I tried Spa treatment which promises to bring the Scottish Highlands to you - and it worked
The Scottish Highlands are over 400 miles from Bath. But if you're not up for the nine hour drive or fourteen hour train trip, Lush Spa has a treatment that promises to bring the Highlands to you.
The treatment- titled simply Highlands- began when I walked downstairs into a warmly-lit spa with a rustic charm and welcoming wooden accents. Sitting at the table, my massage therapist Mary* explained the inspiration behind the massage: they wanted visitors to feel like they were walking through a field of heather, taking in the vast expanse of nature and forgetting about their worries.
I was then invited to hold a bag of Scottish runestones, tussle them gently, and open it when I was ready. Mary said that the stones - a subtle shade of greenish-grey - were two hundred and fifty million years old and were hand-collected from the shore by a man in the Highlands.
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Each was engraved with a different symbol. Mary asked me to pick three I was most drawn to- I chose the runes representing the river, the village, and energy. She then explained the wisdom ancient Scottish people found in these symbols.
Perhaps someone drawn to the river needs to work on embracing the chaos of life, the never-ending ebb and flow. Someone taken in by the village might need to find the strength to ask for support and help. On the other end of the spectrum, someone drawn to energy might need to draw on their own inner-strength.
I was surprised by how personalised this spa treatment had become before it had even begun. Mary asked me which of the three runes spoke to me most deeply: I said the river.
Mary explained that this stone will guide us through our massage. Throughout the next hour, I was to reflect on the river and the wisdom in not swimming against the tide all the time. I was to embrace the river and let myself drift wherever it took me.
The treatment began with me lying on my stomach. From the very beginning, tranquil music played by artists singing in Gaelic and I tried to imagine I was in standing in the field of heather, pearlescent clouds moving lazily in the breeze, the river flowing at the edge of my vision.
The Highlands is a hot stone massage, with the beauty therapist running the stones all over your body. Mary also used Lush's Highlands Euphoria body bar, which smelt divine.
Around halfway through the treatment, I turned onto my back for the next phase. Mentally, I was somewhere else, though: luxuriating in the caress of the hot stones but otherwise imagining myself making a leisurely stroll along a stream.
Towards the end of the treatment, cold stones are gently applied to your body and face to recreate the feel of sea breeze: we have walked through the highlands and now we are arriving at the beach, perhaps the very same that Lush's man in the Highlands sources the stones from.
After the treatment, I was welcome to go freshen up in Lush's shower room and use any of their products. This includes their Breath of Fresh Air toner water, Peace moisturiser, and mouthwash tabs a stunning shade of turquoise.
Personally, I washed my face with the Ultraplant facial cleanser and finished up with a spritz of their coffee-inspired Dear John perfume. When I returned, a glass of heather-infused black tea was waiting for me.
I was free to stay as long as I liked, and also got to take home a card inspired by the runestone I chose. Mine read "Give yourself a gift- the present".
As for giving a gift to someone else, I can't think of a better present for someone you love than the Highlands treatment. Its' interactivity, personalisation, and commitment to researching and being true to its theme sets it apart from the rest.
From sourcing its runestones from the Scottish coastline, playing music by traditional Gaelic singers, and finally giving guests a refreshing cup of heather-infused tea, Lush has designed a treatment with the utmost reverence for its inspiration and care for its guests.
See you downstream.
The Highlands treatment is sixty minutes and costs £150. It can also be booked as a gift for someone you love. You can find out more about the Highlands treatment on Lush's website.
(* - Name has been changed)