Urban Junkies: Health Supplement

WED 31 AUG, 2011

Beauty Spy – Getting under the skin of the health & beauty industry

September always makes us want to start buying satchels and patent loafers in a back-to-school style, and this year we feel like getting virtuous too: organising our wardrobes, getting our workout routine in gear, and stocking the fridge with smoothies. It’s not that mooching on rooftops with cocktails isn’t fun – it’s just that after a summer of that (and with evenings getting colder) spas, facials and endorphin-packed personal training sessions are sounding pretty good. Here are some of our favourite health and beauty treats for A/W11:


	BESPOKE FOOD PACKAGES SPARTAN STYLE Raw Fairies’ five-day nutritional cleanse Cashew cottage cheese isn’t generally our idea of a good time, but we did feel amazing after a week of this delivery service. You get all your super-healthy, surprisingly tasty meals for the day delivered each morning, starting with a full raw food diet on the Monday working up to a juice fast in the middle and then back to a raw three mealer again, with daily supplements thrown in. We can’t say we weren’t craving cake (omlettes, sushi, anything!!), but after a summer of indulging it made us feel much lighter on our feet, and with pre-chosen meals it was easy to stick to. Just make sure you book in advance, as this is one popular service. Raw Fairies

	ONE STOP SHOP Podular training and food to go at Lomax On those days when you want the energy boost of an exercise class, without sweating in front of strangers, you should head towards Lomax, the boutique gym near Buckingham Palace with its own health food bar (we like the salmon and sweet potato, washed down with coconut water) and signature Blast Classes. It’s a fun (in an exhausting way) strength and cardio workout, and each person gets their own ‘pod’ stuffed with equipment and a bench just for them. Plus we’ve got a special deal for UJ readers: the first Blast Class is free, and if you book a second session for £12.50, you’ll get a Lomax Cleanse Lunch Box delivered to you at work (in London only), for free. Please quote: UJLBC1. This offer expires on 30th November 2011. Lomax Personal Training

	LONG-TERM FIX Choose the right delivery service for you We hit a bump straight away with this programme as it only delivers between midnight and 6am: great if you have a doorman, private entrance or 24-hour security at work (they do have a large celeb clientele), not so good if you work in a Soho townhouse and live in a flat. The food was good though: frittata for breakfast, nutritious salads for lunch and snacks of nuts and fruit to keep you going (the best was a banana and peanut butter fool that was eaten at half-past midnight on delivery day.) Plenty of choice, too, from weight loss and detox programmes to training support and pregnancy diets. Pure Package

	SPAS CLOSE TO HOME Champagne and pedicures at the St.Pancras Renaissance Next time you get on a train to Paris, stop off first (no, not at the champagne bar this time) for some beautification at the spa. Not only is it a treat just to see the sweeping staircases and gold leaf ceilings, there’s a hot stone massage that’s meant to stimulate natural detox processes. That’s our excuse for it anyway – it feels delicious. Or, to make a day of it, go for the “High Time for Tea Time” package, which includes a pedicure, tea and champagne. St.Pancras Renaissance Hotel Spa

	WEEKEND TRIP Get away in style at the Hotel Missoni Now Edinburgh’s quieting down after the Fringe festival, it’s a good time to check out the spa at the city’s ultra-stylish Missoni Hotel, which opened this summer: expect bold colours and clashing prints, Nespresso coffee machines and iPod hookups in every room. Go for the O2 Awakening facial, recommended for frequent flyers and city dwellers, which includes an oxygenation massage. And when you’re completely relaxed, head to the hotel’s gourmet Italian restaurant Cucina. (A Basilito in the bar afterwards can’t hurt either). Hotel Missoni Spa

	HOP ON A PLANE Sun, sea and health spa in Croatia If anything is going to tempt us to live a wholesome life, it’s being pampered in a spa overlooking the Adriatic Sea, where all the treatments are made of natural ingredients foraged from the nearby countryside. Occo is the latest addition to the five-star Radisson Blu Hotel, and we recommend the Black Sand Scrub & Ocean Massage Ritual before you hit the pool: it will have you bursting with energy, with glowing skin. This hotel may lack a bit of personality, but the price is right, and so is the location. Radisson Blu Hotel Spa

	EXERCISE BEAT HELMET HAIR Park your bike and shower at H2 Bike Run There are some of our team that think battling through traffic on a bike is worth it for the healthy (read smug) glow that comes with it, but there’s always the problem of arriving at the office feeling a little sticky. So we became interested when this gym for cycle commuters opened up around the corner: for reasonable monthly rates you can lock your bike in their secure bike park, use their showers, hair dryers and changing rooms, and there’s the option to add on spin classes and use of their basic gym (weights, mats, a treadmill) too. We’re not sure about cycling and then hitting the stationary bikes, but Bike Run definitely looks like a solution to helmet hair. H2 Bike Run

	FACIALS NEW KID ON THE BLOCK Tailor-made facials at the W London Hotel At W London’s new-this-year Away Spa, there’s no set menu when it comes to facials – everything’s tailored to your own skin and what you want. Tell them you’re in detox mode and they’ll whip you into skin-tingling shape in either 25, 55 or 85 minutes (£40-138). Hit the Detox and Refuel relaxation area afterwards for a healthy snack. We love the all white oasis here, as well as the welcome shots (healthy ones, come on), Ren products and ceiling to floor windows in the gym. The unisex lockers could use a bit of a re-think though. W London- Leicester Square Away Spa

	OLD FAVOURITE Take years off your skin at Beauty Works West It’s easy to get skeptical about the claims made for beauty treatments – especially when they’re throwing around words like “toxins” and “antioxidant” – but we trust the scientific techniques at this much loved Notting Hill spa. West Londoners swear by the Oxygen Plasma Facial (£160), which involves serums being penetrated into the skin with an ultra-sound machine, and the “Intraceuticals Rejuvenation Infusion” (something to do with pressured therapeutic-grade oxygen), also works wonders. Beauty Works West

	PRODUCT BATH TREAT Detox while you’re in the tub This delicious-smelling bath oil from Elemental Herbology (we love) turns a soak in the tub into a whole new experience. With grapefruit, juniper berry, rosemary and geranium oil extracts, it’s also meant to invigorate circulation and shift toxins. They call it detox, we just call it a treat. Detox Bath Oil, Elemental Herbology

LINK TO THESE FEATURES: HEALTH&BEAUTY

by JH

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