A day of luxury
 Olive Braman took herself off to sample a day at one
of Champneys London clubs
Most people think of Champneys as a health resort in
Tring. But for those who would like to dip their toes in the Champneys experience, a
day visit to one of their City Clubs in London may be the answer. All the facilities, from the neo-classical pool
with its dark blue tiles, to the well-equipped gyms, squash courts and saunas, are
available to the day visitor.
A visit does not come cheap – but it is
affordable – even if for some of us it is a once in a lifetime treat. There are six categories on offer - the cheapest
being the Spa Discovery Day, which costs £120.00, including lunch and a 25-minute full
body massage. The Half Day Escape at £160.00 also includes a facial and a manicure or
pedicure, and a light lunch. (If you balk at spending this amount of money on yourself,
maybe you can persuade your loved ones to cough up for a gift voucher.)
I went for the Half Day Escape and found myself
especially thrilled with the pedicure. My
less-than-attractive feet have never looked so good. As
you might expect, it is all very soothing -
soft lights, soft music, soft voices, fluffy towels and bathrobes. Certainly an antidote
to the stressful life endured by many city dwellers.
The young girl who did my facial provided some
intriguing information. I had read about exfoliating but thought that with my dry delicate
skin it might be rather uncomfortable. Not a bit of it - and I was told that it is
actually vital to get rid of the dead skin cells in order to enable moisturising creams
and oils to do their work.
She confirmed that my skin does lap up cream and
suggested that I should drink more water and in particular that I should have four glasses
of water for every cup of coffee in order to counteract its diuretic effect. Excessive coffee drinking can really damage the skin but
four glasses for every cup! That was really news to me.
Would I go again? Yes. Any criticisms? Not of the facilities and the staff but I did find
my vegetarian risotto with goat’s cheese a bit of a disappointment though it looked
very pretty.
The London clubs are in Piccadilly, W1 (telephone 020 7255 8000) and in
Ropemaker Street EC2. (telephone 020 7920 6200). Annual
membership is £2500 (This includes a two day stay for two at the Health Resort, six guest
passes, etc.) Three months membership is £1000. The
minimum age of members and guests is 16.
Website: www.champneys.com
Do older women wear make-up?
When famous model Lauren Hutton tried to persuade
cosmetics companies to take on her special products for older skins, she was told that
there was no market for them. Hutton, coming
up to 60, found that the make-up she had been using for years no longer suited her
thinning skin. She found that strong colours
didn’t look good, disliked foundation because it can get into skin creases and
accentuate wrinkles, and gave up the shimmer and sparkle look for the same reason.
So she started experimenting with
blusher and talcum powder to decrease colour strength and change the texture, and
eventually came up with a makeup range that she has called Good Stuff. Friends tried it and gave their seal of approval.
It was at this point that she
approached the big companies who said, dismissively, that it was a known fact that older
women were not interested in buying make-up.
There was only one thing to do, and
that was go it alone. The result, after 10
years in development, is Hutton’s range, financed largely with her own money. It includes lipsticks with added moisturisers,
conditioners that prevent feathering of lip colour, blushers, eyeliner, etc, and demand is
reported to be high. Have a look at her
website: www.laurenhutton.com (prices are in dollars).
 Meanwhile, don’t forget that the UK has its own
range specially made-for-older-and-delicate-skins, devised by Helen Sher. Contrary to Hutton, Sher has developed a foundation duo,
consisting of an opaque concealer which is used sparingly along with a very light
transparent foundation emulsion (something
make-up artists and models favour to hide blemishes).
You put a bit of each on the back of your hand, blend together with a wedge of foam
(provided with the products) and then apply them to the face. They sit smoothly on the skin, sealed with a
dusting of her shimmering powder and bronzer. And
yes, they really do produce a fine, slightly translucent effect that stays put till the
time you want to cleanse it off.
The Sher system of cleansing, toning
and moisturising provides a balanced back-up and really does produce a clearer, fresher
complexion. But don’t expect those
wrinkles to disappear, even with the finest of anti-ageing lotions or clever cover-ups.
For more on Helen Sher products,
click back to August 02 ‘Looking
Good in Laterlife’.
|
A vast industry is out there to help with all and every beauty concern. In
this column every month laterlife.com will report on ideas and products, old and
new. The practical results of everything from creamy cleansers to mud baths will be
brought to you. All with the focus on maturity of course.
