babyurbeautiful

Last year I attempted to fix up a treatment with Lush UK called The Planets.
It didn't materialise, but I managed to eventually fix it up for this month.
It must have been fate.

I got a surprise to discover the treatment was 3 hours long, so I had to swiftly shuffle appointments and block out my day - the little one was with nanny, so it worked out perfectly.

Whenever I walk past my local Lush store, I often get overwhelmed by the array of scents, but as soon as I stepped into the Chelsea store I became immune to it and nothing overpowered or sent my senses overdrive.
I won't deny that Lush hasn't been massively on my radar, I am hypersensitive to strong fragrances, and whenever I received a delivery (I'm a beauty writer by day) I could smell the bag before it hit my desk and often felt a little queasy.

On arrival at the London Kings Road store, I was directed down to the spa through the Chelsea shop - if you weren't aware, you can experience a spa tour even if you're not having a treatment.
The spa is delightfully simple, with a large rustic solid wooden table to fill the essential health forms out on.
By the toilets there is a variety of lush products to test out - should you wish. The staff are exceptionally happy throughout the store  - which I thought was a real testament to the brand.

The therapist, Pauline, gave me a warm welcome in her thick Bordeaux accent.  As I mentioned before, I had no idea what I was in for - just 3 hours of unadulterated bliss!
She explained the Planets treatment over a fragrant water, and I was pleasantly surprised to discover it had a somewhat holistic approach, with huge attention towards astrology.
This is where it became apparent that this treatment was more than apt for the start of the 2017.

I was presented a pack of cards and told to pick a word that seemed relevant to me - Uranus was staring straight up, and the naughty side of me was drawn to the innuendo. So Uranus (or mine) it was.

The Planets Facial Essentials

The card was presented as 'Challenge', which most of last year was - especially after losing my job of ten years, and constantly battling to be heard and taken seriously with ideas - now it's trying to carve out a freelance career.

She mentioned the treatment would be a lot of letting go of the past, and that I can open up as much or as little about it. I thought felt very perturbed about offloading onto a stranger....

Basically the treatment works in three parts; the past, the present and the future, I won't  ruin the entire treatment and go too much in depth, but here's a quick synopsis.


The past

This incorporates a indulgent 1 hour and a half massage using one of the infamous Lush massage bars which melt into your muscles.
As soon as a relevant pressure point is detected, your therapist will explain what the area is, and the issue you could be up against. You then feel compelled to answer, what the heck!
For instance, the left side is creative, and the right logical - the bottom right of my back was linked to money, as a freelance not knowing when you'll work next - no wonder it was as stiff as a board.
But the interesting one, (which is when I realised the efficacy of the treatment), was when she said do you struggle to let new friends in? Absolutely not!
I'm a very warm person. But then I found myself contending with a dull pain as her  thumbs kneaded a pressure point and I found myself blurting out about a friend who had been a bit of a dick last year, dropping me when I needed her after years of continuous support from me.
As I opened up, the area 'popped', Pauline laughed and said 'there you go!', we closed the metaphorical drawer and eased the pain with a warm stone, and moved on.

The present

Having a 'tea party' with my therapist wasn't what I expected, as warm papaya tea and a chocolate macaroon was placed around a palm-reading area.
A multicoloured bath bomb was placed in the middle of the table to depict a planet, and dry ice gave the room a mystical aura as it bubbled up and circumnavigated itself around the 'world'.
As a gentle arm massage was performed, we addressed me as a person who fell into the 'water' category - my palm was also read - I won't elaborate, that's for you to find out for yourself (about you, obviously!)
Throughout the treatment there's a score of music, no achingly annoying whale sounds or panpipes.
The score has been re-worked around the entire treatment, for instance when when you're letting go - a crescendo.
One part I commented how it felt like a weirdo clown was on the loose, and Pauline confirmed the part was actually called deranged circus, or something similar (don't worry, not my mental state!) no part of the instrumental was the same, and having a background in music I found the attention to details incredible!
I found myself mesmerised as how cleverly executed and perspicacious the arrangement was.

The future

We'll, this where I left thinking ok I can do this, it seemed a lot of my blockages were to do with self doubt, and as the therapist moved down my body with a lamp oozing with dry ice and an uplifting lemony scent - she was signalling I let go and move on.
The future is the facial part of the treatment, and it was so interesting to be introduced to the lush products I'd so often overlooked, like the solid facial serums (solid because they contain no nasties like parabens) the massage bars that melt on contact with the skin, the intoxicatingly scent of the lemon and rose mask and facial techniques to 'lift' and anti-age the skin.
One thing I will say about this entire treatment is the skill of the therapists, they take great pride in making you feel comfortable, relaxed and acting as your therapist for the day.
This may not be the treatment for you, and the price tag of £285 may put you off.

Do take into account its a three hours treatment, consisting of an hour facial, a ninety minute massage and the palm reading aspect (with hand and arm massage).
Sweet tea and chocolate is served and you're packed away with the majority of the products used.

