Ever since stumbling across it in Covent Garden one of my favourite shops is Lush, the handmade cosmetics retailers. I was addicted while at uni and regularly scoured their newspaper and used the mail order service as there was no retail outlet anywhere nearby and there was no website at that time. Quite a while ago I stumbled across the fact that there are now four Lush Spas in various places in England. I was so excited by this and suggested to my fabulous husband that he might like to buy me a voucher for a treatment for my birthday. He was kind enough to grant me my wish and bought me a voucher for their signature massage Synaesthesia. For more information on all their treatments click the previous link. Synaesthesia is described as "A transcendent multi-sensory full body massage that takes you on a journey you'll never forget. Choose a behavioural prescription that will change your outlook on the world." I was given the voucher in June last year and have only just got around to using it but I wish I had been more organised as it was an amazing experience and a little me time was exactly what I needed.
I booked to go to the spa in London on Kings Road near Sloane Square. Getting there by train was easy but the first snag came when I tried to locate the actual spa. I had been told that the spa was located in the basement of the shop and that when I exited Sloane Square tube station I would immediately be able to see it. This was not the case!! I arrived with enough time to spare to do a little shopping and then thirty minutes before my appointment time I started to look for the shop. I walked up and down and around Sloane Square for about fifteen minutes before I gave up and asked a couple of security guards to help. They pointed me in the right direction but were uncertain as to the exact location. I walked off in the direction indicated and after about ten minutes, when my appointment time was imminent, I called the spa to be told to keep walking and I was about five minutes away. It turns out the shop is about fifteen minutes walk from the tube station and they couldn't understand why I'd been told that I'd see it from the tube station exit. Fortunately I was only a couple of minutes late and my therapist, Holly, was very understanding and reassuring.
After sorting out the payment Holly led me down some very narrow stairs to the spa. This was made up of the kitchen with a large wooden dining table and off this in one direction was a bathroom and in the other were the two treatment rooms. You would never have imagined the rabbit warren that was under the shop from being upstairs. The treatment started by filling out the obligatory health and safety form seated at the table. Holly thoughtfully provided me with a glass of water as I was still rather het up from the dash to get there. After the form Holly sat and talked me through the creation and invention of the treatment, the condition of Synaethesia that it is based on and the thinking behind it. She then pointed out six key words on the wall behind her and asked me to tell her the one that struck me as the most pertinent to me, the way I was feeling and what I would most like to improve for myself and my outlook. This then formed my "behavioural prescription". I had to write the word in a small chalkboard in order to begin to get it in to my mind. This element of the treatment felt rather strange and I was a little amused by it. I was looking forward to the whole experience and knowing the type of retailer Lush is, their ethos and values, I knew there would be some 'alternative therapy' elements. This was then followed by Holly disappearing to set up the room with my prescription and I was pointed in the direction of an old fashioned dresser with lots of bottles on top. These bottles were very Alice in Wonderland like, all different shapes and sizes with paper tags attached with words on them. I was to choose a bottle that had a tag on it that caught my attention but whatever I did I was not to open it and smell it. When Holly came back I told her which bottle and she took me and the bottle down to the treatment room.
I won't give too many details away about the treatment itself as it will spoil the experience for anyone who chooses to have the treatment themselves. The treatment room was clean, neat and warm, with lots of little quirks that were very clearly Lush touches and made the experience all the more original. There was even a shower with towels provided should you wish to shower afterwards if you are not keen on leaving the oils on your skin. The treatment was wonderful, so relaxing and just the experience I had hoped for. Holly was the epitome of the perfect therapist; quiet and discrete; and made the whole thing run smoothly and with minimum of fuss. I do get a bit self conscious that I don't know what I am doing or what is expected of me but Holly gave me very clear but kind instructions and made me feel at ease the whole time. The only thing that I would have preferred was if she had asked me what kind of pressure I liked for the back and shoulder massage. Holly used a very firm pressure that I did find a bit much and not totally comfortable but bearable.
After the treatment was over Holly quietly left after telling me to take my time and she would prepare me a cup of tea in the kitchen. When I went out to the kitchen there was a cup of tea in a china cup and saucer waiting for me. Holly said I could stay as long as I liked; enjoy my tea; help myself to fruit from the fruit bowl and if I wanted to then I could sign the guest book. Beside my cup was also a metal tin with a paper tag on that had the word that I had chosen for my behavioural prescription. This contained a complimentary brand new massage bar that was identical to the one that Holly had used during my treatment. This was a lovely touch from the spa that I am sure is covered in the cost of the treatment but was a surprise and it was good to have something to take away with me to help remember the experience.
