The Bangkok mall's former office building is now the place to go for head-to-toe indulgence, and to buy 13 top skincare brands, among them Anne Semonin, Biotherm, Covermark, Estee Lauder, Origins and Shu Uemura.

With an array of treatment rooms, each individually decorated, the centre offers a Nail Boutique, a Mezzanine Floor and a Workshop Room, which is where you go for all the latest makeup tips.

Then there's the Hair Salon, and here, as everywhere, guys are welcome too.

The services are exclusively for customers of the Emporium's Beauty Hall - and by appointment only.

"If you come to the Emporium Beauty Service, you'll walk out all ready for a party or your dream date," says Thipvipa Chantapasa of the Mall Group, which owns the Emporium.

The group spent Bt15 million refurbishing the premises.

"The area we have in the department store is small, and we wanted to offer the full range of beauty services, as well as restrooms," Thipvipa says.

"The brands we select are among the best sellers and always in demand."

Thipvipa acknowledges a downturn in overall spending by women due to the current economic crunch, be she expects no decline in demand for beauty products, especially skincare items.

Kupluthai Pungkanon

The Nation