Tucked away in the basement of Lush Edinburgh is a boutique spa with the feeling of a country kitchen (modelled after the owners own kitchen at home.) It feels like you’ve stepped in to some kind of old forgotten fairytale, or at the very least, a house near the sea. The walls are filled with brightly coloured apothecary bottles, plush seats and large bowls of fruit, a super-sized family kitchen table and of course, on the walls in high chalk a list of positive phrases to help you select your treatment. The trick is not to choose the treatment consciously but look for the word that stands out to you. Tricky for someone who’s mind frequently runs at a million miles an hour. Explains why I ended up going for some much needed “Peace.”
As the signature Lush Spa treatment I wasn’t sure what to expect with Synaesthesia, other than the promised “Peace” the mood board had recommended for me. I select a little orange bottle of laughter to compliment my Peace before being invited into a blue lit room with bowls of coloured smoke pouring on to the floor. Ladies and gentlemen, this is not your run of the mill spa experience.
Promising to take me from a sunny afternoon to Scarborough Fayre, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect other than to lie back and think of Scotland and let the synesthesia roll over me. I was feeling horrible and puffy and swollen and initially my experience was anything but peaceful. Not bad but I felt very aware of everything. The hot stones that I was treated with on my chakras were lovely though and exactly what my sore tummy needed. Anything to do with third eyes though has me wanting to roll my eyes and trying very very hard not to lose the balance of the hot stone on my forehead. Sensation wise, great but I was started to worry I wasn’t a very peaceful or laughter filled person.
Moving on to my front for her to work on my back though was a different story. They say the experience is about taking you on a journey and with the mixture of scents, light and music I definitely went on that. My mind finally managed to drift off of its own accord while the Peace massage bar was worked into my back. From what I gather it was a mix of lavender and white chocolate (most likely cocoa butter) which made for the perfect sweet and bitter mix. Before I knew it the music had finished, the coloured smoke was once more pouring on to the floor as I found myself drifting back to reality.
I usually like my massages to be a little rougher (a good crack of the shoulder or two) and hear that The Good Hour would be the perfect match if I’m looking to loose some serious knots. If you are, however, are looking for a complete escapists dream-like spa experience there are few things I can recommend more than Synaesthesia. Taking you through the 5 key senses, the entire experience from beginning to end is completely enveloping and tailored completely to you. With that in mind, I have my very own slice of peace to recreate the experience at home. Now where did I leave my candles at?