August in Edinburgh is a prime example of having too much of a good thing. So, after four weeks of festival activities came to a close, an offer of a luxury facial at Edinburgh's HIM Grooming was too good to pass up.

However, I still felt some hesitation. As appealing as beauty treatments sound, I had always thought (as I suspect a lot of men do), that they aren't really for me. The perception of male grooming has changed dramatically in recently years, but still almost everyone I mentioned my appointment to raised their eyebrows. To top that off, I also have quite sensitive skin - one squirt of aftershave and my face lights up like the Human Torch - so it was with trepidation that I stepped into the salon and meat new therapist Judy MacGillivray.

Following a consultation to determine any allergies I may have, the treatment began with a double cleanse, the first to take off the daily surface grime, the second, to remove any ingrained dirt. Next Judy exfoliated my face with a refining face polish containing finely ground walnut shells. Any residual apprehension which may have been lingering was kneeded out of me during the face, neck and shoulder massage which followed. It was at this point that I began to wonder why I hadn't been doing this for years.

After cleaning my face using a hot cloth Judy applied the masks, using a replenishing one on dry skin and deep-purifying mud mask on oilier ares. As this soaked up the festival toxins, Judy massaged my arms and fingers. I especially appreciated the finger massage because, thanks to various footballing mishaps, most of my digits ache at the end of a day of continual keyboard bashing, and this provided some welcome relief.

The mask was then removed and my face cleansed and moisturized at the end of a wonderfully relaxing hour. While the immediate effects were not in doubt, the question remained, would I actually notice any difference when I got home? To my surprise the answer was a resounding "Yes", with the chore of shaving becoming noticeably easier after the treatment. Forget any pre-conceived ideas you may have about a blokes place in a beauty salon. Sign up for a treatment and put yourself in Judy's capable hands.

Craig Nelson
"The Scotsman"