The Lush Spa Treatments Guide

I feel I need to begin by saying that this isn’t sponsored. To give you some context, I worked at Lush HQ for over a year, spending half my time in Customer Care and the other half as an Administrator in the Spa Team. Every therapist that works at any Lush Spa around the world has full training down in Poole, and I was in charge of helping make the ship run smoothly with the Training rooms, managers and important directors at Lush who ‘signed off’ each therapist, including Mark & Mo Constantine.


The best perk of my job was having free treatments…almost daily. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had the Synaesthesia or Validation Facial. It’s a lot. So I pride myself on knowing the treatments pretty damn well. Scrolling through Twitter the other day, my friend Amy tweeted “Which is the best Lush Spa treatment? I’d really like to try one!”. I had a huge lightbulb moment and thought “WHY HAVEN’T I TALKED ABOUT THIS?” and I couldn’t answer her question in 140 characters. So, better late than never, let me enlighten you on a full, indepth, completely honest review of the Lush Spa Treatments.

Locations
There are eight Lush Spas in the UK (and I believe 7 internationally!). The UK Spas are Poole, Edinburgh, Bath, Kingston, London Chelsea, Oxford Street, Liverpool and Leeds. I’ve only been to Poole and Oxford Street, but they all vary. Some are bigger than others. Some have double treatment rooms etc. The Poole store in the first ever Lush shop and is closest to me personally. I used to work opposite in Market Street. It’s small, but quaint. If I were to visit a Lush Spa again, I’d like to return to Oxford Street. There’s something a bit special about escaping from the busy city life of London and entering the ground floor of their flagship store. You’ll be completely taken away, trust me!
Overview
There are nine treatments to choose from (soon to be ten), and I’ve had them all. Each one has been carefully crafted and created by the owners of Lush. Mark (CEO & Founder) has a particular vision for the treatments, something I very much admired and constantly wanted to pick his brains about when he was around. He had a say in everything when it came to developing them, with a story about the inspiration behind them all. 
Arrival
Before I elaborate on each one, I have to begin by saying that a Lush Spa treatment is an experience unlike any other. It’s very well thought through from the minute you step foot inside the shop, to the minute you leave. You’ll be pampered. On arrival, you’ll enter what I can only describe is like a little English cottage, with bold words on the walls, bottles of incense, fresh flowers, jugs of fruit water and little postcards. When you’re taken through to the bathroom, it’s filled with Lush products for you to use too. At the end, you’re offered a drink to match which treatment you have and when you leave, you often take away the massage bar the therapist used during your treatment, so nothing is wasted. You’ll be fully immersed and most likely, won’t want to leave.

Synesthesia
Let’s start with what I call the ‘signature’ treatment, Synesthesia (which means: the production of a sense impression relating to one sense or part of the body by stimulation of another sense or part of the body). This one is magical. I’d go as far as one of my favourites. It ticks all the boxes, a full body, full immersive experience. You start by selecting a few words from the wall, anything from Perspective to Peace, whatever stands out most to you. Lush call them ‘behaviours’ to set the tone of the treatment. Whatever you pick, will tailor the experience, meaning that each Synesthesia I’ve ever had has been slightly different. The music has been choreographed by acres of coastline, birdsong and the power of words. This is perfect if you’re new to the Lush Spa, and would make an incredible gift for someone young or old. (Note: treatments are usually 16+ with parental permission, best to check with the spa directly).

Price: £125.00
Duration: 80 minutes + 20 mins consultation time
Rating: *****

Watch the video here.

…pssssttt…here’s the soundtrack if you wanted a sneaky listen. The music is absolutely incredible in all the treatments, but this is one of my favourite soundtracks.

When I used to think of a facial, I only imagined someone rubbing some random products on my face and that be it. I never understood the luxury of a facial or how it can make you feel. Validation Facial is really powerful, and great if you’re lacking confidence with your skin, because you will honestly leave glowing inside and out. My mum has had this one too, and she enjoyed it as much as I did. If the opportunity for a Validation came up at work, I would jump for it. The facial treatment is tailored to how you want your skin to feel, meaning the therapist will personalise which products to use during your consultation, with a chance to pick fresh items from the shop floor. I also love how they lightly relaxing your shoulders and neck too, it’s not just a facial. The warm mitts are so lovely to remove the product, they even go as far as using a brush to apply the mask. I love the fruity water drink they give you at the end too, really wonderful.
Price: £85.00
Duration: 60 minutes + 30 mins consultation time
Rating: *****

The Good Hour
I’ve got a really bad back, so I often enjoyed a Good Hour to help release knots, aches and pains. The Good Hour is a deep-tissue, full body massage to help wring out tension in time to the music, stretching and straightening you. The music is close to home with this one, I love the sound of the sea rolling in as they ripple tension out of your body. During your consultation, you can also explain any areas of pain for them to work on. They use trigger point techniques and jelly disks, a mix of hot and cold techniques. It’s a medium to hard pressure, but you can tailor it however you like. I really enjoy this one, but only when I feel a need a ‘proper’ massage, rather than a relaxing, immersive one. The experience is still incredible.

