How about glowing skin as V-day gift!

If you've tried everything to keep your girlfriend happy - from irresistible chocolates and romantic night-outs to flowers, then perhaps it's time to gift her a body polishing session this Valentine season.

Suvodeep Das, marketing head of Kaya Skin Clinic, said there is an increase in demand for the treatment during the Valentine season, with the festival of love falling Feb 14. "We witness a rise in demand for skin enhancement services like body polishing, everyday radiance and aqua radiance around Valentine's Day," Das told IANS.

Body polishing helps in treating damage to the skin. The process is used to gently exfoliate the superficial dead layers of one's skin. The removal of dead cells allows radiant skin to surface. The skin cell and collagen stimulation minimizes the appearance of skin pores, making the skin look younger and firmer.

"Body polishing has basically been a part of bridal package till now, but now guys are making calls and asking about the procedure. They want to buy it for their girlfriends to make them feel refreshed," Suneeta of Prince & Princess parlour told IANS. "After a full-body polish, the skin looks fresh and glows too. Initially people are hesitant, but the after-effect of the procedure is what attracts people to come and experience it," she added.

Shobha Sehgal, head of Beauty VLCC Healthcare Ltd, said: "Yes, there is definitely a rise in demand for body polishing specially. In comparison to last year, we have seen a growth of six to eight percent." Four sessions are recommended for optimised results. They also say the treatment, which is about 45 minutes long, helps in weight loss. "More the sittings, better the result. It has dual advantage, firstly it helps in exfoliating the skin and, secondly, it helps in weight reduction," Sehgal said.

When asked how long the procedure takes she said: "It is an hour-long procedure and costs between Rs.2,500 and Rs.5,000 per session, according to additional plans and ingredients." Kanwaljeet Kaur, 26, a newly-wed who underwent the treatment on her husband's request, explained the procedure saying, "In layman's language, body polishing is the same as a facial, but the difference is facial focuses only on the face whereas this is done on the body.

"The procedure starts with body cleansing, which is done by coconut milk. Then a scrub - made of cinnamon, cloves, spices, ayurvedic medicines are applied on the body followed by a brief massage. "Then a massage is given with fresh cream for a longer duration. After that a chocolate pack is applied on the whole body, which is not dry. Lastly, we are asked to sit in steam for 10-15 minutes and then take a shower with luke warm water."

Not only professionals, even students save money to gift it to their girlfriends. "Valentine's Day always sees the cliche celebration with chocolates, roses or candlelight dinner. But I wanted to gift something very unique to my girlfriend, so I have done an advance booking for her and I am sure she will understand the love behind the gesture. I want her to look the best," said Varun Sethi, a student.