The thought of a spa day has never really appealed to me. I don't want to be wrapped in seaweed, covered in mud, or slathered in expensive, strange creams and serums that I'll no doubt be pressured into buying afterwards. And I most certainly do not want any sort of sea creature eating dead skin off my feet.
However, for those of us who are a bit anti-spa, the Lush SPA is an absolute dream come true. Focusing on the mind and emotions just as much as the body, having a treatment at one of the Lush SPA's four locations will completely transform the way you think of spas.
I recently visited the Lush SPA in Kingston for The Good Hour, a 60 -70 minute deep tissue, full body massage, and it was one of the best 70 minutes I've had all year. Seriously.
The massage itself was designed for Lush by Gavin Morey, which focuses on unique muscle release techniques that he picked up from his travels to The Solomon Islands, where he studied with tribal Witch Doctors. (Awesome, right?)
The technique feels amazing, and the massage therapist finds pressure points in your body along your chest, arms, legs and back, which when pressed on and worked through completely release tension and any knots you have. It's one of the best/weirdest sensations ever, and there were times during my massage that the minute these points were pressed, I could feel certain muscles group instantly relax - like an off switch!
Aside from the incredible massage technique, what I love about The Good Hour is that the massage is inspired by, and choreographed to, rugged sea shanties.
The sound of crashing waves, gulls and the creaks and moans of wooden ship gently bobbing on the sea fill the air, which is much nicer to listen to than that awkward "relaxation music" played at most spas. To help create the full effect, the treatment room is styled to look like a ship’s cabin, complete with candles, and dry ice mixed with the seaweed and sea salt infused Big Blue bath bomb. It creates quite the atmosphere, and you soon forget that you're in a town centre, and not a hundred years in the past, sailing across the ocean.
The entire SPA experience is very Lush, it smells wonderful, and the atmosphere and overall feeling of your time at the SPA is relaxed, very gentle, and very focused on your needs, rather than products they want to sell you.
Chloe, the fantastic massage therapist who I saw for my Good Hour treatment, spent a lot of time talking with me about my body - what hurt, why it hurt, and she even recommended stretches I could do for myself that would help with all of my crazy tension in my lower and upper back.
Plus, when it's all over, you're given a cup of tea (with an optional splash of rum) and biscuits to help transition you from your massage back into the real world.
If you're looking for an amazing massage, I can't recommend The Good Hour and the Lush SPA enough. I left feeling happy, relaxed, and in a brilliant mood.
Alternatively, if you don't have 70 minutes to spare, another great option is the shorter version of The Good Hour called Tailor Made, which is - as it sounds - a tailor made massage that is 30-40 minutes, which goes straight to the deep tissue, hard massage that will work out problem areas.
A huge thank you to Chloe and the team at the Kingston Lush SPA!