Beauty Knowhow: Do you want to feel like a spa-aholic?










You can then take that relaxed feeling home by ordering take-outs from the treatment menu 

In all honesty, I’ve never been terribly good at continuing the spa mood once I get home. Usually, by the time I’m on my return journey, I can feel all the relaxation dissipating like a burst balloon. But after a couple of recent spa jaunts I’ve started to make more of an effort to keep the wellness fires burning.

The tide started turning after a trip to visit The Coniston Hotel Country Estate & Spa in Yorkshire (theconistonhotel.com), which was included in my best spas round-up earlier this year (find the guide at you.co.uk). This very special family-owned and operated venue has made some updates over lockdown with a renovated restaurant, bar and spa, set around the resort’s glorious lake. I recommend the outdoor seaweed treatment bath below which looks out over the lake.

The reason I visited Coniston this time was the addition of cannabidiol (CBD) brand Oto to the treatment menu and to trial its Amplify Signature CBD Massage Experience (from £120), which deploys bamboo rollers to help ease muscle tension, and the spa version of its Amplify Body Oil. 

The massage was excellent, leaving me with that much sought-after walking-and-feeling-lighter effect. The body oil itself was wonderful, too: the spa uses one with a lower concentration of CBD oils to allow for a higher volume to be used during treatment. The oil is lightweight and easily absorbed, and I switched to the relaxing Balance blend (with camomile oil) rather than the advertised Amplify (zingy bergamot); there’s also a Focus option (black pepper and basil). All are available to buy (£69 each, otocbd.com) and are wonderful and nourishing to have to hand; I love using them as part of a night-time ritual combined with body brushing. The Balance option is popular to soothe muscles after exercising.

Then there’s Ushvani spa (ushvani.com), just off London’s Sloane Street, which offers some of the best massages I’ve tried anywhere in the world. It’s a largely women-focused space, though there is one treatment room for men. I visited recently for a Balinese Massage (from £120) and came home with its own-brand Coconut & Hibiscus Oil (£44.50) and Ushvani Balm (£35). 

The oil will harden when it cools. However, you can heat it up in warm water to make it feel nourishing. The Balm is infused with a mix of rosemary, thyme eucalyptus, and menthol oils. I was told to rub it into the back of my shoulders before bed, which I now do and, though some will be dubious, I truly believe it helps me to relax and get off to sleep – and to keep those spa vibes going strong.

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