Synaesthesia Treatment at Lush Spa Poole.

The definition of Synaesthesia is that of a neurological phenomenon in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic reaction in a separate sensory outlet. Mark Constantine, Owner and Co-founder of Lush Cosmetics has synaesthesia and he used his experiences to create an eighty minute, personally tailored Spa experience which you can get at any of the Lush Spa locations. I chose to have my treatment at the Spa in Poole because not only is it situated at 29 1/2 High Street which still plays host to the very first Lush shop, but also because Poole is a quiet, little quayside town that I could imagine wanting to step out into after a fully immersive treatment. 

Set to a soundtrack of a 52 piece orchestra accompanied by whirling winds and birdsong, Synaesthesia combines mind, body and soul in such an overlooked way and it works wonderfully. It was also the first treatment ever designed for the venture that became Lush Spa.
When you arrive at the Lush Spa, you’re asked a few basic health questions and then whether you’d like to improve your sense of humour, gain perspective on life’s mysteries, gather the courage to tackle some mountains or some other equally as beautiful concepts. Given my own personal outlook on life at the moment, I thought it would be nice to gain some perspective and see if I could look at things in a bigger picture as opposed to obsessing over the smaller things. 

The word that you choose first matches with the massage bar that your therapist will be using on you, and apparently ‘perspective’ is one of the lesser chosen ones because most people tend to stick to what they think they’re expecting and choose the more basic ‘relax’ or ‘calm’ words from the initial paragraph of choices.
You’re then lead into the most quaint, English cottage style kitchen with a plethora of coloured bottles running along the shelves; without picking up and smelling each bottle, you’re asked to pick out another word that draws you in. 

These words match with the essential oil that your therapist will use during your treatment, in flasks that look like they should be upstairs in the Lush Product Creation lab, overflowing with what looks like dry ice and smoky, scented goodness. Words for the blended oils were things such as relax, be free, laugh, go do, meticulous, sweet, hug and good. I chose the word ‘good’ simply because the tagline was ‘lighter and brighter’ - after gaining a little perspective, who wouldn’t want to feel lighter and brighter in their outlook to life?

I was a little cautious with picking the words because I knew that the words would equate to my scents for the massage; what happened if I got stuck with a scent I hated?
In the end, I chose not to cheat and smell all the blends/words, and I went with my gut. This is my recommendation for anyone who is treated to the Synaesthesia in the future - base your choices on the words and your feelings; it’s the best way to get the full experience from the treatment.
A Lush Spa treatment is nothing like a regular spa experience; it’s much more immersive and tailored - never having had any kind of massages in a spa environment before my Synaesthesia, I can safely say I’ve been spoiled and now I’m not quite sure how other spas will ever match up in comparison. 

I wont talk about the treatment itself too much because I’d like anyone who goes to be just as enamoured with the whole surprise experience as I was. I will say, however, that Tori (my therapist) is a amazing masseuse and really worked hard to embody everything that Lush is trying to do with the Spa locations. While treatments are in progress throughout the Spa, therapists walk around in their socks so as not to disturb guests, they all talk in very hushed, melodic voices, and I’ve never felt more looked after.
The English Countryside feel is carried on throughout the whole Spa, from the treatment rooms, the kitchen and the lounge where you’re encouraged to spend as much or as little time as you’d like after your session, drinking the tea provided for you, laced with an intricate blend of your previous word choices as light flavourings. 

Synaesthesia is a full body massage, so you’re asked to strip down to just your pants (wear big pants to feel more comfortable) although I never felt exposed, or cold, or worried about that element. Tori was sweet and completely understanding that never having had any kind of Spa treatment before, I was a little nervous and hesitant. Your back, neck, arms, legs (front and back) are massaged with your massage bars, along with a choice of hot stone massage or stomach massage before a soothing facial massage at the end of your treatment. 

Feeling a little dozy and utterly pampered from head to toe, I was sleepily surprised when my treatment came to an end. “I feel so relaxed that I could sleep for a thousand years…” I mumbled to Tori in my daze. 

