Before the wedding, there is of course the hen party, traditionally the route of L-plates, bars and nightclubs has been the number one choice but many women are now opting for a more sophisticated and relaxing experience of a spa day.

With pampering treatments, lounging in bathrobes and lots of girly chat on the menu it’s easy to see why this option is proving to be so popular.

Booking a spa day is a great way of sharing some time with your friends and family, whether it’s an intimate group of one or two friends or a group of ten or more, a spa environment allows you to relax, unwind and gossip the day away.

With sumptuous surroundings, dribble–inducing treatments and naughty but nice nibbles all under roof, The Sanctuary Spa is a tardis of facilities waiting to be explored by you and your hens. We want you to enjoy your time at The Sanctuary, we’re all about pampering yourself for a day, a moment in time when you can just sit back, relax and do what you want to do, be that reading in one of our lounges, taking a dip in one of our pools, or just gossiping with friends over some bubbly, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. Our group bookings team can even organise a Champagne reception, personalised cakes and gifts on arrival if you wish to go the extra mile and make your day a truly unique experience.

We understand organising an event such as a hen party is not everyone’s forte so why not take advantage of our expertise and leave the organising to us? We’ll make sure each and every one of your hen’s leaves feeling like a princess, whether they’re Royalty or not!
 

Skincare Issues: BREAK THROUGH

Beauty Regime: MD Formulations everyday and my fifth MD Glycolic Peeling Facial.

My skin is so much better, I’m actually getting comments from people saying that it looks different. It is so much smoother and the pores are much tighter.
Generally I’m having less breakouts now, just the odd one or two, but I am able to control it much better and I think the mineral make-up is stopping my pores getting blocked.

Actually, the mineral make-up has been a revelation in itself. The coverage is flawless, it gives a healthy glow but is light as a feather on the skin. It lasts all day and my skin feels cleaner and fresher, I wouldn’t go back to anything else now.

My peels are now being reduced down to once every two weeks as my skin is improving, then hopefully once a month to maintain it. It has taken a few months to get to this stage but if I can keep my skin like this for my wedding day it will all have been worth it!

Wedding Status: I went to one of my old school friend’s wedding at the weekend, which was so much fun – now I’m really in the mood for my own big day! Florist is booked (although severely over budget!) next thing on the list is to choose food and drinks – looking forward to the menu tasting!

Fitness Regime: Easter has slightly impeded my momentum on the fitness front, but after a bit of over-indulgence I’m back to salads and lots of chicken!  Back to the Gym.

Skincare Issues: Significant improvement.

Beauty Regime: MD Formulations everyday and my third MD Glycolic Peeling Facial.

Finally a breakthrough! My skin has definitely turned a corner and generally is smoother and with minimal break outs. It feels just so much more comfortable, it feels hydrated and feels healthier overall.

I had my third Peel with Lizzie, she left it on for a bit longer this time as my skin is getting used to the process. Luckily there was also less extraction to do after the peel which means my skin must be starting to behave itself! As I didn’t suffer anywhere near the level of breakout after the last peel I need to have another one in a weeks time and then I can go down to every 2 weeks.

I’m really getting on with the MD products as well, I have to say they have really made a difference. If I do suffer a breakout the serum calms it right down very quickly and things seem to heal much quicker.

Overall, a really positive few weeks, I don’t expect things to go completely smoothly but now I feel there is light at the end of the tunnel!

With so many plans and such little time, there’s mancicures, pedicures, facials and massages to squeeze in before the big day. Follow Louise’s beauty adventures as she takes us through her pampering plans in the lead up to her special day.

Wedding Status: Taking advantage of the 2-4-1 ticket offer for the Luella’s Boudoir Vintage Bridal event on the 21st April – can’t wait. It sounds like a fabulous evening to spend with the girls sipping West Eleven Cocktails and eating sweet treats while sorting the all-important finishing touches for the wedding preparations! There will be everything from fashion shows, stationery suppliers, tips from make-up and hair experts and mini manicures from The Sanctuary Spa. I think I’ll treat my bridesmaid to a gorgeous girly night.  If you would like to take advantage of this 2 for 1 ticket offer just call 0207 312 3708 and quote Sanctuary Spa!  The event is at One Marylebone (opposite Great Portland Street tube W1)

Fitness Regime: I’ve rediscovered spinning after 4 years away from the pain of the saddle! Still focused on making some serious improvements – aiming for 3 lunchtime sessions a week. Must maintain momentum! The dress isn’t going to get any bigger.

