors. Meanwhile, super-skinny models flaunt their bony arses down international catwalks and the pampered fools in the audience cheer them on. They may have photogenic faces, but the models’ bodies disappeared months ago- spewed down the toilet after one lettuce leaf too many. They look like skinny boys because that’s the way the designers prefer them. They have become stick insects in a western world gorged with money and surplus food.
Increasingly, ordinary women worry that they’re not perfect enough, and long to be size zero so they can cram themselves into a designer micro-dress – not realising that no-one on the planet finds Posh Spice attractive. Because men are confused about a lot, but we’re right about one thing- we don’t really fancy these bone-bundles. Men prefer curves- an arse, proper tits… you know, feminine stuff. We want women who look like women – and we can’t have them, because the admen and the fashion industry have generated an insane craving for alien perfection.
Every woman’s magazine, every surgery- promoting fashion programme, further underlines this bullshit. Some insane individuals even fill their breasts with bags of jelly and have their lips pulled out to look like demented fish in the battle to conform.
Lets face it, no-one on the planet who’s ever had plastic surgery for vanity purposes has ever looked any good -� and that’s a fact.
The lines on your face make you look sexier- and� who wants to look like a teenager at� 50? Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes and is not there to be packaged and scalpelled by weird freaks stealing your money and your soul. Sod their fake world and sod their aspirational lifestyles. They’re selling you the biggest con of them all – an antiseptic beauty that should fool nobody.

