If you are looking for skin treatments in Al Ain – whether you are male or female – one place you may want to try out is the Silkor Laser Medical Center in the Al Jimi area.

My wife Catherine tried the place out for a Diamond Micro Dermabrasion treatment (!) and she came back raving about the service from the women she met there: Leila, Joelle and Leah. Her luxury facial treatment lasted for 45 minutes. Catherine told me that the centre was spotless, and tranquil.

The treatment is designed to remove dead cells from the face in a pain-free way. She said that, after the treatment, her skin felt smooth and clean.

Here’s a photo we got emailed from the centre to show you the process…

Catherine asks me to tell you that this is not her!

Ring 03 763 0123 for more info about this and the other treatments they offer, including laser hair removal.

The Gulf Dental Clinic is situated on Main Street in Al Ain, opposite the National Jewellers.

It’s run by Dr Christian Jaber who I’ve chatted with many times at the Hilton Hotel: he regularly plays squash there. The strap line on his business card is “Dentistry with a smile”, which matches Christian’s playful personality.

His hours are 10am to 12.30pm, then 6pm to 9pm. I think that’s Sunday through Thursday.

Telephone: 03 765 4373 and 050 753 0922.

His prices are keener than some other practices.

Do you need dental treatment in Al Ain? What about the Royal London Dental Clinic between the Diwan roundabout and the Bookshop?

My family and I see 2 of the dentists here, and it’s a slick, professional operation.

Address… Suite 07, Mezzanine Floor, Al Bhadi Building (next to Diwan roundabout and above the New Sweets Palace shop).

In other words, if you know this roundabout, called the Diwan roundabout…

…then you head towards the centre of Al Ain from here, i.e. drive east. Within 100 metres you’ll see this building on your right…

You can see the sign for it on the right-hand side of the building, yes?

It’s run by Dr Monika Giannopoulos (pictured on the right), so the website is at www.drmonika.com.

Tel: 03 755 7155

Opening times…

Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday: 9am to 9pm

Tuesday: 9am to 5pm

Closed: Friday and Saturday

Note: These times are correct as of April 2012: the times on Dr Monika’s website are out of date.

Looking for an alternative? See my article on the Gulf Dental Clinic in the centre of Al Ain.

Do you need dental treatment in Al Ain?

I’ve written about 2 dental practices that I’ve come across…

• Royal London Dental Clinic
• Gulf Dental Clinic

I’m sure there are many other which are great, so let me know of your favourite, and I’ll add them to this site.

This is pure self promotion!

Since I moved to Al Ain more than a year ago I’ve been helping people here and overseas (by phone etc) to triumph over the challenges/problems in their lives.

I have talked with people with relationship issues, depression, sleeplessness, money worries, problems with their children, and so on.

I see people in the day or evening.

I am not a ‘pure’ life coach, therapist or counsellor, though I have done courses or studied the texts such people have studied. I call myself a facilitator: I help people move forward in life by offering new perspectives and sharing various tools I’ve developed or learned from others. And I have done this for the last 17 years.

(If you want pure life coaching, therapy or counselling, you’ll find suitable people in Dubai or Abu Dhabi.)

If you want to know more, you can download a pdf version of my 8-page brochure here, which lists my qualifications, and tells you more about how I work. (If you have a Mac, press the Alt/Option key before you click on the link.)

You can also go to my main site at www.triumphoverchallenges.com where you’ll find things such as videos which aren’t in the brochure (of course), and articles. Or you can click on the Triumph advert I’ve placed on the right.

If you or your child would love to learn to play a musical instrument or learn to dance, then the House Of Arts in Al Ain may be just what you’re looking for.

Run by director, Gabriele (“Gaby”) Malzahn (pictured right), it offers classes in piano, violin, guitar, voice, cello and theory.

To register, you are asked to fill in the Registration form and pay a non-refundable registration fee of Dhs 120 per family.

Before registering for individual or group music lessons, Gaby and her team ask that you call them to set up an appointment for an initial interview. They will conduct a short informal assessment and then discuss various issues related to enrolment in House of Arts classes, and will check the timetable for available slots.

No formal interviews are needed for other lessons.

Here’s a video tour of this wonderful place which I filmed recently…

To give you a guide to pricing, 15 lessons during term time, at 30 minutes per weekly individual lesson, cost 1,200AED, which works out at 80AED (£14) a lesson.

Various dance lessons are available at the House of Arts. They are conducted in cooperation with the Dubai Ballet Centre.

Available classes are:

• Baby Ballet (age 2 1/2-3 1/2)
• Prep Class (age 3-4)
• Pre Primary Ballet (age 5+)
• Primary Ballet (age 6/7)
• Grade 1 Ballet (age 7+)
• Grade 2 Ballet (age 9+)
• Grade 3 Ballet (age 10+)
• Grade 5 Ballet (age 12+)
• Grade 7 Ballet (age 14+)

plus…

• Junior Tap (age 6-8)
• Junior Modern (age 7-10)
• Beginner Tap seniors (age 12+)
• Advanced Tap seniors (age 12+)
• Modern/Jazz dance (age 12+)

and…

• Hip Hop junior (age 6+)
• Hip Hop senior (age 10+)

New…

• Jewelery classes (adults)
• Drum lessons (6+)
• Fabric painting
• Vinyasa Yoga with Deborah (6-7pm, 5 classes for 180AED)

…and they also have Kindermusik for young children, and Music For Little Mozarts (group piano lessons for young children with a maximum of 8 in a group).

Gaby has done an amazing job setting this place up and developing it into a hive of activity: when I chatted with her, I discovered a woman who came across as committed, passionate and full of ideas – a real asset to the town: “the cultural centre of Al Ain” as my friend Jake says. The walls are covered in hundreds of picture frames showing children playing instruments or dancing. The studio for dance and yoga is excellent with floor to ceiling mirror.

Here’s the outside…

As you go through the front door…

The coffee shop is on the left…

And here’s the coffee shop from the other end of the room…

The reception area with masses of photos of students on the walls going up the stairs…

Jhenny at her desk at reception…

And Anne-Marie too…

Practice rooms…

The dance/yoga studio…

Gaby in her office…

The Kindermusik room…

Opening hours are Sunday to Wednesday: 10am to 8:30pm; Saturday and Thursday: 10am to 6:30pm.

You can ring the House of Arts on 03 762 6651, or get on their mailing list by emailing [email protected] You can visit their website here for more info on timings and prices, where you’ll find a map to help you get there. (They’re opposite the Al Ain Hospital.)

If you’re still not clear where it is from the map there, then here are my directions for you…

Imagine driving past the enormous Lulu Hypermarket, which is on your right. Carry on until you come to a roundabout. You turn right to Dubai, yes? Instead, go across. As you approach the next roundabout, get in the middle lane, so you don’t get filtered right, and go across this roundabout. Take the next road on your right. Turn first right. At the end, turn left. Carry on until you have to go left again – and turn left again. House Of Arts is a few doors down from the dead end, on your left. Have fun!

If you’d like to tone up your body, you may want to try out Pilates, if you haven’t already. A Vietnamese lady moved from the States to Al Ain several years ago, and now has a thriving Pilates practice in a mirror-lined studio in her home. She’s called Thuy Burritt (pronounced “Twee”), and you can reach her on 050 321 8677.

This is a photo of Thuy demonstrating a Pilates position in the desert…

Thuy’s email address is fit.plates at yahoo.com, and you can also find her on Facebook.

At the moment she has 30-40 clients, so she is fully booked, but you can go on her waiting list, and she’ll get back with you when she has a free slot.