Review: Aromatherapy Associates Boutique
Here's an admission: I don't really like beauty treatments. I love cosmetics (and believe me I have a full army of them in my employ) but I enjoy using them in my own time. Ask me to commit myself to an hour of pampering and I get, well, rather bored. I am aware that this is hardly a hardship. In fact, not being able to switch off during a facial may just be the definition of a first world woe.
As trivial as it may seem, it was nevertheless thrilling to discover that there is a treatment out there which does in fact push my buttons. Or, to be precise, a treatment which massages, stimulates, soothes and rejuvenates those buttons, all while making them smell very nice indeed.
Enter The Ultimate Aromatherapy Experience. Available at Aromatherapy Associates' London boutique (just a stone's throw from the hustle and bustle of Harrods), this 60 or 90 minute appointment encapsulates all that this brand does best: applying the ancient practice of aromatherapy in a powerful yet understated way, allowing us folk in modern life to switch off a bit.
The appointment starts with Rose, the softly-spoken therapist, asking me to fill in a questionnaire. This helps to determine my mood on the day, which in turn helps Rose to select the best oils for my treatment. Just to be thorough about this smelling business, she then presents me with three oils from their collection, and I choose the one which appeals the most. The theory behind this is that your body will tell you what you require. Interestingly, my nose suggests I need a bit of Inner Calm, and so it is their frankincense and cardamom-scented oil which is selected.
Lying on the treatment bed, Rose starts with applying gentle pressure to my feet (I always find you never know how weary your poor little feet are until they are caressed a bit), before moving to my torso and then returning to massage my legs as a whole. She regularly asks if she is applying the right amount of pressure, and the strokes are meaningful without making my muscles squirm. Soft music plays in the background, deep breathing is encouraged, and Rose moves around so quietly that were it not for her massaging, it would be easy to forget she was there. The session ends with Rose's frankincense-scented hands honing in on the pressure points of my head. Honestly, it's a struggle not to slip into a blissful slumber.
Before reluctantly rejoining the real world, I am presented with a cool glass of water, dried fruit and nuts and a mini bar of Green & Blacks (by this point, I am considering moving in to the boutique). I am advised not to shower that evening so the oil can have its full effect - I don't, and I enjoy a deep and unusually dreamless sleep.
Having spent my life bemoaning the fact that I can't switch off during a treatment, I now have to entirely reconsider this view. Even the following morning, I'm so relaxed I don't know what to do with myself. Another first world woe, to be sure.
For more information visit www.aromatherapyassociates.com
As trivial as it may seem, it was nevertheless thrilling to discover that there is a treatment out there which does in fact push my buttons. Or, to be precise, a treatment which massages, stimulates, soothes and rejuvenates those buttons, all while making them smell very nice indeed.
Enter The Ultimate Aromatherapy Experience. Available at Aromatherapy Associates' London boutique (just a stone's throw from the hustle and bustle of Harrods), this 60 or 90 minute appointment encapsulates all that this brand does best: applying the ancient practice of aromatherapy in a powerful yet understated way, allowing us folk in modern life to switch off a bit.
The appointment starts with Rose, the softly-spoken therapist, asking me to fill in a questionnaire. This helps to determine my mood on the day, which in turn helps Rose to select the best oils for my treatment. Just to be thorough about this smelling business, she then presents me with three oils from their collection, and I choose the one which appeals the most. The theory behind this is that your body will tell you what you require. Interestingly, my nose suggests I need a bit of Inner Calm, and so it is their frankincense and cardamom-scented oil which is selected.
Lying on the treatment bed, Rose starts with applying gentle pressure to my feet (I always find you never know how weary your poor little feet are until they are caressed a bit), before moving to my torso and then returning to massage my legs as a whole. She regularly asks if she is applying the right amount of pressure, and the strokes are meaningful without making my muscles squirm. Soft music plays in the background, deep breathing is encouraged, and Rose moves around so quietly that were it not for her massaging, it would be easy to forget she was there. The session ends with Rose's frankincense-scented hands honing in on the pressure points of my head. Honestly, it's a struggle not to slip into a blissful slumber.
Before reluctantly rejoining the real world, I am presented with a cool glass of water, dried fruit and nuts and a mini bar of Green & Blacks (by this point, I am considering moving in to the boutique). I am advised not to shower that evening so the oil can have its full effect - I don't, and I enjoy a deep and unusually dreamless sleep.
Having spent my life bemoaning the fact that I can't switch off during a treatment, I now have to entirely reconsider this view. Even the following morning, I'm so relaxed I don't know what to do with myself. Another first world woe, to be sure.
For more information visit www.aromatherapyassociates.com