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We could begin with the spiralling drug death rate, the funding of terrorism, or the heightened number of twenty-somethings staggering into A&E with chest pains. Or we could start with a successful, sensible Manchester bar owner whose response to questioning for this feature was, “for God’s sake, it’s not like coke does any real harm. Everybody does it. And there you have the cocaine situation in Manchester wrapped up. According to recent figures, around 7% of the under-30 population takes cocaine. You can take that figure and multiply it by whatever you like, though, when it comes to city centre revellers at Christmas.
Its availability, coupled with a drop in price to around £40 a gram means that while back in the ‘80s it was the drug of city boys and celebrities, it’s now just part of a big night out. “Over the 20 years I’ve been going out in Manchester, coke use has increased incredibly,” says local businessman Paul Cookson*, 37. “The majority of people will have a line- I know plenty of people who’ll never say no to a free toot.” And tougher rules at nightclubs and bars, coupled with every anti-drugs device the police and owners can come up with- including sniffer dogs on the door with the bouncers, sloping toilet cisterns, and even spraying surfaces with WD40- the drug sticks to it and is rendered useless haven’t had any visible impact on the number of users happily chopping it out.
“I’ve noticed that everyone seems to do coke in Manchester,” agrees PR executive Sue Pearson*, 32, “it goes from hoodie kids to middle aged professionals, and there are two prices- for high and low quality- as well. I think e culture brought drugs into the mainstream.”
It’s true that coke users were once easy to spot- gabbling, tense, and always in the toilet at parties- but “it’s certainly not as stigmatized as it was 15 years ago,” admits Paul. “It’s no longer associated with the seedy image of a deal on a street corner,” agrees GP Dr Kath White, from city centre clinic Octopus Health. “Instead, it appears to be readily available through social networks which in the past were more associated with drugs like cannabis.” Government campaigns have failed to make an impact, while drugs charities such as Frank and Lifeline are inundated with calls from users who’ve seen their little social habit spiral into something much more dangerous. Received wisdom says that cocaine’s not addictive. “In fact, new users often become quickly addicted to the feeling of increased energy,” explains Dr White. The effects on the brain may be shortterm, but most users find themselves wanting it again whenever they’re in circumstances associated with the drug- parties, bars, or simply with a group of fellow coke-takers. “No one wakes up the next morning craving another line,” says Sue, “but I’ve been a really regular user in the past , and I know how easy it would be to creep back into that behaviour. I keep my usage down to once a month or less, but some weekends that means not going out at all in order to avoid it- I find it almost impossible to say no after a few drinks.”
“I often wish I’d never tried it,” adds Paul. “It’s a very insidious drug, it creeps up on you.”
“Cocaine is a very fast-acting drug, so a user gets high and euphoric very quickly,” explains addiction counsellor Don Serratt of Lifeworks drug support charity, “but the comedown is very fast as well, so the user feels they need to do more and more to stay “up”.” That’s why, when the night’s supply runs out early, the phone calls will get increasingly frantic, as everyone tries to stave off the inevitable crash. “Some nights you can’t turn round for someone offering you a line,” says Sue’s friend Jane Kelly,
30, a music PR, “but when it’s dry, you can spend the whole night searching until you give up and go home – much earlier than you would have otherwise.” When it becomes the focus of the night, thinks Don, you have a problem. “The simple definition of an addiction is to continue to do something in spite of negative consequences,” he explains. “They can be legal, financial, relationships, career or health-based. But all can be devastating.”
“The medical consequences of taking cocaine are many,” adds Dr White. “Regular use leads to a rise in tolerance, requiring higher doses to repeat the same effect. Sensitivity to the drug’s effects also increase, so damage can occur from lower doses.”
Short term effects familiar to all coke-takers are increased blood pressure, constricted blood vessels, dilated pupils, mental alertness, increased energy, decreased appetite and an increased heart beat. But, “long term use leads to an increasing tolerance and can result in major complications,” warns Dr White. “Heart attacks, respiratory failure, strokes, seizures – and convulsions, nausea, chest pain, fever, muscles spasms and even coma.” And that’s without even mentioning the Daniella Effect. “The damage that occurs to nasal cartilage is well documented,” says Dr White, “with frequent users sometimes destroying the cartilage altogether.” When pressed, Sue admits she has worried about her own- and friends’ excessive use, while Paul adds, “The intake of a good friend of mine is frightening- it’s daily. My own’s not in the same league- I’m lucky enough to be able to say ‘no’ on a night out at this point.” “Lucky” is one word- sane may be another. Combined with alcohol (which it nearly always is), cocaine creates a toxic compound, cocaethylene, which makes a heart attack 18 times more likely than a booze binge on its own. But, “most people don’t want to think about the risks,” says Don Serratt, “if everyone around you is doing coke, it becomes normalised, and it’s much harder to believe that it can be dangerous.” Besides, it’s not the serious health risks that generally bother twenty and thirty somethings it’s the hangovers.
“Coke keeps me teetering on that fine line between pleasantly drunk and pissed for much longer.,” says Jane. “That’s the upside – the downside is that it makes you feel wired which means you have to drink more. The hangovers are terrible because the coke kept you drinking, so you’re more likely to have serious alcohol poisoning the day after. Then, there’s often a real ‘downer’ day- sometimes two.” A hangover’s easily forgotten though- less easy to dismiss is the risk of arrest and imprisonment for possession.
“Yeah, right,” says Sue, on hearing that possession for personal use carries a maximum of seven years in jail. “They’re hardly going to put me in prison for half a gram, are they?” But they could. Cocaine is a class A drug which means that the maximum sentence for possession with intent to supply is life- though more common is six months in jail, or a £5000 fine. It’s not quite the knowing blind eye most middle-class cokeheads expect from the police. Meanwhile, Manchester bar and club owners are waging their own war. “We all know the media industry in particular is notorious for coke,” says Deepa Parekh, of private media hangout The Circle Club, “but we have a zero tolerance policy on it. We’ll ask anyone we suspect is taking drugs on the premises to leave.”
The club also works with the police to identify dealers – “we now have a toilet attendant to ensure nobody goes in twos. As venues, we can only do so much without putting cameras in the toilets,” she adds, “even if I’m tempted to.” A tougher policy is in place at other venues customer searches, sniffer dogs on the door, and instant arrest are just some of the options being trialled in Manchester. “I just don’t ever think about the fact that it’s illegal,” says Jane, “there are always way to do it without anyone knowing.” And the wider implications of funding the cocaine industry don’t register much either. “The exploitation of the people who have no choice but to work in this industry in Colombia, or the fact that it may fund terrorism, does disturb me,” admits Paul, “but I still take it when offered, like all fat, comfy Westerners. I’m as riddled with hypocrisy as the next man.”
“I don’t ever think about it,” says Sue. “The drug industry is probably used by the government as a political bargaining chip anyway.”
“Will the government ever get rid of it?” says one Manchester bar owner (and occasional user) who declined to be named. “Honestly? Not a chance in hell.”

*some names have been changed to protect the guilty.

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Cultural Titilation

When it comes to bringing two cultural icons together it doesn’t get more glam than Ditta Von Teese and MAC cosmetics, and there is a very good reason they are joining forces, The Mac Aids Fund.

