My Sanctuary

Day 2 of treatment testing took me to The
Sanctuary, a pleasingly female-only spa in the heart of London’s Covent Garden.
Amid a series of pools, saunas, giant carp (no, really..) and a what looks like
a Quasi-sexual water swing is a series of treatment rooms. Offering experiences
from facials to floats, the idyllic treatment areas are quiet and reassuringly
homely, with blankets and cushions littering large sofas. I was treated to the
3-in-1 float, which saw me scrubbed, rubbed and wrapped, before being submerged
in a tank. This is not one for the claustrophobic - and it turns out my over-paranoia
about rogue sharks potentially sharing said tank isn't great either.. 
The treatment is designed to instil a sense of calm, with a
sensory trio of semi-darkness, lightly bubbling water and soothing sounds
deepening body and mind relaxation. 
I emerged from my weightless stupor feeling light and
relieved of the tension I keep in my lower back. The deeply penetrating Shea
butter had left my skin visibly plumper and soft to the touch.
I topped off my treatment with a stint in the infra-red
sauna and sleep therapy session. Not sure I quite achieved the prescribed
meditative state but it was certainly relaxing, and I'm fairly sure the lady in
bed 3 was snoring..

Fast Fashion

Another night, another party with The Twin, and this time we strayed northward, to the shabby chic of Kensal Rise. Clad in suitably edgy attire, we mingled with the Fash Pack, celebrating Mark Fast for.. well, for being Mark Fast, so far as I could tell. Mark himself was taller and more masculine than I had imagined, sporting a bit of a rugger bugger build and a fair crop of facial hair (plus obligatory man-tail. Swoon.) We supped specially prepared watermelon and lychee parad-ICE cocktails (the bar was called The Paradise), marvelled at the ornate decor (think PG version of Soho's The Box) and snacked on an unusual mix of canapes from delicate oysters to freezer-staple chicken goujon. When the time came to take our leave, we were greeted by a friendly batch of paps, who brutally ignored the pair of us. Perhaps we should have got our knickers out?

By Olivia Cox

Don't Mind If I Do

In a rather fantastic turn of fate, my Editor was yesterday “running late to her Illuminata Spa treatment and would I mind going instead?” Well, I do aim to please..

The Sound Therapy was designed to compliment a massage or facial, although I found it to be thoroughly relaxing as a stand-alone treatment – just the right amount of time-out to make yours truly feel royally indulged.

Laying on a lightly vibrating massage bed clad in loose robes, eye mask and headphones, I listened to high frequency classical music, designed to stimulate the brain and deepen the relaxation experience. My therapist applied gradual pressure from my feet and up my body, before focusing on my upper torso and head for a tension-releasing Oriental Tranquility massage. The sensory overload of sound, vibration and massage was deeply relaxing, and left me feeling revitalised as though emerging from a deep sleep.

£45 for 30 mins, Decleor (020) 7313 8787 decleor.co.uk / Spa Illuminata (020) 7499 7777 spailluminata.com

Here's One I Made Earlier..

I've been beavering away at Marie Claire and Elle, updating their beauty blogs..

http://blogs.marieclaire.co.uk/jessica-hough/stop-faking-it/

http://blogs.marieclaire.co.uk/jessica-hough/the-good-life/

http://www.elleuk.com/beauty/beauty-notes-daily/sally-s-kirby-ammunition-belt

http://www.elleuk.com/beauty/beauty-notes-daily/fest-tastic-skin-care-from-kiehl-s

Olivia Cox

Getting Racy..

At the track this weekend to watch Joe et al and celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the Jaguar E-Type (very fabulous to look at, but an over-heating nightmare of a car. I know this because I got stuck in a queue of the huff-puffing buggers en route into the grounds). Sadly missed the excitement that was Joe’s little brush with the track wall in which he ended up re-decorating the front of his Mini. Shame.

Of course, I realise I should be more interested in the results, but frankly I can’t remember what he drove in, let alone where he finished. There was one very pretty blue car, and one that I’m told was a Lotus. I believe it was green..

Joe’s off to Spa tomorrow to begin training in the count-down to the 24hr race for Ecurie Ecosse and Astin (Aston?) Martin. I shall be there for the weekend, although unfortunately I will be sans the sister. I am muchos devestado about this, as we have lots of fun on race weekends, painting our nails and so forth to pass the time while we feign a loose interest in cars..

Olivia Cox