Surrey Homes | SH15 | January 2016 | Health & Beauty supplement inside

SMART Master Bullet
Kitchen Blender
Set, £79.99 www.
design55online.co.uk
Dapper Chap
Trim, tone, treat and moisturise...
facial fuel energising
face wash 250ml,
£17, Kiehl’s www.
fenwick.com
luxury leather washbag,
labrador, £75 www.
annabeljames.co.uk
delinquent switchblade
comb, £8.29 www.
thegiftoasis.com
Molecule 02, £38, Escentric
www.escentric.com
escentric 03 body wash
200ml, £20, Escentric
www.escentric.com
beard kit, £25 www.
oliverbonas.com
gents manicure
kit, £19.95 www.
idyllhome.co.uk
Edwin Jagger luxury 3
piece shaving set, £77
www.annabeljames.co.uk
Ben visited Clarins Skin Spa
at Fenwick Tunbridge Wells
Energising back, neck
and scalp massage
www.fenwick.co.uk
As a long time proponent of slouching and poor
posture, the discomfort of little battles being
fought in my back is pretty regular. Hence,
when I walked into Fenwick for my Energising
Back, Neck and Scalp massage I was hoping for
a comfortable chair and a firm hand to ensure
I sat properly whilst some poor soul tried to
cure me. I got neither of those things. Instead,
I was led to the Clarins Spa in the corner of the
lower level. There I was soon made to realise,
much to my surprise, that I would in fact be
getting the full works, not fully clothed as I
had initially expected. Despite the confusion, I
was put completely at ease by the staff and the
ambience of this calm oasis in the otherwise
chaotic Royal Victoria Place Shopping Centre.
Toni led me to a fragrant, dimly lit room with
a massage bed in the middle and an adjoining
changing room complete with a shower. It
was only when she left me to undress that I
remembered, much to my horror, that I was
wearing my lucky Chelsea FC boxers – you will
only understand if you have a football fan in
the family. However, Toni put me so at ease that
I doubt it would have mattered if I had been
wearing my grandmother’s bloomers. Toni began
by explaining the procedure and offering me
either to finish relaxed with an active mind, or
total relaxation. I suspect this article may never
have reached print had I chosen the latter. She
began with breathing exercises to ease the tension
in my muscles and calm my respiration with the
aroma of the oils. I then turned over and after
some exfoliation Toni began to untie my back.
I made sure to apologise for its state as Toni got
going but she politely assured me it was nothing
like some of the concrete she’d previously been
required to knead. The combination of the oil’s
perfume, the soft classical music and the pleasant
temperature was intoxicating. Though I tried to
keep mental notes of the process, I must confess it
did not take long for my mind to surrender along
with my body to Toni’s craft. She eased each side
of my back up and down with Clarins’ “Tonic”
Body Treatment Oil, soothing every muscle
before working my neck with the same majesty.
She finished with a scalp massage, using Clarins’
Tonic Bath & Shower Concentrate, which
fittingly crowned the experience. Toni left me for
a couple of minutes to relax while I tried to come
to terms with the new looseness of my upper
body. It was only whilst I was getting changed
back into my clothes that I realised I had been
so scantily clad in one of the busiest shopping
centres in Kent, testament to the hospitality of
my hosts and the power of the procedure. As I
walked back out into the warfare of Christmas
consumerism, I took solace in the fact that at
least one battle had been won that day and peace
literally followed behind me for the rest of it.
Energising Back, Neck & Scalp Massage,
35 mins, £45
this charming man
gift box, £40 www.
deathtoflowers.co.uk
facial fuel heavy
lifting moisturiser
50ml, £38, Kiehl’s
www.fenwick.com
81 www.wealdentimes.co.uk