Excitingspas

It's not that we Scottish women don't take care of our appearance more that vanity is not one of our defining national characteristics. But when Scottish salons scooped a remarkable seven out of 17 titles at the prestigious British Beauty and Spa Awards last week, we had clear evidence that Scotland is ahead of the game when it comes to business of being beautiful.

The awards saw Scottish business take the titles of best destination spa, salon, and facial therapist in the UK, among other accolades.

So what exactly is going on? Are Scottish women investing far more in our looks than we let on to each other, or are we simply unaware of the beauty talent on our doorstep? And how has Scotland developed such a talented cache of salons and spas to more than rival London's big names?

Jayne Lewis-Orr of the award's sponsor, the trade magazine Health & Beauty Salon, says there's something of an obsession among Scottish beauty businesses about being the best.

For more information: http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/features/Spa-excellence.4493871.jp