The Shu Uemura Beauty Sanctuary at Action Hair Boutique
The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, #B1-149
Singapore 018972
Tel: 6688-7321

It takes a certain serendipity to find a good business partner - and for Shu Uemura and Action Hair Boutique, the stars seemed to have aligned perfectly for them.

The Japanese beauty bigwig and the well-known local hair salon are behind the Shu Uemura Beauty Sanctuary at Action Hair Boutique - a mouthful of a name but it's an indication of how comprehensive its services are. Whether you want a facial, makeover, hair treatment, hair styling or just to buy retail products - you can do it all in the same place.

The first of its kind in the world, the outlet was created to provide an opportunity for Shu Uemura to fully showcase the beauty of the brand. According to the brand's spokesman, the outlet differs from conventional spas in that the former allows customers to relax and have aesthetic treatments at the same time.

"With conventional spas, the focus is more on wellness and relaxation," says Darren Ho, Shu Uemura's product manager who adds that the products used can only be utilised professionally and have to be prescribed by a therapist.

"At Action Hair Boutique you have the opportunity to improve your appearance with hair colouring, makeovers, eyebrow trimming while still enjoying services like hair treatments and facials which both treat and relax you. This unifies the concept of what beauty is: Beauty is as much about how you feel as how you look."

Of the hair offerings, customers are advised to try the Hair Beauty Ceremony, a 70 minute treatment that is individually prescribed to the customer depending on hair type and condition and includes an upper body massage.

There are treatments for all hair conditions including damaged, coloured and dry hair and are said to achieve unparalleled results that cannot be achieved at home, thanks to the use of exotic ingredients such as rose musk and argan oils.

For the facials, Mr Ho recommends the the Brightening Facial (80 mins) which uses the essence of prunes, pure vitamin C and AHAs to instantly create fairer, smoother and moisturised skin.

As is to be expected from a Japanese brand, both the hair treatments and facials use special shiatsu techniques to enable the penetration of the active ingredients and to bring customers into a deeper state of relaxation.

Signature music from Shu Uemura also surrounds the customer with sounds of chimes, water as a form of sensory therapy with special rooms such as the Depsea Lounge created to provide an ambience of peaceful solitude.

The brand hopes that the outlet will give people a better understanding of what Shu Uemura is all about.

"With this outlet, Shu Uemura has the opportunity to showcase the full beauty of the brand," says Mr Ho."It is also a natural progression for us in offering an elevated service."

This article was first published in The Business Times.