Izzy is a Holistic Therapy Goddess!
I am currently sat in a sort of dream-like state in the stunning and quiet, relaxation room at The Greenhouse Spa at The Elms. I am extremely glad for the quiet and the lack of other people, as I fear I may look like I have been drenched in oil and dragged through a hedge backwards after a rough night out. I have not yet spotted a mirror to fix my hair or assess just how stoned I currently look and besides, I’m too blissed out to really give a toss.
As a massage and holistic expert (if I do say so myself), I find it almost impossible to relax and get the full benefit of a spa treatment, making me the best person to write a thorough account of a treatment I have experienced. Sadly, I do not think I can offer that today.
If I were any more relaxed, I would be comatose.
The moment you arrive at The Elms Hotel, there is a sense of luxurious sophistication, beauty and complete calm. It’s like you immediately detach from the rest of the world.
Entering the spa is like stepping into an oasis, in the jungle, only quieter.
After being guided to the relaxation room to complete my consultation, I was met by the lovely Izzy, who took me through to my treatment room and explained my treatment, the GAIA Total Holistic Ritual, whilst my feet were soak, scrubbed and pampered. She took me through a journey of the senses with the three GAIA body oils, so that I could pick the oil that best suited my needs and then asked me if I was comfortable having my abdomen and chest included in the scrub and wrap. Now this is something that I have never experienced in the UK, and it is amazing that The Elms have noticed the importance and need for massage and body work on the whole body.
The treatment started with dry body brushing, followed by full body scrub and the application of a clay mud. I was expecting the mud to be cold on application, but it wasn’t and although there was a cooling and calming effect to my skin, the warmth from the bed heater counteracted that. I was then wrapped in blankets and have a vague notion that I was given a facial. I am still astounded by this, just a scrub and wrap had me so relaxed, that I am not aware of what Izzy did for my facial. I know she did a lovely facial massage with what I think was a cleansing balm but honestly, I think I was asleep.
Unfortunately, she did have to wake me up so that I could get in the shower to remove the mud before my full body massage and scalp massage.
I really don’t know what I can say.
I was slipping in and out of sleep, I kept trying to concentrate on what she was doing but it was just so relaxing. I know she asked me about the pressure but if I did respond, I imagine it was slurred and incomprehensible. My shoulders have been tight and knotted and even, at times, burning, for a week or so and I was expecting to feel sore but somehow, she managed to find those knots and gently work at them without breaking through my sleepy state. I know she worked for a while around my shoulders and neck, but I really don’t know much more than that.
After I was asked to turn over, Izzy massaged my legs and arms and then back to my scalp. I normally find the noise of my hair being scrunched around during a scalp massage, a huge and cringey distraction but there was none of that. I could actually feel the blood moving around my scalp and a sense of intense tension release. I didn’t want it to end.
The treatment was brought to an end with the final stages of my facial, but I was too far gone to know exactly what happened.
Without a doubt, that was the best holistic treatment I have ever had.
Everything about The Greenhouse Spa at The Elms is beautiful, calming and luxurious.
Now that I am feeling a little more ‘with it,’ I am going to reception to book in my next GAIA Ritual! Izzy has recommended the GAIA Raindrop Therapy, a birthday treat perhaps? Oh hell, any excuse will do!