I can’t sing the praises for the staff at Lush Spa Poole, especially Tori, and the staff at Lush Poole, especially Charlotte anymore. They made me feel special, looked after and above all content - which I’ve not felt for a while. It’s almost as if Tori pressed my reset button. I may not have left with an energised spring in my step, but emotionally, I left feeling breezy and definitely with a little more perspective. 

What Does Fragrance Mean To You? (Gorilla Perfume)

When I was little my Mum wore LouLou by Cacharel and even though she hasn’t worn it for years whenever I smell it, it reminds me of her. My Mum smells like LouLou, smoke, burnt toast and a little Nag Champa. My Dad will always smell like Polo by Ralph Lauren, because he thinks that’s what cool-Dad’s wear, Red Wine and mint. Every time I think about fragrance, I think about what the people I know smell like – my friend smells like a squirt of Tom Ford that she's always lusting over and buying 10ml here, 10ml there whereas other people permanently smell like Jo by Jo Malone because they can afford that. It makes me think about, what I smell like - What do I smell like to other people?

At secondary school, I remember everyone used the So...? or the Charlie body sprays and that’s what we considered our perfume. By the time, I hit my A Levels I’d experimented with a bunch of perfumes and signature scents but wasn’t committed to anything.

Fragrance, of any kind, can be so evocative of an innumerable amount of things; memories, places, people. There’s always that one particular scent that reminds you of a perfect holiday you took last summer; your ‘holiday’ perfume. And the same goes for the perfume that makes you feel sexy; your ‘going out’ perfume and even your ‘everyday’ perfume will conjure up some memories of people and places for you.

I don’t believe anyone who says that fragrance, or scent isn’t important. If you walked into a store, and it smelled terrible, you wouldn’t want to stay. Same goes for people’s houses and by extension – people. I can make a secure bet that you know what your partner smells like and both your parents too. Is there a scent that always reminds you of your grandmother - powdered rose petals with a hint of sweet sherry for example? Maybe you’re missing a loved one and someone rushes past you in a crowded Waterloo train station, their scent makes your heart jump into your throat because it could have been them.

Before we all get a little crazy running around sniffing everyone, trying to work out what they smell like, let’s keep it on the safe side. If you do you have a slightly darker mindset, however, I would definitely recommend reading Patrick Suskind’s book Perfume. It’s also been made into a movie, but I’d obviously suggest reading the book first.

Routines can give people a certain smell, whether you bake a lot at home, or have a specific beauty regime – work also effects the way people analyse scents as well as what they smell like themselves. Obviously, food can change the way we smell as well as the drinks we choose. And locations too, if you’re living in the countryside then factors like fields, fresh air breezes and light will attribute to scents. The city however paints different pictures of smoke, heavy fog as well as darker, night time feelings which translate well into scents.

Finally, after 21 years of smelling things (some nice, some not so) I decided on a perfume. A perfume that would be mine, and when my friends would smell it, they’d know it was me. A heady mix of orange and patchouli spice, mixed with the Nag Champa fug of 1960’s London. The sweet orange oil stays well all day and works on keeping my bohemian mind at bay as well as my scent surrounding me. Of course, the perfume I’m talking about (if you hadn’t already guessed) is Karma by Lush. Karma is Lush’s signature scent which I like to think means they’ll never stop making it. Karma has managed to infiltrate Lush’s ranks and they’ve created not only a Karma Bubble Bar, but also a Karma Kream, Karma Komba Shampoo Bar and Karma Soap – good vibes all around.

Although Karma will always be my go-to perfume, no matter what, now that I also have infiltrated Lush’s ranks, the constant exposure to all the fancy bottles and trinkets is making me long to explore the other scents. A recent trip to Gorilla Perfume in Islington, London let me explore Gorilla Perfumes that I hadn’t got to meet yet. For those of you who don’t know, Gorilla is Lush’s perfume range. They have a stand-alone store and you can buy most of their perfumes there, if your tastes lie outside of the standard range that Lush stores carry.

Recently, I’ve really been enjoying Kerbside Violet from Gorilla Perfumes. Kerbside is a more spring seasonal perfume, with heavy powdery notes of Violet. There is a wonderful underlying note of woody, fresh, green smell that is reminiscent of walking through a forest, early spring when the dew is still wet on the ground and it’s quickly becoming a second-favourite of Gorilla Perfumes for me. Other violet products that Lush do, are more often than not, only found now on the Lush Kitchen; Violet Nights Bath Oil (a Cosmetics To Go Original) or Bathos Bubble Bar.

