Professional: Specialised Hair Treatments in Mohandiseen

Situated above McDonalds on the busy Nady El Seid Street in Dokki, Sky Med Spa claims to be the first and 'most luxurious' medical spa in Egypt. They boast state of the art technology along with a range of non-surgical treatments including collagen remodelling, shaping and slimming body wraps, therapeutic massages, rejuvenating facials and nail treatments.After taking directions from the friendly doorman, we headed up to the third floor and patiently waited for the door to be opened. The spa is a spacious apartment, complete with wooden floors, chandeliers and shaggy rugs taking up the entire floor of the building. The treatment rooms were old fashioned and a little shabby, but clean. We arrived without an appointment and requested a facial (250LE) and a manicure (40LE). The male receptionist advised a deep cleansing facial, using Oxygen products to unclog our pores. We were then asked to pay upfront, which seemed a little unusual.After twenty long minutes of waiting, listening to the jazz playing over the speakers, we were informed that the nail technician was not there and had taken all the nail polishes with her. We stuck with our decision and settled for a manicure without polish – effectively just a tidy up.    Of all the girls shuffling from room to room in their flip flops and pyjama type tracksuits, we didn't expect that we'd be allocated their resident transvestite; seriously. Of course we didn't mind that he was dressed as a woman, or that he had hands three times the size of ours – even the facial stubble didn't phase us – however, we did mind that he/she clearly didn't have much experience in manicuring. He proceeded to gingerly, nervously and slowly cut away our nails and cuticles, before roughly scrubbing the backs of our hands with a nail brush. Our nails were then filed down to slightly different shapes and lengths; we could have done a better job ourselves.   The male receptionist then took over for the facial, fiddling with an old school machine before using electronic, rotating pads to massage in the exfoliator. This was followed by a five minute steam to open our pores and two minutes of prodding and squeezing to rid our T-zone of any blackheads. A soothing mask was applied whilst we were zapped with radio waves to help our skin absorb it. We're not sure how thorough or effective the treatment was – the whole thing seemed rushed and carelessly executed rather than pleasant and relaxing.  We hope that, if we had booked an appointment in advance, our experience of Sky Med Spa might have been entirely different. As it stands, Sky Med Spa does provide a good range of treatments, but its far from competing with high-end salons and spas in the city..

A trip to the Sofitel Cairo El Gezirah is an experience in itself; the tube-shaped structure stands as a figurehead on the southern-most tip of Zamalek. There are plenty of reasons to attend, even if you’re not staying the night; an afternoon lounging by the pool or an evening of wining and dining at Nile-side restaurants, Le Deck, El Kababgy or La Palmeraie, provide great opportunities to view Cairo at its best. Another good reason to go is the hotel’s hair salon.

The salon is open every day between 9AM and 9PM, even during national holidays. The coiffeur is on the hotel’s second floor and has signs throughout the hotel. We rang ahead to book, but were told that an appointment would not be necessary and to come whenever we liked. When we arrived, the salon was empty, though the place was well staffed; this is not unusual for the salon, meaning that if you’re in a rush – or it’s a national holiday – you can rely on the Sofitel for unwavering service.

The salon is clean and neat, without any ostentatious displays of girliness or posters of grimacing models – this is a place befitting of the Sofitel name. We were greeted at the till and told to immediately take a seat in the hair-washing chair. The salon has room for four-to-five clients to be seen at a time, and although it’s only a small space, it’s well laid-out and doesn’t feel cramped. The attendant took her time with washing our hair, giving it a good amount of time to soak and even giving us a soothing head massage in the process. The products used smelt delicious and we can now confirm that our hair felt soft and clean for days after the visit.

After our hair was professionally wrapped and brushed, the stylist came out to meet us and consult us on what we wanted. He nodded in assurance at our instructions and sure enough, after much snipping and measuring, came up with the desired result and was happy to make any adjustments we asked for.

After the hair was cut, so began the styling process, which involved at a blow dry, followed by some a heavy-handed application with straighteners. To our dismay, the stylist curled our hair into tight ringlets so that the cut itself was completely overshadowed - although to his credit, the curls were very professional and stayed in place for the entire day.

A wash and blow-dry cost 250LE, and the salon is also equipped to do dyes, extensions and offers a selection of products for customers to use at home. We were truly pleased with the results of our styling and the swift, professional service, which made a Sunday afternoon maybe-I-should-get-a-fringe whim, a reality.