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When planning my trip to Bali in November last year, I wanted it to be truly rejuvenating and relaxing, a real treat for the end of the year. Needless to say, this is exactly the experience I encountered at KUSH Day Spa in Ubud.

KUSH is part of the Yoga Barn in Ubud and their treatments are based on Ayurveda – a system of traditional medicine native to India. Ayurveda is based on a life force and the pursuit of balance between the body, mind and nature; its emphasis being on preventing disease and maintaining good health.

I had been recommended the Yoga Barn by a friend and had planned to drop in to a class upon a day trip to Ubud from Seminyak. We ran out of time to attend a Yoga class, so decided on a massage at KUSH – I have been a long sufferer of daily headaches so chose the Ayuverdic Crown Massage.

The Yoga Barn is tucked away off the busy Jalan Hanoman. As we arrived, we were greeted by the friendly reception staff who were able to fit my boyfriend and I in straight away for our massages.

♥ Statues of Ganesha at Kush, known to Hindu’s as “Remover of Obstacles”

We were led upstairs to a beautiful balcony overlooking rice paddies where we were seated for our treatment. After a refreshing cup of iced lemongrass tea and filling in some information about our health history, the massages began. The experience was out of this world – the heat and humidity (and my mind numbing headache) disappeared, as the healing hands of the massage therapist completely melted all my tension away.

My favourite part of the massage was having my hair wrapped in these beautiful, cooling hibiscus leaves, where we were left to relax in the serene setting. After having our hair washed with some delicious smelling products, we were whisked back to our chairs for another cup of tea and the treatment was over. This 60-minute treatment went too quickly, but I felt so rejuvenated and calm afterwards – I may or may not have been in a bliss-induced-coma for the rest of the week!

Ayurvedic Crown Massage (60 Minutes)
180, 000 Rupiah (Approximately $20 AUD – amazing!)
Spa Treatment Menu: Kush Menu.pdf

Web: http://www.theyogabarn.com/kush

Have you had any Ayuverda treatments? Was your experience as heavenly as this?!

Review by Lucy, Wellness WA‘s newest reviewer!

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I love trying new skincare and when the chance to try something that claims to be “Nature’s Botox Alternative” I got a little excited. Since turning the big 30 last year I’ve been more attentive to products with anti-ageing ingredients to keep me looking as young as possible!

The Lapurete range is said to target all signs of ageing including; expression lines, sagging skin, age spots, dryness, eye bags, dark circles, enlarged pores and UVA damage. Whilst I certainly don’t have all these skin concerns I figure prevention is better than a cure!

Okuru plant being harvested

The magic ingredient that Lapurete use is Okuru, a plant grown in Africa that has been used for centuries for it’s nutritional and healing benefits. Lapurete’s research has found that the peptides contained in the seeds can minimise expression lines in a similar way to Botox, without the need for injections!

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The Protective Day Crème that I trialed contains the Okuru plus Sweet Pea and Marine extracts to increase firmness and elasticity of the skin. The crème itself is light and pleasantly fragranced. It seemed to moisturise and hydrate my skin well without making me too oily. I would say it’s suitable for most skin types, except really oily. Whilst I don’t have any major skincare concerns such as fine lines and sagging I did find that after using daily it did seem to brighten my complexion, freshen and smooth my skin. The two bonuses for me were that it contained UVA defense (if you’re outside for long periods I would still wear a broad spectrum sunscreen!) and it had no nasty ingredients such as parabens, sodium lauryl sulfate, and petrochemicals (a super plus for me!).

The full set of Lapurete prodz

Whether it lived up to it’s claim of being “Natures Botox” I’m still not sure yet. Maybe I need to use it a little longer, or fingers crossed it’s because I don’t need botox yet. But I know that I would rather try a topical cream that costs way less than expensive and invasive needles first.

What would you rather do?

Check out the full Okuru range at www.lapurete.com.au and at major pharmacies.

RRP is $59.95.

Review by Hannah L, smoothie-ing her way to good health!

Be well,

xoxo

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♥ Joshi’s Holistic Detox

I picked this up randomly when a lovely little bookstore near me was having a 50% off closing down sale. Never one to say no to the possibility of a bargain, I dashed in and came across Dr Joshi’s book which I’d been intrigued by previously but never bought.

While I don’t need to be slimmer, healthier I can always go for. Basically Dr Joshi draws on Ayurvedic wisdom, as well as the principles of alkaline eating to help you feel your best. You will go without a few much loved things for 21 days, incorporating plenty of fresh fruit and veggies (some are out though), gluten-free products, herbal teas, supplements and other good-for-you treats. It’s a really well designed program and leads you through everything with LOADS of information and reviews/testimonials from many of his well known clients, including Gwyneth Paltrow.

The only thing that is personally detrimental is that the majority of recipes call for chicken stock (even the veggie ones), so as a vegetarian it would be hard to follow the supplied detox menu. That said there ARE options, and I’m sure you could use veggie stock, but there’s a lotta chicken in this book – organic, free-range naturally! Which reminds me of THIS wonderful Youtube…

Despite the chicken qualms, I’d totally recommend this book if you’re game for a detox, but want to know all the little details behind how/what/where/why, in an accessible and interesting format. I really enjoyed it, go Joshi! Available on Amazon for about $21 USD.

Have you ever tried a detox or wanted to? If so let us know your experience / reason for wanting to try!

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

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There’s a lotta love to be had for products that have more than one use, not only do you save money and time, but you also save on precious bathroom bench space, something which is worth an increasing amount these days!

Here are my three current favourites:

♥ Jane Iredale Antioxidant Spray

Packed full of antioxidants and smelling like delicious oranges/tangerines, this product has a lot more uses than just pepping up your face on a hot day.

♥ Sets mineral makeup, of which Jane Iredale produce some pretty awesome varieties.
♥ Use to wet brushes to use with eyeshadow and make liquid liner, genius!
♥ Spritz over hair to control static.

The great news is that you can do all of this while smelling like summery citrus fruits. RRP $39.

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♥ Essential Kit Multipurpose Wonder Balm

This stuff beats regular paw paw balm any.day! It’s certified organic, smells absolutely amazing – kinda like a chocolate orange, and 100% of the ingredients are from a natural origin. Plus NO animal testing or animal products and it’s made in Australia! SIGN ME UP 🙂 It even tastes yummy… should you accidentally (or not so accidentally) lick your lips.

Can be used for…

♥ Lip balm, smoothing eyebrows, giving your cheeks a highlighted glow, moisturising nails & cuticles, a thick body moisturiser, smoothing flyaways, soothes dry heels, protecting cuts, shaving… AND under wetsuits on long swims apparently!!!

It’s fast becoming a staple and comes with me everywhere. So much love! RRP $22.95.

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♥ Tisserand Ethically Harvested Lavender Oil

I’ve only just started to really get into essential oils and candles, but have always had a soft spot for lavender. Ah, quell-er of stresses, easer of sleeps! It’s always been good to me, and I’ve recently discovered that it has a lot more uses than I initially thought, lets have a look:

♥ A natural way to take the sting out of burns
♥ Super successful zit zapper – have been hitting this one up a lot lately, and it’s working!
♥ 6 drops on a damp flannel to help a headache
♥ Disinfectant for cuts & to help new skin grow
♥ And of course, a few drops on the pillow to de-stress & help you fall asleep 🙂

What are your favourite multi-tasking beauty & wellness products? Share with us below!

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

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