Give Lush’s perfume catalogue a flick through, but if you do find yourself in Angel Islington with some time to kill, then take a walk over to Camden Passage and find the little store with a bright orange front. It’s just opposite Frederick's Bar/Restaurant and fits in perfectly with the indie, edginess of a dash of Camden just off charismatic Upper Street.

Lush & Gorilla Perfume are all about their social media presence, so be sure to give them a look too – you can find them at:
Lush Twitter
Lush Instagram
Lush Facebook

Gorilla Twitter
Gorilla Instagram
Gorilla Facebook

And that’s it from me for the moment.
Happy New Year & Happy Sniffing!

REVIEW: Lush Cosmetics - Celebrate Body Lotion & Golden Wonder Ballistic

Being a resident Lush fan and newly employed Christmas Temp has given me the opportunity to not only be able to afford new Lush products, but to also get to try them earlier – everyone’s a winner.

I’ve got my trusty pot of Karma Kream so I never looked into the other lotions but then I met Celebrate and it was a match made in heaven for days when Karma just isn’t quite what I want.
Of course, even though a limited edition Christmas product, the 225g cream comes in the standard Lush black and white pots. When I’m done with Celebrate, I’ll be adding it to the ever-growing pile of ‘clean-black-pots-to-take-back’ pile. If you’re unaware what I’m rambling about, where have you been?

One of Lush’s many recycling schemes involves customers bringing back five empty, clean black pots – we send them back to the factory for recycling and you, as the customer, get a free fresh face mask out of it. I’ll say it again, everyone’s a winner. 

“A sumptuous body lotion with oranges, almond oil and lime. As it’s Christmas we’ve also added a splash of cognac to put you in the festive mood.”
With generous helpings of the citrus ingredients, this slightly thicker lotion packs a whole zesty punch and is the perfect product for getting jazzed up before heading out to your office Christmas Party – leave the whole room wondering, what on earth is that amazing smell?

This lotion is so bright, it’s a refreshing break from all of the predictable ‘christmas’ scented products from companies across the board at this time of the year.  “Lime and Brazilian Orange bring cheer to the body and mind. Almond oil and cocoa butter will moisturise and soften the skin.” Celebrate is packed full of goodness, particularly in Almond Oil which is high in vitamin E which is so good for your skin, along with Fair Trade Organic Cocoa butter. A fully Vegan-friendly product, this just adds to the Vegan range that Lush has curated – working toward creating a better workplace, creating better products.

“This lotion shares its fragrance with Golden Wonder bath bomb making it a perfect way to layer the uplifting blend of essential oils whilst softening the skin. It’s also self-preserving, giving us true cause to celebrate.”

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Golden Wonder is probably one of, if not, my favourite Ballistic at Lush at the moment. It is a chunky square ballistic, covered in shimmery gold lustre with a cute bow design on top; looks like a little Christmas gift.
If you get the chance to see one in store, give it a shake – you can hear the little secret ballistics inside rattling around.  There are three little different coloured ballistic pebbles, surrounded in a blue ballistic casing, which is then completely covered again in the white and gold ballistic layer, so not only does it smell amazing – it’s awesome to watch, too!  If you’re giving a Golden Wonder as a gift – don’t tell them about all the layers, let it be a surprise! 

Because Golden Wonder is quite big, with such an array of colours and an awesome scent package to boot, this product is perfect for a gift for pretty much anyone - it just keeps on giving.

With the same fragrance as Celebrate body lotion, the uplifting Orange and Lime oils refresh you from spending your days trawling around town doing your Christmas shopping. Or, perhaps you work in retail too and need a break from the world when you get home – if so, this fella is your guy.

Although the original Golden Wonder, retailing at £3.75, does have a cheeky splash of cognac to keep you on your toes, there is an alcohol free version for those inclined. The original should be available in most stores across the UK for sure, and the alcohol-free one I know for sure is available on the Lush Website.

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