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Check out the upcoming Hillarys Wellness Expo weekend hosted at Hillarys Boat Harbour over the 27th, 28th and 29th of April, which is perfectly timed for post-Easter indulgence recovery!

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Hillarys Wellness Expo is a free biannual event divided into three branches including Spiritual and Emotional Wellbeing, Holistic Health and Wellness and Conscious Sustainable Living, inhabits a multitude of exhibitors, educators, health practitioners and performers.

There will be free activities, live music, yurts (!), meditation classes, exercise classes and so much more.

Get down to Hillary’s and amp up your wellness this weekend 🙂

Be well,

xoxo

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One of my Chrissie presents from my extremely thoughtful/obedient husband was a 1 hour pregnancy massage. It was at Yummy Mummy Day Spa in Perth;

I was looking forward to it for weeks and especially because they have the special bed with the gigantic hole for the belly so you get to lie on your stomach. I have been doing the same thing on the beach by digging a hole for my belly and boobs for a bit of sun and relaxation. To add the massage aspect also was too exciting.

It was magical. The therapist was super friendly, skilled and very attentive. I was asked to tell her exactly what I wanted to have extra time on- upper back, pecs, and feet!! I wouldn’t say she was a sports masseuse and she wasn’t working hard to get rid of trigger points or anything like that, but it was very relaxing. A very deep massage probably isn’t the best for pregnancy anyway and I was happy with the pressure.

The bed itself was really comfy. I was told that a few women’s bellies don’t fit into the hole and I was crossing my fingers I would as I really didn’t want to have to lay on my side (like every night for the last 7 months!!). I have a super long body and just barely fit in. My boobs were not in the hole, so I put an extra pillow under my DD’s to reduce the tenderness of them. I was happy on my back too, inclined for a tiny belly rub and some brilliant time spent on my poor feet.

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They served some yummy tea afterwards, and the whole experience was lovely. I know a lot of spa’s offer pregnancy massage, but I would definitely recommend one where they have the special beds and trained therapists for peace of mind and ultimate relaxation!!

Another awesome result was revealed when I went to a pilates class the next day and my colleague said that my chest, neck and shoulders were very relaxed and settled when I was doing upper body exercises. This was great news as I have been ultra tense and unable to broaden and open as easily due to the extra weight everywhere.

I have booked in for my second massage as a birthday treat and cannot wait.

Yummy Mummy Pregnancy Day Spa
253 Oxford Street
Leederville WA 6007
Ph: 08 9201 1077

Have you had a pregnancy massage before? If you’ve never been pregnant, do you know someone who is who could use something like this?

Review by Sarah Devlin, personal trainer & mama to be.

Be well,

xoxo

♥ Siimon for Hair ♥

I love the idea of having a locked in service provider. You know – your GP, your dentist, your acupuncturist, so on and so forth, and whilst I’ve got most of these set, a locked in hairdresser has eluded me for a long time. I want to have someone who knows me, knows my hobbies and stupid idiosyncrasies and knows who I am immediately when I call. I essentially want an extra boyfriend/girlfriend who is good with the scissors. Some would think I’m asking too much, which is a valid point, but I am very happy to tell you that I have found this, in Siimon, the chatty and thoroughly wonderful proprietor of Siimon for Hair in Wembley.

As silly as it sounds, I arrived at Siimon for purely facetious reasons. I’m a huge Tintin fan. I love the crap out of that guy, and my younger sister who’d visited Siimon on the recommendation of a friend, told me excitedly that she’d had her hair cut by someone with a half-sleeve Tintin tattoo. So naturally, this was enough of an impetus to book an appointment for my sorely neglected hair, and check out this artistic wonder for myself.

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Siimon’s salon is situated on Cambridge St behind St John of God in Subiaco and has ample out the front/around the corner parking, for pretty much as long as you’ll need. I think he’s the only one who operates from there – he’s certainly the only one I see – and the salon is totally saturated with his personality, which I think tends to be lacking in other salons. There’s Tintins sitting with the magazines in the waiting area, he hand makes Tintin cards to send to clients at Christmas – the artwork (not Tintin) is clean and modernist and really great. One of my biggest reasons for coming back to Siimon is how relaxed the whole thing is – from the appointment itself to the compete lack of pressuring for follow up appointments (there is no “three week trim” pushing here. It is wonderful).

♥ A selection of the literature available for perusal

And to the actual business end: Siimon’s got a product and hair knowledge which is really extensive. On our first appointment, having ascertained that I have a flaky scalp, he talked me through the basic (common sense) things I can do to get rid of it, and did not do the immediate “hey this product will help that” thing which was really nice. Before all else he pushes nothing on you. And he’s blunt. He will tell you if you’re genius avant-garde hairstyle idea will push you over into Lady Gaga-land. And, um, some of us need that. And it’s always worth mentioning that a salon is reasonably priced – he is. Very.

So yes, Siimon for Hair. An awesome dude, a relaxed and friendly salon and a very good idea. Recommended.

Also, the review wouldn’t be complete without a photo of that fabled Tintin half-sleeve:

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Have you ever been convinced to try a beauty service provider based on their aesthetics? Love Tintin as much as Siimon? Let me know in the comments!