I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at the Lush Spa and I will hopefully be able to go back at some point, although it will be another special treat rather then a regular occurrence due to the cost. I would like to perhaps try 'The Spell' next time as something different and another new experience.
Monday, 23 April 2012
Monday, 9 April 2012
Film review, The Help
Last night I finally got around to watching the film adaptation of The Help. It was a good film in many ways but I did feel there were a couple of things I wasn't so impressed with.
The acting and the setting of the film are both understated and realistic, at no point do you feel that things are staged or fake. Emma Stone as Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan, Viola Davis as Aibileen Clark and Octavia Spencer as Minnie Jackson all put in performances of the highest calibre. The relationship between the three women grows as the film progresses, just as it does in the novel. The way the characters are portrayed makes their interactions believable and emotive. A special mention must go to Bryce Dallas Howard for her portrayal of the villain Hilly Holbrook, the character that you hate but offers some light comic relief at times. The setting was carefully designed with a close attention to detail. I particularly liked the 1960's vehicles and costumes. The clothes the women wore clearly defined their place in society; black or white, rich or poor; and to see the contrast in colour between the peacock dresses of the white society ladies and the drab grey uniforms of the black help are a strong visual reminder of the division. On the rare occasion that we see Aibileen or Minnie in their own clothes that splash of colour is shocking and makes them seem more real and human somehow.
On the other hand, I found there were a few things that I was not so keen on. This, I am sure, was as a result of having read the book.
If you were watching the film from a fresh viewpoint then perhaps you would just see the positives of it. The narrative voice in the novel is primarily Aibileen, with sections from Minnie and Skeeter. The film was more equally focused on all three women and I felt that this then lost some of the power of the novel through the detailed view you were given of the relationship between Mae Mobley, the white daughter of Elizabeth Leefolt, the employer, and Aibileen, her black surrogate mother. This had the further effect of having to slightly change the ending scene from the One in the novel. I felt this then made it lose some of it's heart breaking impact. A secondary character in the novel is Charlotte Phelan, Skeeter's mother and I found the way this character had been changed disappointing. In the novel she is strong in her nasty traits and impending death does not massively change her. In the film she changes to a great extent and I found this reconciliation of the characters too heartwarming and sickly.
The final aspect that disappointed me was perhaps the most significant. Throughout the novel there is an almost tangible sense of real fear built up through many episodes of near misses and panic stricken moments of hiding the evidence and coming close to being discovered. I am aware that a film is restricted through time and practicalities but I felt the lose of these episodes then did not communicate the fear that surrounded these events to the audience as well as the novel.
On the whole though, I did enjoy the film and will certainly be watching it again. Perhaps if I see it when the novel is not so fresh in my mind I will begin to appreciate it more for it's own merits as a well acted, well scripted film with a strong basis in history but with a human interest approach.
The acting and the setting of the film are both understated and realistic, at no point do you feel that things are staged or fake. Emma Stone as Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan, Viola Davis as Aibileen Clark and Octavia Spencer as Minnie Jackson all put in performances of the highest calibre. The relationship between the three women grows as the film progresses, just as it does in the novel. The way the characters are portrayed makes their interactions believable and emotive. A special mention must go to Bryce Dallas Howard for her portrayal of the villain Hilly Holbrook, the character that you hate but offers some light comic relief at times. The setting was carefully designed with a close attention to detail. I particularly liked the 1960's vehicles and costumes. The clothes the women wore clearly defined their place in society; black or white, rich or poor; and to see the contrast in colour between the peacock dresses of the white society ladies and the drab grey uniforms of the black help are a strong visual reminder of the division. On the rare occasion that we see Aibileen or Minnie in their own clothes that splash of colour is shocking and makes them seem more real and human somehow.
On the other hand, I found there were a few things that I was not so keen on. This, I am sure, was as a result of having read the book.