Relaxation Levels 5/5
Price 4/5
Location 4/5
Products used 4/5

I'd also like to say, where I was so ignorant to the length of the treatment, all I'd eaten all day was a Marshmallow bar and had a cappuccino.
My therapist was obviously concerned about my energy levels, so sent one of the staff out to get me a sandwich completely off her own back - how adorable.
I left seriously relaxed and positive - self doubt be gone!

Are you a big fan of Lush, and have you experienced any of their treatments before?

Challenge for Lozza!

In between the cries of 'warmer' (apparently I'm really bad at making the perfect temperature milk) and that goes for bath and showers too. Albie hasn't quite grasped that when you say warmer it means to make it hotter!
I'm currently being ordered about by a 3-year-old dictator, so you can imagine its  quite testing to get him to take orders from me!
I also don't understand how this diminutive child understands the power of negotiation already...

Through frustrating times during our potty training journey, I'm afraid I have to admit I've resorted to bribery, yes, my bad. Chocolate has been used.
But I find, as my child had such a fear associated with no 2's, something had to give.
I'm laughing as I write because he had his morning poo (a Vesuvius may I add) - and it was in the potty.
After this he ate two brioche rolls and a whole pear and because Albie is aware he's been a clever lad, he said: 'now I can have ONE chocolate!' With the one being heavily accentuated.
So now he's playing ME at my own game knowing he's simply done the things he should - but he's expecting his reward - fair enough.
(Just so you know he'll get his chocolate at lunch time and he WON'T forget!)

Since Albie was two, every morning in his milk I have to put a sachet of Movicol.
Its a laxative for the treatment of constipation in adults, adolescents and elderly.
Movicol helps you to have a comfortable bowel movement even if you have been constipated for a long time. It also works in very bad constipation called faecal impaction - which Albie has.
As the months have gone on, I've noticed a change in his bowel movements, he used to cry every time he felt the familiar tummy rumble, and believe me, before Movicol I can understand why he felt so frightened after having to manipulate his poo out and seeing how hard and dry it was.

So basically I'm updating you to say we're at the final stage of our Huggies potty training journey - he's just turned 3, and now has a regular morning poo - which is a delight to see (honest!) instead of waiting three days, a lot of tears, frustration, even high temperatures at times and refusal to eat. It's been really hard, and if any of you mums can relate please talk to us!

At night I've been alternating between night time pull-ups and going pull-up free (Russian roulette, believe me!)
Every night we read a story, I toilet him, then remind him, if he does have a pull up on, to pull it down and wee or poo in his potty.
We've had mixed results - but we're almost there. I have no doubt there will be the odd accident but make sure you line the bed/cot with an water resistant bed cover for that reason.

Here's a great one from Drynites, the step on from Huggies Pull-Ups once you’re potty trained
WATER RESISTANT BED COVER DRYNITES

Huggies Pull-Ups expert, Dr Heather has given some helpful tips for the final stage:

Be Consistent Day and Night
With day time dryness well underway, it’s time to focus on how to help your little one stay dry through the night.
Night-time dryness always takes a little longer to master. This is because the bladder needs to be strong enough to hold on until morning, while also be able to send clear signals that it’s full so that your child wakes up to go to the toilet.

- Create a calming bedtime routine and get him into the habit of having a last wee before bed.
- From the very beginning of a toddler’s potty training journey the key is consistency, so stick with his training pants once you’ve made the switch.
- While it's not necessary to restrict drinks in the evening, it is best to avoid fizzy or caffeinated drinks as these can stimulate the bladder into action.
- Make sure your little one can get out of bed by himself should he need to visit the toilet during the night, and help him see where he's going by switching on a nightlight or with glow in the dark stickers.
you notice that your child's Huggies® Pull-Ups® are dry for a few mornings in a row, try without. If he has an accident in bed, go back to Pull-Ups® Night-time pants and try again later on. Remember, wetting at night can be common up to the age of 5 or more.

The fuss-free approach to night-time accidents:
•    Prepare – put spare pyjamas and bedding somewhere that’s easily accessible so
accidents can be sorted quickly and calmly.
•    Reassure – while frustrating, night-time accidents aren’t your child’s fault. Help him stay on track by reassuring him that it's nothing to worry about.
•    Stay calm – your toddler will sense if you’re stressed, which will add to his own feelings of failure. If you’re OK with it, he’ll be OK with it too.
•    Don't be disheartened – accidents at night are common in young children and the odd accident every now and again is not a sign of failure.

Accidents are normal, so it’s best to handle these with patience, reassurance and support, resort back to a Pull-Up, like we did and start again.
Huggies® Pull-Ups® Night-time feature clever fading graphics to help kids understand when they’ve had a dry night and encourage them to achieve this final stage of potty training.
I know we're almost there, because Albie now knows the difference between his Pull-Ups and pants, and that if he has an accident in his pants - it won't be as absorbent (or pretty!)

Good luck everyone and thanks for reading our journey xx