For some people, luck is a bird poop’ing on them or finding a penny on the floor, for me however, luck is when you get invited to test out a new luxurious spa treatment set around bespoke perfume and 16th Century Renaissance concepts by the World’s most loved cosmetics brand; now that is lucky. This week, lucky old me attended the LUSH Spa in Cardiff to experience their new perfume based treatment which is available to book from Valentine’s Day 2020 (that’s the 14th of February for all those non-romantics out there). After a weekend of cancelled flights and late nights, a pamper treatment was exactly what I needed and the lovely people of LUSH made sure I had just that.
The Renaissance Perfume Meditation Treatment is a sensory experience for the body and soul, designed to help guide you back into balance and humour through smell and sound. Are you sold yet?! As a frequent meditator, this was right up my street, but don’t worry if humming in unison isn’t your thing, this treatment is all about the relaxtion and re-aligning of your mind and spirit, and requires you to do absolutely nothing but kick back, breathe deeply and enjoy the sensory extravaganza which is going to hit you in the treatment room.
This was my first ‘proper’ visit to the spa, after stopping by for a brief tour over Christmas. I can honestly say, it is like no spa I’ve ever been in before. Whilst it doens’t boast the typical jet pools and wooden sauna’s we habitually relate too when we think of spa’s, its gorgeous quintessential country-esque decor and soothing tones which welcome you as you step outside the lift instantly make your shoulders drop, and you can sit-easy knowing that you have stepped into a secret realm of luxury. Each item and nic-nac on the walls around you has been sourced from charity shops and second-hand stores, feeding into LUSH’s notoriously strong standpoint when it comes to their eco-friendly ethics. The ceramic plates and duck ornaments on the wall lend themselves as a familiar hug from your Nan’s kitchen dresser, whilst the famous little black-pots pepper the tables around you.
The Renaissance treatment begins with a small consultation to find which scent will accompany you in the treatment room. I loved this part, as it had a magical mystic-meg’esque feel to it through the wheel of fortune, which housed the elements inspired by the 16th Century Renaissance belief that all living things were made up of hot, cold, wet and dry qualities. This lends itself well to the elements of Astrology; Earth, Fire, Air and Water. The belief goes that each of us houses unique humours which dictates our temperament; The reasoning behind this consultation is to find your personal temperament which you relate to the most and match this up with the bespoke scent created to help inspire, increase and eliminate those feelings which can alleviate and bring us down. Once you’ve found your humour- mine was HOPE, then you move through to the treatment room to continue the experience with your personal perfume and massage oil. PHEW, You got all that?!
The treatment room was a little slice of heaven, a moist carrot-cake smothered in sweet, fluffy cream cheese. The light of a candle flame climbs the walls whilst your bespoke track is played through the speakers. The sounds for this treatment were recorded in Florence, transporting you through the paint-kissed ceilings of the Museums and the time-stopping squares where flocks of birds dance. Your bed is fragranced with notes from your scent, and your selected massage bar placed in it’s steamer to melt. Each element of the treatment involved a different layer from your scent, alieviating your senses and keeping you present. The treatment requires at least the removal of socks and trousers, but I whipped off my top too for ultimate comfort. My therapist was a lady called Louise and she made me feel totally at ease and comfortable, even with my feet exposed to all! (I could definitely of given them some TLC before attending but time shamefully got the better of me). The next 45 minutes were total bliss, encased in a warm cocoon of fragrant clouds and in trusted hands. The treatment concentrates on the feet and legs, with a hot-stone massage and oil infused stimulation through soft-pressure movements. Typically I would opt for a neck and back massage so it was refreshing to try something totally different, and give some well-earned attention to these feet which do 99% of the work most of the time. There was some spoken words from the therapist who recites out loud the humours in your element, some of mine being Imaginative, Optimistic, Playful. I found this to be a lovely and original touch which helped pull my mind back towards concentrating on cleansing the mind rather than let it wander on it’s own for half an hour. There is some attention given to the arms and neck also, leaving you feeling as if you’ve come away with a mini-full body treatment. Bliss!
After the treatment you’re invited back to the LUSH kitchen for your accompaniant beverage. Each LUSH Spa treatment ends with a drink, to help set your relaxation and intention deeper. The beverages are custom dependent on the treatment, and with my HOPE Renaissance selection I received a smoking glass teapot of wonder. The tea is designed to allow you to breathe in and taste the notes from your selected scent- naturally you may think drinking perfume notes is a bad idea, but this drink was gorgeous. It tasted a little like marshmallow mixed with ginger, and it’s cascading trails prove a huge success for the gram’ content which is always a bonus! You can hang out in the kitchen for a while and soak up the atmosphere, and are also invited to give yourself a spritz with your chosen scent to allow your window of pampering to spread that little bit longer- I’m sat here six hours later taking regular sniffs of my scarf to get my Frangipangi fix.
If you haven’t already gathered from this love letter to LUSH and their romantic Renaissance recreation, I really enjoyed my experience. It’s a gorgeous gift for that special someone, and an even better display of self-love for yourself. With the treatment taking 45 minutes, you can pop out on your lunch-break for some personal TLC, or sneak out of work an hour early like me and reap the benefits of your potential disciplinary in the only place that makes sense- 21st Century Florence, aka Lush Spa Cardiff.
The Renaissance Perfume Treatment is available to book in LUSH spas across the UK from the 14th of February and costs £75. Visit your local LUSH store for details or check out https://uk.lush.com/products/spa-treatments for more information and to find your nearest spa.
This is a review of an invited experience.
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