World spa&wellness

SKINCARE
Addressing emotions
young mother with a new baby or a mature
woman with a sick husband, there’s always
an underlying reason for the problem,” says
Gabriel. Once you understand their lifestyle,
you can help them identify a way to work
some downtime into their schedule.
Tips and tools
Woodward suggests creating packages that
focus on your spa’s best body treatments
but with the option of bolt-ons of holistically
driven treatments such as reflexology,
aromatherapy or Indian head massages.
“For example, our Sleep Deeply Treatment
focuses on traditional aromatherapy
massage, with carefully performed pressure
points along the spine, teamed with vetiver,
camomile and sandalwood oil, which helps
induce sleep with its sedating properties.”
Meanwhile, all of Phytomer’s treatments
start with a short back massage, designed by
a French osteopath to deeply relax, before
the application of a heated sea mud to nerve
endings in the back to help induce sleep. It’s
also important to emphasise these “me-time”
treatments by “using words such as sleep,
relax and dream on the menu, as these will
strike a chord with those that are sleep
deprived”, adds Close.
McCathie says people traditionally book
themselves in for deep-tissue massage
because they think that’s what’s going to help
them “but that’s muscular and just one piece
of the pie”. She adds: “Treating tired clients
is about using rhythmic strokes that bring
comfort – for example, movements that
resemble the ocean – while combining
breath, aroma and mindfulness.”
At the end of treatment, experts
recommend suggesting a tool for relaxation,
and give clients advice on how to use it. “If
you’re recommending an oil, paint them a
picture of how to use it,” says McCathie. “To
not only take deep breaths in their palms to
slow their breathing, but to also massage it
into their shoulders with five deep rotations
to relax the muscles.”
Those suffering from restless nights will
tend to have poor or non-existent winding
down rituals, so you need to help them with
this also. “Advise clients to switch off
technology two hours before going to sleep
and use relaxing products for mind and
body,” says Harmsworth. Lighting candles
and implementing a “no phone past 9pm”
rule are just a few nighttime regime changes
that can help improve quality of sleep
McCathie says that when we sleep, the time
known as the “rest and digest state” is when
our bodies heal. “When clients look at their
mobile in bed, a chemical is stimulated in the
brain which wakes up the senses. It’s a bad
habit,” she comments. WSW
Emotional aids
Comfort Zone’s UK national training
manager Cortny McCathie, shares her
tops tips for helping clients with
psychological concerns that manifest
themselves as physical problems
“It’s about creating a journey that’s focused on
a full mind and body re-set and there are many
paths you can take to do this. When the guests
arrive, they should have tools in their [hotel]
room that will help them tap into wellness, such
as feel-good mantras by the side of the bed
and products including bath oils and candles.
The food at spa restaurants should be
designed in partnership with a nutritionist
so it’s easy to digest and packed with
superfoods that will help nourish the skin.
You should also offer workshops that teach
people how to meditate, and the benefits of
doing it. Breathing is such an essential part
of helping someone slow down and relax
and it needs to be taught.”
“Our modern
way of life doesn’t
take our internal
clock into
account. We stay
awake long hours
and this goes
against what is
programmed in
to our DNA,
to rest at night
so we can
regenerate”
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World Spa & Wellness | July/August 2017