The MAC Aids Fund was established in 1994 with the hope to support men, women and children affected by HIV/AIDS globally and introduced its first VIVA GLAM lipstick that same year. Unlike many charity-led products on the market MAC decided to take things a step further by pledging that 100% of the retail selling price would go to the aids fund. This set a precedent for future charity endeavours that few could better, and that is one of the reasons VIVA GLAM is still successful today with a running total of £95 million raised so far
and counting.

Another huge part of the brand’s success with VIVA GLAM is the inspirational and daring advertising campaigns featuring cultural icons that so may people can relate to or admire, and this is where Ditta fits in. As a VIVA GLAM representative Ditta is filling some rather large shoes along side this years other MAC emissaries Debbie Harry, Eve and Lisa Marie Presley. We sat down with Ditta when she was in Manchester on a recent press tour for the lip gloss and took her right back to the beginning of the VIVA GLAM campaign. “Well I’ve been supporting it since it was first launched with RuPaul and I remember it being so exciting to see RuPaul appearing in the campaign and I thought it was so brave and so bold and really said something about this company.” RuPaul was the first of an illustrious list of icons to head up the campaign including, Mary J. Blige, Elton John, Christina Aguilera, Missy Elliott, Linda Evangelista, Chloë Sevigny, Boy George and Pamela Anderson.

Ditta has always been a huge follower and supporter of the MAC Aids Fund even when it first launched and she was a struggling dancer and hard up for cash. “…back then twelve years ago or more I didn’t have a lot of money and I didn’t know what I could do to help but I could certainly afford to buy a lipstick and with 100% of the selling price going to the Mac Aid Fund. It really meant a lot to me to be able to feel like I was doing something little which has now turned into something so big.”

Ditta certainly has more star power now than she did back then with a huge following both here and in the US. For Ditta she seems to be challenging people’s idea of sexy and her work quite often empowers women to explore their sensual side, but I wondered what her advice would be to us mere mortals to help us feel more sexy? “I usually tell a woman to do whatever it is that makes her comfortable and beautiful, and not to look at pictures in magazines and; don’t let them tell you what sexy and beauty is. Just to embrace what makes you individual and what makes you special and remembering that beauty is always in the eye of the beholder. You can’t ever say there is one standard for beauty there never is and there never will.” As a burlesque artist Ditta is always looking to challenge herself and titillate her audience and so is always looking to develop her act. As someone who is so artistic I wondered what it was that inspired her look and her routines. “I think mostly things from the past and not just the 40’s and 50’s its really all different eras that inspire me. I love watching old films and looking at old pictures from even as far back as the 1890’s and early 1900’s. I just like reading about showgirls and the most eccentric women of the past. As for my routines, I get inspiration from all over. From classic burlesque acts like the feather fan dance to things like pin up art, I get a lot of inspiration from pin up art. Maybe even just a show I’ll see that I can imagine being transformed into a burlesque show and strip tease, you know imaging how much better it could be if the girl took her clothes off!”

With Ditta’s shows being so highly acclaimed and enjoyed, we were just dying to know when she will be performing in Manchester. “I would love to tour all over England as it feels special to me every time I come here. England was one of the first places that really bought burlesque and really understood what burlesque is all about. Even though burlesque is such an American tradition and the whole bump and grind striptease burlesque show was invented in America, its interesting that its still considered rather taboo by a lot of people in America. It is almost like they are the last ones to get the joke.”

Natalie Quinn.

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Beauty Treatments are every girls (and some guys) dream, ultimate relaxation and pamper is what we all desire. Choosing the best spa or clinic to go to can be daunting, so when we decided to check out some treatments in Manchester we thought it was appropriate to go with a local company, and it doesn’t get more local than Heaven Spa.

Heaven Spa started life in the leafy suburbs of Didsbury back in 2003. It was the brainchild of local entrepreneur Cath Murphy who has been enjoying a successful career spanning the last 20 years. Following her role as Brand Director of Emap Radio, Cath knew first hand the pleasures and benefits of spa treatments and had a passionate belief in holistic benefits and this passion prompted a career shift for her. For Cath, marketing was her strength as well as an attention to detail so before she even thought about opening the doors to her own place she did a great deal of research, “I saw a great business opportunity but didn’t open before doing loads of background research and homework in London and New York. I was particularly impressed with the modern urban spas such as Bliss Spa in New York, with the emphasis on helping clients – male and female – look and feel fabulous.”

