While not usually a purchaser of The Sanctuary products I received this body lotion in a lovely gift box last Christmas. I had heard good things about their products but never thought of shelling out that little bit extra for their products so it was nice to be able to test them out without having to pay for them. Though not often am I a fan of receiving toiletries as a present I felt that this time it was a good judgement.

** Sanctuary **
The Sanctuary began as a spa exclusively for female dancers and they have since expanded to now offer products on the high street and opened their spa to all women. Their high profile beginning has ensured that their brand carries connotations of quality which and maintains its popularity.

The business operates on the view that if you feel good about your body, you feel better about yourself and the world around you which I believe is a wonderful way to look at it. They have a wide range of products to buy (as you can see from their website) so it is likely you will find something that you'd love to try.

In a (business) world where men seem to dominate, here is a business that is run by women and for women. An inspiration to us all.

** The lotion **
This lotion is a product in the Spa Essentials range which was created in order to give you the spa experience at home. Though really, that is what all their products should aim to do.

The lotion comes in a bottle which has both a flip lid and another plastic lid on top which prevents any spilling out into your drawer/ wherever you keep your products. One downside to the packaging is that it is quite difficult to squeeze the lotion out. I have to shake the bottle to get the lotion to one end and then use quite a bit of force to get it out. I'd believe that once you get near the end of the bottle it would be quite difficult and may result in not being able to make full use of the product available.

The bottle claims that this lotion will provide you with 24 hours of moisturisation. And works through nourishing and stimulating the body to soothe dryness and energise tired skin which accomplished through the added root ginger, jojoba and pro vitamin B5.

However, these are just words and we've all experienced disappointment after reading the back of a product. So does this product live up to the promising words? In a word yes. I have so far been very impressed with this product. I have used this product after a shower one day and wakening up the next day (after 24hrs) my skin still feels lovely and soft. One instance at least where the 24hr claim rings true.

As I like this product so much I like to stretch it out as long as I can, using it perhaps just once a week. On first opening the lid and squeezing some of the product onto my hands the scent is very noticeable. Especially the ginger, though its not a very strong ginger scent as it is calmed by the jojoba. When you start rubbing the lotion into the skin the scent becomes stronger, it calms down and leaves a soft scent. The smell also lends to the feeling that this is a good quality product; it smell a lot nicer than more cheaper lotions and it stays on your body for quite some time.

The lotion is quite thin, though not runny, so spreads over the skin nice and even. It is then quickly absorbed into the skin without leaving any residue or film of grease. Though my skin is left with a nice sheen and does look brighter than before. Once absorbed the skin is not only smelling lovely but also feeling very soft.

This lotion does feel of good quality and does seem to do what it says on the bottle. My skin definitely feels better after using this.

** Price and Availability **
This lotion is available from Boots at the price of £5.10 for a 250ml bottle. So it may not be the cheapest body lotion but it is certainly not the most expensive. When you consider the quality of this product, it is safe to say that it is value for money.

Alternatively, this can be bought from The Sanctuary Spa in Covent Garden, but not all of us live in London!

** Overall **
I would definitely recommend this body lotion. It leaves your skin smooth, energised and smelling gorgeous. And for only £5.10 you receive a product that feels good quality and without leaving a chemical filled cream smell that cheaper brands leave you with.

I took one star off due to the difficulty getting the product out the packaging.