Skincare Issues: Still suffering breakouts.

Beauty Regime: MD Formulations everyday and my second MD Glycolic Peeling Facial.

OK, I said I was going to be brutally honest in my blog so I have to admit my new skincare programme is ‘testing’ me at the moment! Although I have been continuously warned that things would get worse before they got better – I am definitely going through the ‘worse’ stage at the moment.

I have had my second peel, but this time Lizzie (my new therapist who is going to oversee the rest of my treatments) decided to ‘up’ the treatment. So again it wasn’t painful at all but she left it on for longer so my skin did start to tingle. After some extraction (yuck – seriously this can’t be any fun for the therapist!) my skin looked quite like a margarita pizza, heavy on the tomato and quite blotchy! But with some clever work with the Bare Escentuals make-up nobody would ever notice what my skin was like underneath and I could continue out to the theatre as planned (Love Never Dies – highly recommend it!).

The following day my skin rejected everything and I had bad breakouts, but using a new MD formulations serum, Vit-A-Plus, it did calm everything down very quickly and within a few days my skin did look clearer.

So, my skin is definitely changing and I can see the treatments and products are making a difference, I just need to persevere through this tough stage so I can reap the rewards in the future. I’ll keep you posted……..

With so many plans and such little time, there’s mancicures, pedicures, facials and massages to squeeze in before the big day. Follow Louise’s beauty adventures as she takes us through her pampering plans in the lead up to her special day.

Months to go until the big day: 6
Wedding Status: Ahead of schedule (I think!). Need to find and book a florist urgently but venue, photographer, dress and car all secured. My favourite thing so far has been the cake tasting – moist lemon fondant fancies with edible glitter – fabulous and yummy!
Fitness Regime: Needs more effort. New water bottle purchased to encourage running as soon as nights become lighter.
Skincare Issues: Dry skin and breakouts

Beauty Regime: First facial and consultation at the Skin Spa.

After an honest outpouring of all my skin ‘issues’ to my therapist Linda (and the possible ambitious request to look like Holly Willoughby on my wedding day), I was reassuringly told that I had enough time to remedy my concerns and be a bride with radiant and glowing skin – phew! The approach of the Skin Spa is very much to tailor the treatments to your individual needs, so you always know you are getting the best results from the treatment. Together we decided I would embark on a course of regular facials, concentrating on hydrating my skin and balancing it to begin with and then once stabilised moving on to improve skin texture and radiance closer to the big day. Just hearing someone tell you how they are going to ‘fix’ your skin takes half the stress out of it.

As my skin was quite sensitive from breakouts during this first visit, Linda chose the Pure Oxygen Brightening Facial to help heal and balance the skin, the pure oxygen works as an anti-bacterial so helps to reduce spots and scar tissue. After a relaxing thorough cleanse of the skin, Linda applied a cold serum to my neck and face and systematically blasted ever millimetre with pure oxygen, it feels a bit like someone’s blowing a raspberry over the skin, it’s not unpleasant at all and actually after 10minuts of this rhythmic vibration to the face I was struggling to stay awake!

After the oxygen blast a cooling mask was applied  over the forehead and around the eyes and a separate section over the chin and mouth, apparently this is going to plump and brighten the skin. While the mask was on the skin Linda would normally have massaged the area to help the goodies from the mask penetrate into the skin, but as my skin was delicate she decided to glide a blue light over the mask instead, this made my skin feel slightly hot afterwards but definitely felt like it was helping to heal the skin.

I was given the mask to take away with me so I could repeat the treatment the next day at home, this was great as it felt like I could really extend the benefits of the facial and get the most out of the products used. Linda recommended a regime of MD Formulation products to help get my skin into shape before my next facial, so of course I bought the lot in hope of seeing results quickly!