We try the three-hour Natura Bisse diamond facial and massage at Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi’s Atarmia Spa

With multiple massages, serums and a peel, Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi's Atarmia Spa's three-hour Natura Bisse Diamond Experience is designed to make you glow, head to toe.

The Natura Bisse Diamond skincare range. Courtesy Atarmia Spa

With a long history of getting antsy during something that is supposed to be lovely, for example a pedicure, the promise of the three-hour Natura Bisse Diamond Experience gets me worried. Will I be able to sit or lay down that long? Will I get that squirmy feeling in my calves? Won’t I get quite hungry?

And herein lies, for me, the flaw with this treatment, offered at the Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi (Saadiyat Island) in the gorgeous Atarmia Spa: it’s far too long.

Otherwise, the entire experience was lovely – providing ample opportunity for an extensive nap.

Stepping in the spa, which is decorated in soothing earth and grey tones and has the subtle essence of rose oil hanging in the air, is immediately relaxing. Even better, the sound of running water can be heard throughout. Atarmia, after all, means “aromatic flowing waters” in Arabic.

The first third of the experience, the Diamond Synergy Massage (60 minutes, Dh470), was a standard, deeply relaxing full-body version. The goal is to improve overall energy flow, harmony and balance by relieving tension and increasing blood circulation. It also promises to “redefine and refirm” the body contour, but I can’t really say I noticed a difference in my physique.

The massage is based on the Lomi Juma, a fusion of techniques borrowed from the Mediterranean and Hawaii, which explained my therapist’s use of her forearms in a sweeping motion. The treatment was so relaxing that I drifted off into a sound sleep, only to be gently awakened and asked to turn over.

At a full two hours, the Diamond Ice-Lift Facial is obviously one serious treatment. After cleansing, the therapist applied an exfoliating glycolic peel, or Glyco Extreme Peel, and for my combination skin, they chose a fairly mild 25 per cent solution. Only a few prickles. The steam followed by extraction was also basically painless. The therapist applied cold rose quartz to acupressure points on my face – the “gem therapy” portion of the treatment – to increase blood flow. That would be the first of three facial massages (my favourite was the myofacial, for lifting) followed by the first of three serum applications. The most fun parts of the facial involved the Diamond Ice-Lift Mask, which peeled off, and the application of a second, freezing cold serum, which felt like a tiny ice lolly was being rubbed all over my face.

The treatment is being touted for brides-to-be and I am sure loads of women would relish the attention to detail – not to mention a bit of a break – before their big day. It would also be an ideal option for the day prior, as the glow and sense of ease I walked out with lasted for several days.

• The Natura Bisse Diamond Experience at the Atarmia Spa Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi costs Dh1,570 – although the facial and massage are offered separately – and takes three hours. For more information, go here. To book, call 02 407 1170