I'm part way through my week off and so far it's been pretty good. Winchester with a friend, shopping in town, catching up on my editing, a spa day and now a lovely day off with Chris.
Yesterday was the spa day and seeing as Chris is catching up on some work I thought I'd get a nice cup of tea and chat with you guys about my experience at the Lush spa in Poole.
First, let me tell you about the spa. Lush have had spas for about six years, Poole, being their first shop, was a natural to be amongst the first along with the Kings road spa in London. Now there are seven. Poole, Kings road, Kingston, Oxford street, Leeds, Liverpool and Edinburgh. They have nine treatments so there is something for everyone.
I've been to the spa before.I had a synesthesia full body massage a few years ago and it was amazing so when I found out there was going to be a new treatment I knew I had to visit. The new treatment (as you may have guessed from the title) is called the planets. It's a three hour experience decided into three sections. The first is the past, then the present and last (you've guessed it) is the future.
I'm going to write about each section, what it consist of and how I felt during and afterwards. All the music is designed by Simon Emmerson and is influenced by Holst's 'the planets' music collective. This is what the website says about it.
'Embark on a unique journey through inner and outer space. Inspired by seven of the planets in our solar system, this unique three-phase treatment explores the past, present and the future. A reflective, personal experience involving massage, Lush palm reading and a lifted facial. Cross different dimensions from the comfort of your treatment room and then gently come back down to earth.'
Photo: Lush retail ltd
When you arrive for your treatment one of the lovely staff member in the Poole store, which by the way has just had a rather exciting influx of exclusive Oxford street products, will inform your therapist that you have arrived and after a minute or two you are invited through the door to the consultation area.
Your therapist offers you some cooling water and let's you know what to expect and takes you through a quick health questionnaire to make sure every thing is fine and dandy then you must choose your planet- the planet is linked to an aspiration.
As you walk into the dimmed room, look up, there are beautiful patternes on the ceiling made from light reflecting of a mirrored tray and astral projections. The therapist tells you where everything is and what to do then leaves you to undress and get under the warmed towels. When you are ready you ring the bell.
Phase 1. The past.
This is a full body massage that lasts a whopping 1 hour and 25 minutes starting from the top of your head all the way down to your feet. You can really relax and just hear the music. As the therapist works down your body any knots or tension found are talked through with you, you can say as much or as little as you wish, everything is confidential. Your body is mapped into different areas your left is the creative side and your right logical/reasoning. It was found that I had the most tension in my ribs which could be about holding back. I also had a lot in the front of my legs above my knees which can be about moving forward. I recently have had struggles regarding my career and moving to another part of the country. For me everything she said rang true. She said to imagine each knot as a messy drawer, when you talk about it you're 'tidying' it up. A brilliant metaphor- easy to visualise and order. When there is something I spoke about somthing the therapist felt I needed motivation with she warmed the area and when I worked something out on my own she cooled the skin. A circular motion closes the drawer. If you're worried about your feet being ticklish, don't be. You will be so relaxed you won't really notice.
When the massage is over the therapist tells you that there is a dressing gown and slippers on the door and leaves. The dressing gown FYI was amazing, massive and cosy, I need one in my life!
When you're ready. Simply ring the bell again.
Phase 2. The present.
This is a lovely chilled out session that lasts 35 minutes. It starts with a space girl with dry ice, building up negative energy and throwing it away. Then a relaxing hand and arm massage and Palm reading focusing on the planet you chose at the beginning. Mine was in the centre of my palm. By looking at my hands, the size, length of fingers, shape and thumbs she was able to tell me a lot of interesting traits about myself. She then focused on my writing hand. She told me about my life, heart and head line. Again she was very correct about my life. It feels nice to think that someone gets it, somehow a perfect stranger understands you. During this time there is tea blended for your treatment in cups that have the planet name in them. The attention to detail is incredible and you're even given a delicious planet shaped chocolate to eat. In preparation for stage 3, the therapist shows you the products she will use. The bench is set up for the final time. She leave the room while you undress and get under the towel. For the last time ring the bell.
Phase 3: the future.
This is the final phase of the treatment an hour long lifted facial. This is time you can really relax. It includes a cleanse, facial brushing, a face mask and a serum. I dozed off several times during this just for a minute at a time but it just shows how calming it is. The word I used to a friend was comatose. After cleansing the skin, the therapist then uses small brushes on you, not only does this feel amazing but it also helps the skins circulation which in turn promotes healthy skin. She then used a fresh facemask exclusive to the store. Followed by a facial massage that gently coaches the muscles to lift and give a youthful well rested apperance.
Before and after my lifted facial
When it was over the therapist left the room and I got dressed, very slowly and made my way out to the consulting area. After a brief chat about the treatment I had a glass of water and wrote in the guest book.
Overall I would definitely recommend this treatment it was amazing and really helped me sort out some issues and to have a clear idea of what I wanted for my future. I cannot sing this treatments praises highly enough. It's worth every penny and I would absolutely have it again. For the quality of time and the luxury , it's priceless. I don't spend very much time or money on myself so to have this treatment was incredibly special and somthing I will remember for a long time.
To learn more about the lush spa you can visit Lush's website at www.lush.co.uk you can also pop into your local store, the staff will be knowledgeable about all the treatments. You can visit the Lush spa Poole's Facebook page for updates https://www.facebook.com/LushSpaPoole
Thank you for reading this rather lengthy blog post. If you liked it you can find a new post every week.
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Lots of love
Lucy x