Price: £85.00
Duration: 70 minutes + 15 mins consultation time
Rating: ****

Watch the video here.

Tailor Made

The best way to describe Tailor Made, is a shortened version of Good Hour. Great if you’re on the go, needing a quick fix. I personally think it’s better to spend a bit more on the Good Hour if you can.
Price: £50.00
Duration: 70 minutes + 15 mins consultation time
Rating: ***

Watch the video here.

Hard Days Night Treatment
This was a new treatment being developed when I first arrived at Lush. I will never forget the buzz and excitement around it, EVERYONE wanted to try it. But in my personal experience and opinion, it’s one of my least favourite. The music is a take on Beatles classics, so you may recognise a song or two. Unlike the others, you wear a pair of old-school pyjamas, which is slightly weird to me but makes total sense, as half way through, they use a technique with ribbons to roll your legs left and right. Lush call it ‘exercise without the exertion’. It is designed to air relaxation and make you feel rested, as if awaking from a good night’s sleep. A full body massage, with gentle, passive stretching and pressure pointing. This one isn’t for me but it’s a unique experience for sure!

Price: £95.00
Duration: 75 minutes + 15 mins consultation time
Rating: **

Watch the video here.

The Comforter?

Wow. Now THIS one is really special. My second favourite, for sure. BUT only in the winter! You are snuggled under a duvet, so it’s a bit too warm for summer in my opinion. However, if you’re off on a holiday, it’s a full body hot chocolate scrub, so leaves your skin feeling super smooth. I love the product they use, it’s not too harsh and smells incredible. They even use a nourishing rose serum after. The child in me loves this one, it really plays with your imagination. The music bounces with tunes from Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, and the room is lit up PINK with stars. It’ll honestly leave you so happy, and reminds you not to take life too seriously. Plus at the end, you get an amazing candy-floss drink! A full body, exfoliating treatment. 100% recommend.

Price: £85.00
Duration: 60 minutes + 15 mins consultation time
Rating: *****

Watch the video here.

The Sound Bath
I’m not a fan of this one. I found I could never fully relax. I liked the concept as it’s designed to help deeply rebalance. It’s meditative and refreshing for the senses, but personally isn’t for me. It helps drain the lymph and stimulate your circulation. They use subterranean music and tuning forks, where the therapist actually starts playing them as they walk around your body. The only part I did really love, is the hot and cold stones. They place one big one on your belly which feels really nice. Overall, you can expect a clarifying face and head massage, ear candles and tuning forks. I’d much prefer to have The Spell..

Price: £70.00
Duration: 60 minutes + 20 mins consultation time
Rating: **

Watch the video here.

The Spell
Another favourite of mine. This one is SO underrated. I remember my best friend Megan having this and telling me how much she surprisingly enjoyed it. The nice part is, you don’t need to get very undressed, as it focuses on your head and feet. It’s reflexology-inspired, the help you ‘move forward with purpose’. They use gentle pressure on your shoulders, and hot stones warming the temples (amazing!). At the beginning, you’re treated to a foot bath and scrub, which I absolutely love. Although it focuses on your feet, it honestly feels like your whole body has been treated, and is great for anyone who hasn’t had a Lush Spa treatment before. Now I really want one!

Price:
 £70.00

Duration: 60 minutes + 15 mins consultation time
Rating: *****

Watch the video here.

The Planets
This treatment was developed during my time at Lush, but I was kindly invited back a few months later to the Poole store to fully enjoy it. After all, I had bits of it for therapists to learn/practice on me, but I never tried the full experience until later. For me, The Planets really is special, but the price is too high for my budget. It takes a certain type of person to fully appreciate the work behind this, hence the price tag. It is a full body massage performed in three phases. 90 mins of tension-alleviation; the music at this point is incredible, and really sets the barrier high for the rest of the treatment. Then you have half an hour of hand and arm massage, and a Lush palm reading. I really like this part. You wear a big fluffy dressing gown and enjoy a nice drink. The final hour is a lifted facial. It goes so quickly. I was so sad when it was over! Like I said, it’s special, but it’s expensive. I liked it, but I would prefer a Synesthesia.

Price: £285.00
Duration: 180 minutes + 20 mins consultation time
Rating: *****

Tales Of Bath
I don’t know about this one yet, but it’s coming soon! I’d love to try it, sounds like they might start incorporating the actual baths they have in some of the spas.

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There we go! I feel extremely lucky that I have had the opportunity to not only try every Lush treatment so far, but to have worked with the people who develop the treatments and train the therapists. I could bang on all day about the music too, Simon Emmerson is an incredible composer, working closely with Mark (see the video below!). I fully appreciate how much time and effort is involved, including sourcing the all the equipment like little pots, mitts, towels, gowns, candles, instruments, baskets, bowls…you name it. 

I hope this post has helped in some way, shape or form. I truly love the Lush Spa experience and can’t wait to visit again in the future. Let me know if you’re planning to have one! They sell vouchers to buy for gifts too.

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