If you were watching the film from a fresh viewpoint then perhaps you would just see the positives of it. The narrative voice in the novel is primarily Aibileen, with sections from Minnie and Skeeter. The film was more equally focused on all three women and I felt that this then lost some of the power of the novel through the detailed view you were given of the relationship between Mae Mobley, the white daughter of Elizabeth Leefolt, the employer, and Aibileen, her black surrogate mother. This had the further effect of having to slightly change the ending scene from the One in the novel. I felt this then made it lose some of it's heart breaking impact. A secondary character in the novel is Charlotte Phelan, Skeeter's mother and I found the way this character had been changed disappointing. In the novel she is strong in her nasty traits and impending death does not massively change her. In the film she changes to a great extent and I found this reconciliation of the characters too heartwarming and sickly.
The final aspect that disappointed me was perhaps the most significant. Throughout the novel there is an almost tangible sense of real fear built up through many episodes of near misses and panic stricken moments of hiding the evidence and coming close to being discovered. I am aware that a film is restricted through time and practicalities but I felt the lose of these episodes then did not communicate the fear that surrounded these events to the audience as well as the novel.
On the whole though, I did enjoy the film and will certainly be watching it again. Perhaps if I see it when the novel is not so fresh in my mind I will begin to appreciate it more for it's own merits as a well acted, well scripted film with a strong basis in history but with a human interest approach.
Sunday, 1 April 2012
Book review of The Help, by Kathryn Stockett.
There are many pleasures in life and one of those is finishing a really good book. I have been known to devour books but unfortunately I don't seem to find the time as much as I'd like these days. Having read the texts I needed to for work I turned to a book I bought quite a while ago that keeps being recommended to me. It's The Help, by Kathryn Stockett. I am sure I have come late to this book but it is one I will certainly be reading again, and trying to see the film soon too.
One of my favourite books of all time is To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee and The Help shares a few of the same themes and settings and contextual points. It is even mentioned on more than one occasion in the novel. The story revolves around three key characters, the white Miss Skeeter and the two black help, Aibileen and Minnie. Three vastly different characters who come together with a common aim. The story that they weave is one of huge differences and obstacles but also the beginnings of the shift in attitudes and a change in relationships. One extremely poignant and heart breaking thread of the plot is the relationship between Aibileen and the seventeenth white child she is raising, Mae Mobley. As a Mum I cannot wrap my mind around having another person raise my child while I played the society lady. I guess it is no different to the staff who raised the children in Victorian Britain. There is the difference that Victorian nannies and governesses were respected and treated with civility and afforded a proper place in the household, whereas the maids in the novel are treated with contempt and disgust on the whole.
Stockett has a quality in her writing that draws you in, creates characters and settings that are alive and breathing and evolving constantly. There are moments of heartbreak and moments of light relief, especially when the character of Minnie is on the scene! The first person narrative voice switches between the three main characters. This is essential in order to build up the threads of the plot and begin to intertwine the stories of the characters but it does at times take a moment to work out which character has taken over the narrative when it has changed. This is the only negative comment I have to say about the book. It is definitely one I'd thoroughly recommend, it kept me interested from start to finish and regularly resulted in late nights and tired days. As a debut novel it is an absolute triumph and I look forward to seeing what Stockett follows it with.
One of my favourite books of all time is To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee and The Help shares a few of the same themes and settings and contextual points. It is even mentioned on more than one occasion in the novel. The story revolves around three key characters, the white Miss Skeeter and the two black help, Aibileen and Minnie. Three vastly different characters who come together with a common aim. The story that they weave is one of huge differences and obstacles but also the beginnings of the shift in attitudes and a change in relationships. One extremely poignant and heart breaking thread of the plot is the relationship between Aibileen and the seventeenth white child she is raising, Mae Mobley. As a Mum I cannot wrap my mind around having another person raise my child while I played the society lady. I guess it is no different to the staff who raised the children in Victorian Britain. There is the difference that Victorian nannies and governesses were respected and treated with civility and afforded a proper place in the household, whereas the maids in the novel are treated with contempt and disgust on the whole.
Stockett has a quality in her writing that draws you in, creates characters and settings that are alive and breathing and evolving constantly. There are moments of heartbreak and moments of light relief, especially when the character of Minnie is on the scene! The first person narrative voice switches between the three main characters. This is essential in order to build up the threads of the plot and begin to intertwine the stories of the characters but it does at times take a moment to work out which character has taken over the narrative when it has changed. This is the only negative comment I have to say about the book. It is definitely one I'd thoroughly recommend, it kept me interested from start to finish and regularly resulted in late nights and tired days. As a debut novel it is an absolute triumph and I look forward to seeing what Stockett follows it with.
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