LUSH SPA'S IMMERSIVE JOURNEY THROUGH THE SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS

WORDS EMILIE LOUIZIDES - SPECIAL THANKS LUSH

Chances are, we're either all familiar with or very big fans of LUSH, the handmade cosmetics company dedicated to fighting animal testing, and the inventors of the famous bath bomb. My frequent trips to LUSH began about 15 years ago, and I'm still a loyal customer today. I credit the brand's cruelty-free ethos when I reflect on the path I took to discovering my own ethical values, which I implement here at F Word, within my makeup artistry, and at home.

When a brand resonates with me this much, I support them wholeheartedly, and LUSH continues to make that an easy task. Being invited to their Covent Garden spa to experience The Highlands, LUSH's newest immersive treatment, reignited the excitement I felt around every trip to LUSH as a teenager. The Highlands Treatment, a 60-minute full-body hot stone massage inspired by the spirit of the Scottish Highlands takes LUSH's knack for a multi-sensory experience and runs with it.

Walking first into the store filled with cosmetics, shoppers, and a corner dedicated to fresh florals, a friendly staff member guided me down a staircase. LUSH's spa, a series of rooms painted a soft green, is more quiet, carefully curated, dimly lit, and serene than the space up above. Gigi at reception greeted me warmly, and a sign that welcomed me specifically was perched on the couch where I sat to fill in my consultation form.

My massage therapist Katie, who I would soon learn has the most kind demeanour, calm voice, and magical hands came to collect me for a private stone reading ahead of my massage. I sipped highlands water from a basalt cup and held a collection of segments of Scottish marble wrapped in fabric. With Katie's encouragement, I took some deep breaths, and allowed my mind to both meditate and wander. I was then invited to untie the fabric, spread the stones over it, and choose three that called to me. Each piece of marble was etched with an ancient Scottish symbol, and I gravitated toward the river, the key, and energy. My reading reflected a lot of what I'm going through personally right now, but that's between me and Katie. The final step of the stone reading was to choose one of the three pieces of marble to accompany me on my massage journey. I chose the river rock, and later, Katie would massage the pattern of the river over my forehead, reaffirming the idea that it can be equally beautiful to be in a state of flow or to change course and swim upstream.

The strong, totally pleasant smell of Scottish fir laid the sensorial foundation in the Rose Room (each spa room corresponds with a different flower) where the all-encompassing nature of the massage became clear. The room was lit with a green glow, and a bespoke soundtrack honouring the Scottish Highlands and crafted by LUSH's very own musicians played as I nestled into what had to have been the world's most comfortable massage table, heated and plush. Katie massaged me, first with one of LUSH's massage bars made from fair trade coconut oil and infused with nettle and mugwort, a wildflower native to the Scottish Highlands and steeped in folklore. She followed with smooth hot stones from Scottish volcanoes. True to their origin, the stones possess a natural ability to retain heat and work ten times more effectively than human hands to relieve sore muscles.

As my stress melted away I tuned into Highlands, the 60-minute album of traditional folk music, blended with cinematic soundscapes featuring Scottish native bird sounds, dramatic drums, enchanting fiddle, mandolin, guitar melodies, and soothing vocals. Each motion of the massage was choreographed to the music that mirrored a journey through wide and open rolling heather meadows, up a mountain, reaching its peak and descending back down. Admittedly, having never been to the Scottish Highlands, I believe I can trust that between the music, the smells, the light, and the massage, I was transported to a place resemblant of the treatment's inspiration, with rich history, ancient wisdom and traditions, and breathtaking nature. When it was time for Katie to gently bring me back from the fantasy world she had created for me, I was invited to another room to enjoy a hot cup of black tea with Scottish heather. There was a gift to go with the tea, a reminder of the river rock that stayed beside me during the massage, a card that read, 'The River. Ebb and flow. Give yourself a gift, the present' and I felt peaceful and calm knowing that I had done just that.