REVIEW: LUSH SPA’S HARD DAYS NIGHT

My first experience with the LUSH Spa couldn’t have come at a better time. Like many working moms out there, I was beyond stressed trying to stay on top of all my work commitments. So much so that I couldn’t fully appreciate the quality time spent with my husband, children and friends.

Thinking some spa downtime might take me away from checking off things on my ever-growing to-do list I almost cancelled, but then I realized a little me-time just might do the trick to get back on track and find more patience and joy in my day to day – and that’s exactly what happened! In fact, days after the treatment I was still reaping the benefits. My mind felt clearer and the rediscovered happiness lingered.

Upon arrival, I was greeted by Ellysha, the warm and welcoming massage therapist who was to be working on me. She offered me some English tea and explained the treatment as basically a firm massage with passive stretching and a guided meditation at the end, all performed to a soundtrack of really cool, cleverly reworked Beatles songs.

Ellysha led me into a comfortable spa room and ducked out while I changed into the coziest pair of loose-fitting pajamas, set aside for me to wear during the treatment. They were actually wrapped around a hot water bottle so they’d be warm when I put them on. I rang a bell to signal that she should return and then I got onto a warm, cozy, heated treatment table that felt more comfortable than any bed I’ve ever slept in. I swear I was ready to move in!

Then the Beatles music started and Ellysha worked her magic—a combo of deep kneading, manipulation of my muscles, passive stretches and meditative moments—and took me on a journey that was a spa experience like nothing I’d ever experienced before. Each movement was somehow synchronized to words of the songs and the music but in a way that felt natural and organic, not forced. Every muscle and pressure point in my body was worked and before I knew it, I heard birds chirping and a rooster crowing. Seriously. Somehow, during the guided meditation I’d actually fallen asleep!

When I awoke, I felt completely rested, calm, restored and more in love with this one spa treatment than any I’d ever experienced before, so much so that when I was checking out I was ready to book one again. And then I remembered Mother’s Day is right around the corner…this year I deserve to get what I really want…don’t you?

Hard Days Night Treatment ($175 for 75 minutes). Expect passive stretching techniques, pressure points throughout the body and a hint of psychedelia. You can bring a bit of your experience home with the Hard Days Night Soundtrack ($15.95) available for purchase only at LUSH Spa locations. I’ve been playing it for pure enjoyment or when I need to be transported back to the most restorative experience of my life.