FROZEN Beauty 50 FROM
FROZEN Beauty 50 FROM TOP: DEPARTURES The London-based spa consultant Julie Cichocki was so impressed with the innovations and development in the wellness field in the last few years that she came out of retirement (she had worked in the spa industry for 30 years) and founded Kloodos, which supplies wellness technologies and Cichocki’s knowledge to resorts, clubs and private individuals. One of the machines Kloodos has had much to do with recently is the Whole Body Cryotherapy chamber, which she predicts will eventually make it into more and more homes. While Cichocki stresses that there is no magic bullet when it comes to health and wellness, she says that going into one of these machines for three to four minutes (the temperature is dramatic, usually between -85 to -110°C) is remarkably effective at triggering many positive actions in the body. “The thermal receptors under your skin immediately perceive that you are in dangerous, possibly fatal, temperatures and trigger an energetic ‘flight or fight’ response, which rushes up the spine to the hypothalamus,” she explains. This then initiates several things: metabolism is increased and starts to convert fats (which can mean that one can burn additional calories if one works out after the session); vasoconstriction, the narrowing of blood vessels, occurs and blood is diverted to your trunk and heart and gets filtered and oxygenised; and the extreme cold reduces swelling and inflammation. While much of this happens during the Wim Hof method of plunging into cold water, Cichocki says these benefits are greater when the body is exposed to dry cold. “The temperature of the skin and all over the body should reduce as quickly and evenly as possible, which” she says, “happens more effectively and measurably in a dry environment.” kloodos.com
XXXXXX COURTESY SHA WELLNESS CLINIC; OPPOSITE PAGE: ALEXANDER KRIVITSKIY / UNSPLASH LASER Focus When it comes to skin health and looking youthful, the days of invasive facelifts are almost over. “Laser technology is developing so quickly,” says the Oslo-based laser expert Dr Kingsley Mariadasan, who has been working with lasers for almost three decades. “In just the last four months alone, we are seeing incredible things from the picosecond lasers. You can use them for everything.” Mariadasan holds once-weekly appointments at the recently opened Sommerro House, an elegant Art Nouveau hotel in the Norwegian capital with an exceptional wellness area complete with a pool backed by a mosaic created by renowned Norwegian artist Per Krohg. In his treatment room, Mariadasan shows dozens of before-and-after images: he has erased everything from acne scars, rosacea and sun damage to fine lines and extreme pigmentation. What lasers can do for skin vitality, collagen production and texture is striking. And now the downtime after treatments is much shorter; in the past, one would have to hide away for at least a week (patients can look like a burn victim afterwards) but now “my patients just need one or two days of downtime”, says Mariadasan, who has clients from all over Europe and – increasingly – beyond. He explains that regulations with lasers are different in every country and one should do careful research before choosing a clinic. “Here in Norway you are required to have a doctor in the clinic to use lasers, but in the UK, even a carpenter can buy a laser and start a clinic.” He adds, “Because laser technology is developing so quickly, a good clinic is one that is constantly studying and keeping up.” Mariadasan himself, who owns and runs an academy, is involved in research focused on the use of lasers to instigate hair growth in those that suffer from alopecia. After all, says Mariadasan, “in the end, lasers are light, and we are just beginning to understand the power of nature”. sommerrohouse.com “In the end, lasers are light, and we are just beginning to understand the power of nature” DEPARTURES 51
