The Ultimate Thankyou
Newcastle Herald
Tuesday May 9, 2000
Personal pampering packages are about much more than lash tints and brow waxes, writes Linda Barnier.
WHAT better way to say `thanks Mum' than to have her pampered and preened within an inch of her life?
Personal pampering packages and day spas are fast becoming the buzz words of beauty boffins.
Nowadays, the hour-long facial or quick wax or tint just doesn't cut it.
If you're going to do it, do it well. Send Mum off to a day spa!
Or, if she hasn't got all day, buy her a pamper package for a few hours of life in the luxury lane.
More and more Hunter beauty services are flogging the feel-good factor.
The `day spa' ideology ? the ultimate in luxury pampering.
The experience includes anything from hour, half to full-day services where clients are wrapped, exfoliated, buffed, polished and pummelled.
And, it's fantastic.
My search for the road to recovery took me to Darby St's Revel in Beauty.
Owner Joanne Dampney took in this stressed, world-weary lass and transformed her into a beaming, serene new woman.
I literally felt my cares slide away in the few hours spent at the funky Newcastle holistic haven.
Professional staff, tranquility and aromatherapy are combined with Jo's personally blended creams, lotions and potions.
Revel packages range from the `Quick Fix' option ? what Jo calls `the basic necessities of waxing and tinting', to the super Ultimate Body Overhaul, a day-long indulgence that includes a total body polish, massage, deluxe facial, manicure, pedicure, brow arch and lash tint.
As I stripped down to next to nothing and jumped between the warm, soft towels, Jo told me about Revel's rejuvenation approach.
Revel takes in the synergy between internal health and external beauty, she said.
`Our services give clients the opportunity to really focus on their well-being and regain their balance,' she said as she lit essential oil burners and candles to create a soothing atmosphere.
As she turned on soft `ocean waves' music we were ready to start.
First the facial.
An hour of deluxe steaming, masks, oils and all sorts of wonderful goopy stuff to make skin breathe and glow with good health.
Then the full-body aromatherapy massage. I was ready to melt into the polished wood flooring.
Jo, a trained aromatherapist, stocks Skin Deep, her own range of aromatherapy skin and beauty products.
`I developed the range to offer our clients personalised products designed to address their individual skin needs,' she said.
Jo's Flowerjuice toners, Roman Cleansing oils and wide array of moisturisers, clay masks and creams are all used in-salon. They're completely natural and leave the skin feeling supple and soft.
Jo said in recent times there's been a real demand for pampering packages.
The beauty industry is moving into a new and challenging sector,' she said.
`I think people are beginning to realise they need to take time out for themselves and use it in a manner that is going to help them relax and unwind.'
After a few more exfoliations, buffs, polishes and kneads I was coaxed back out into our rush-and-bustle world on a fluffy white cloud called `bliss'.
Other Hunter salons offering the lastest in luxury include Toni's Indulgence in Merewether.
Proprietor Toni Saxby said her packages have a real holistic approach.
`Our Heritage Healers products are designed to take in the total body, mind and soul experience,' she said.
Toni has just introduced OxyECHO Oxygen Therapy facials into her Mitchell St salon packages.
It sounds complex, but in simple terms, the hour-long facial combines pure oxygen gas in conjunction with vitamins and minerals to nourish and revitalise skin cells, she said.
`It's the most effective skin treatment of its kind designed to cleanse and revitalise every skin cell of the face pore by pore,' Toni said.
If you're a bit strapped for cash or Mum can't afford the time a quick-fix manicure, spa pedicure and foot treatment at Essential Body Company at Warners Bay is the way to go.
Having your feet soaked, massaged and nails polished is a great hour-long fix.
`We use aromatherapy in the spa manicure and pedicures which is a real treat for the senses too,' owner Paul Novak said.
`You have a lot of nerve endings and pressure points in your feet so you tend to hold a lot of tension there.
`It's amazing how relaxed you feel after someone massages all the stress from that area.'
Most Hunter beauty salons offer gift certificates and are happy to help you design a personal pamper package or day spa experiences.
© 2000 Newcastle Herald
