Scrub a dub dub, one girl in a tub! (The Sanctuary Salt Scrub)

Member Name: bamamo

Product:	The Sanctuary Salt Scrub
Date:	06/08/09 (41 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Really works, smells great, not drying

Disadvantages: Full size is HUGE and pricey, less comfortable than some scrubs, sachet is REALLY hard to open!

Having already enjoyed two of Sanctuary's other body scrubs (Spa Essentials and Kuan Jin), I thought it was high time to open my sachet of the Salt Scrub, which I received as part of a birthday-present bag of lovely Sanctuary goodies from a thoughtful friend.

The Sanctuary is a range of luxurious bath and body products, originating from the chain of Sanctuary spas across the country. They are great for pampering and feel indulgent, but prices are generally around that of Body Shop products, if not cheaper, so I'm a real fan as I always like to receive things as gifts which I can afford to repurchase for myself!

The Salt Scrub comes in either a 60g sachet (£1.26) or 650g (£8.74) glass jar, which quite frankly looks humongous, but obviously works out at better value if you like the product. I have the 60g sachet, which after I battled to open it (ridiculously hard work, which resulted in me getting out of the bath to go find a pair of scissors!) looks like it will last me a fair few baths. I will probably try to use it up quickly, as I'm not sure how being exposed to air will effect the product, which is also another plus for the huge jar.

I was pleased to discover that the scrub has the same sweet scent as the Spa Essentials range (it's packaging has a curious lack of the trademark orange for this Sanctuary range, so I wasn't sure if it would). To look at, you could really be forgiven for thinking this was just a packet of Dead Sea Salt, but as you get some onto your fingers it is actually slightly oily - it includes jojoba, sweet almond and coconut oils.

Using the scrub in a circular motion on clean skin, I did find it somewhat more uncomfortable than other, gel-based scrubs I have used by Sanctuary or otherwise, especially on the sensitive skin on my hands. It was still not unpleasant as such, mostly due to the moisturising properties of the oils keeping it from being too scratchy, but I would certainly not recommend using this if you have any cuts or if you have just shaved. After all, that is essentially just rubbing salt into a wound. Ouch!

The scrub rinsed off easily due to a lot of the salt dissolving into my skin during use, and my skin did feel lovely and smooth afterwards. I like to exfoliate my legs with a scrub as I epilate, and this really did a good job at getting any small hairs or ingrown hairs to come to the surface. The scent lingered on my skin way more than with any other scrub I've tried, which as the delicious smell is one of my favourite aspects of Sanctuary products, is a huge plus.

Despite how soft you skin may feel, I would still really recommend using a good moisturiser after using a salt scrub, because salt of course can be very drying. I like to top up the scent with Sanctuary body butter but each to their own!

I like this product and find it works really well, although I don't find it quite as convenient as scrubs in a tube. The jar might look pretty in a bathroom but is definitely clunky! I wish there was a mid-sized option, perhaps in a tube. Even though it's chunky salt, surely a tube with a large opening would work.

No matter how much I like this, I don't think I want to shell out £8.74 for a huge version, and would probably stick to sachets every now and again in future, as they don't break the bank for a treat. There is also a salt scrub bar which I might try out at some point. You can find Sanctuary products in Boots stores or at www.thesanctuary.co.uk, and they are frequently on offer in both.

Summary: Works great, smells great, but I don't want to shell out that much for a jar of salt!