We were lucky enough to enjoy the surroundings of the newest member of the Heaven Spa family at the Hilton Hotel. For Cath her spa at the Hilton is a huge achievement, she beat competition from national and international brands to become the preferred spa at the deluxe Hilton. Bernadette Gilligan, General Manchester at the Hilton commented on the partnership: “The treatment rooms are a very important offering for us. We looked at many potential partners, including several large national brands, but ultimately it was the passion, attention to detail and excellent customer relations presented by Cath and Heaven Spa that won us over. We want our guests to get the most out of all our facilities and leave the hotel feeling on top of the world.”

Although the Hilton on Deansgate is a rather imposing building in the middle of one of the busiest roads in the city as soon as you take the lift to the second floor and enter the treatment area all your stress and worries just seem to melt away. With the pressures of modern life, being able to escape even if just for a short while is invaluable. I felt my skin needed some serious attention so I opted for the Prescriptive Facial (£50) which is tailored to your needs and problem areas, prefect for my city ravaged skin. I felt I couldn’t experience something like this without taking a friend along especially since she had never had a spa treatment before, shocking I know. She went for the ultimate indulgence of a Green Coffee Anti Cellulite full body wrap (£65). The treatment gets rid of all those toxins, reduces cellulite and leaves your skin smooth and tanned, bonus. After our treatments we were both left feeling revived, happy, relaxed and ready for a night out, well it was Friday after all.

From our experience at Heaven Spa it’s evident that Cath’s passion and commitment to clients has paid off and unlike many high end spas this is in no way threatening or pompous. The staff are friendly and helpful, the treatments are reasonably priced and the overall service is fantastic. This is a spa that really thinks about its clients both male and female and understands that people today have extremely busy and demanding lifestyles. With that in mind the spa is open from 8:00am – 9:30pm Monday to Friday and open 9:00am – 9:00am Saturday and Sunday. To be honest I don’t know any other spa with opening times of this kind and it’s touches like this that makes Heaven Spa stand out from the rest.

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Last night I attended the launch of The Gentry’s new web site at the unusual venue of Manchester 235. I must admit i’ve never been to a launch of a web site before, the event was pretty much like any other, free booze, free food and the odd celeb (oh and a nice little goody bag).

The highlight of the evening was a 60 second advert promoting The Gentry which looked excellent and looked like it cost a pretty penny too. It was only this morning when I woke up and realised I hadn’t seen the web site all night, so I logged on this morning and to my surprise found it still under construction. So with regards to our review – it’s under construction.

2/7/07

It’s HERE !, the wait is over and i have to say i’m pretty impressed with it, the web site looks good, the animation of the online salon works well and is very fitting with their brand. Moving onto their online shop section you get to choose from many different brands and its nice to know where I can get my American Crew products without leaving the house.

All in all the site is a good example how an offline business can make a suitable online business, if i could offer them one tip it would be to stock their own products, I really buy into the whole Gentry brand and think their products would sit well next to the likes of Nickel and American Crew.

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Manchester is due to be the launch pad for a national dental revolution.� Plans have been unveiled for the first development in a countrywide chain of pioneering dental practices – Total Dental. Cheetham Hill has been selected as the inaugural site to be developed, and the new practice is due to open its doors in July. The clinic is just a stones throw from the city centre so easy to get to on your lunch break.

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Editor’s choice
With such a good selection of reasonably priced products on offer, it is not always necessary to indulge in expensive products. However, there is one truly amazing product that I think every women should have, and that is Evelom cleanser. This is my absolute must-have beauty product. It’s easy to use, gentle on your skin and will take off even the most stubborn water-proof mascara with very little effort. It’s available at Space NK priced at £45 for 100 ml. Don’t be put of by the price, you don’t need to use a lot so a jar will last you quite some time.

This Works Survive Kit
£25.00, Harvey Nichols

This Works Survive Kit is a brand new product that contains five essential problem-solving products to soothe, comfort and protect your skin, to ensure you look and feel your best wherever you are in the world. This indispensable survival kit contains the following miniature This Works products: Turbo balm: to keep lips hydrated, One for All: the essential oil blend for antiseptic relief, Stay Cool soothing eye serum, Quick Spritz: for the face and Breathe In: calming inhaler. We love it!

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