Moisturisation may not be the true paradigm to masculinity, but there isn't a man we know who doesn't welcome the occasional pamper.
As such, we welcome the new crop of men-only spas springing up across the globe, with a favourite being the Refinery in London's Mayfair.
Keen advocates of big-name brands such as Dermalogica and the lesser-known Edwin Jagger - along with their own, eponymous range - the Mayfair institution has recently taken on a new protégé, in the form of Kyoku, an achromatically packaged, organic men-only product fresh on the market.
With a volcanic ash and rice bran face scrub, a ginseng and peppermint cleanser and a buttery green tea and bamboo moisturiser - the black and white exterior packaging is all that's simplistic about these products.
In line with the release, the Refinery has teamed up with Kyoku to offer a man-only, hour-long facial to show off their wares. Ever eager for a lunch-hour-scrub-up, we asked if we could be first to try it out, and the refinery graciously obliged.
Stripped down to an ever-so-mini dressing gown things start out shakily, but the moment Evelyna - the spa's senior facial consultant - applies her super-supple fingers, everything slips into blissed-out blackness.
An hour later after being scrubbed, cleansed, steamed and massaged, our faces glowing and our souls cleansed, the world feels like a better place. If however you don't have leisurely lunches to burn, there's a half-hour express version, which packs just as much of a punch.
ADDRESS
The Refinery
60 Brook Street
London
W1K 5DU
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