Siimon for Hair
208B Cambridge St
Wembley
9381 1777

Review by Suzanne: she is allergic to exercise, and can only be cured with cake.

♥ All photos © Glennys Marsdon

I have to admit the thought of exploring the Stirling Farmers Market on a steamy thunderstorm induced morning, didn’t have me bouncing out of bed, still I’m quite partial to wandering around markets, and I’d heard a few good things about this one on the local grapevine.

Situated in the shadows of the Council building, it was a pleasure to drive straight into a car space, without having to tail a vegetable laden customer snaking their way back to their car. With parking for 350 cars the first signs were good for the growing market.

♥ Free range ‘Eggs by Ellah‘

Strolling around the stalls my gait resembled the limited trajectory of a chess pawn as I bounced from one shaded area to another. Thankfully the vibrant colours of the produce took my mind off the heat and the stall owners were quick to chat about their produce. I even overheard one arranging to personally deliver an order later in the day.

♥ Marchetti and Sons Roleystone, Fruit

The trays of apricots were gone by 9am, and the tomatoes selling quicker than they could be bagged. It was a delight to buy fruit that wasn’t already teetering around its use by date. Even more delightful was having the stall owner’s son carry larger orders to your car. You don’t find that at your local megastore.

Trays of ripe avocados

Moroccan spices

Tomatoes

Raw juices

Other stalls were equally enticing – artisan breads catering to a range of dietary needs, natural honey, local garlic, Moroccan spices, a multitude of mushrooms, flowers and an array of freshly squeezed juices, some thick enough to stand on their own, sans bottle.

Mushrooms

Organic bread from Abhi’s Bakery

Two years in the planning, the markets first opened on December 18th. Organised by the Karrinyup Rotary Club, all produce must be locally produced. The aim is to extend the range and possibly offer one stall free of charge to local clubs holding membership drives or community awareness programs.

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With my car boot full of produce I ended my morning sitting under a shady tree nibbling on a moist apple coconut slice, while watching crepes being cooked and hoping the markets get the community support they need to continue beyond the trial period of February 26th. I’m definitely going back next weekend if only for another piece of the apple slice, but first… does anyone know what I can do with a tray of avocados, two bags of tomatoes and six huge, crisp pink lady apples?

Stirling Farmers Market is located on Cedric Street, Stirling, Sundays 7.30 – 11.30 am until February 26th! It needs as much support as it can get to continue operating, so please check it out if you’re nearby (or even if you’re not!) 🙂

Review by Glennys, writer & farmers market advocate!

When was the last time you experienced something truly unique? Something beautiful, unexpected and rare?

For me that was a couple of weeks ago when I was privy to a sound healing session with Julian Silburn at Bodhi J Day Spa.

Julian has an extensive background in using sound for wellness, having been given blessings by aboriginal elders to practice the didjeridu for healing, he has been doing so for over 20 years! Previously working for local favourite Sodashi only cements his natural healing credentials.

If you feel like you’ve experienced it all spa-wise (or life-wise!) and are looking for something powerfully unique and transformative, then you cannot go past sound healing.

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The experience that follows is very powerful and a bit tricky to explain. There’s something a bit mystical about it, but to try and make some sense of how sound can improve wellbeing it’s useful to know that:

♥ Everything has a frequency to which it is naturally tuned, including parts of the body.(Source: Rediscovering the Art of Sound Healing)
♥ Sound can have an impact on the molecular structure of matter.
♥ When we are sick or not at our optimum wellbeing, parts of the body can be resonating at the wrong frequency.
♥ Sound healing can help the body return to the right frequency

If you’d like to read more about the scientific background of sound healing, you can check out this article.

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The 60 minute session begins by lying on a cosy bed in a beautiful dark room, lit with candles and all the sound healing instruments laid out (as above, but with the lights off!).

Throughout the experience, which feels like a sacred dreamtime ritual, an array of instruments including: the didjeridu, Indonesian temple bell, Chilean rainmakers, Mexican rattle, Peruvian flute, Native American hoop drum and more are used to bring my body back into a state of balance, afterwards a feeling of intense relaxation and awareness settles over me.

I feel as though I’ve been born at the very dawn of time and the whole universe is open for me to explore.

I don’t want to give away the ending, as that was the part that impacted me the most – suffice to say that the whole experience seemed so powerful and important that a little part of me felt like I shouldn’t be there, that this ritual should be reserved for someone who has been chosen to go on an amazing journey, or do something spectacular. The whole session was incredible and something that has to be experienced to be fully understood.

Afterwards Julian will answer any questions you may have. The neat thing about sound healing is that the best way to experience it is with someone else, so you and a friend can take part in the journey and it’s only $150 as a 2-for-1 special for 60 minutes, which is a great price to pay to be able to explore the universe! (Please note the cost is $150 for one OR two people, so best to bring a friend!)

I feel that this experience will linger with me for a long time to come.

Available at:

Bodhi J Health + Beauty Spa
42C Grantham St (Cnr Nanson St)
Wembley, Western Australia 6014

ph: (08) 9387 5152
fax: (08) 9387 4548

e: admin@bodhij.com.au
fb: Bodhi J Facebook Page

Be well,

Annette

xoxo