Beauty Terrorist - Combating Terminal 5 Stress

This month - in true traveller spirit, Beauty Terrorist is honoring the monumental mess that was the opening of Terminal Five at London Heathrow Airport. One silver lining to the stress induced by lost baggage and severe delays, was the new Elemis Spa which provided rest, refuge and relaxing massages to stressed out travellers from all walks of life. I decided to treat myself to one such stress buster and relay the results to you.

Story Highlights

Elemis Deep Tissue Muscle Massage
Elemis Musclease Active Body Concentrate
Elemis Deep Cleanse Facial Wash

Elemis Deep Tissue Muscle Massage

Massage I was a big fan of avoiding parental advice when it went along the lines of: “Carry your backpack on both shoulders or it'll mess up your back in the long run.” Several years of school and backpacking later I swear my parents stifle an: “I told you so” every time a frequent knot and back spasm strikes. In the Elemis context I was looking for something special to sort out my tired tendons. After a lot of bad massages I was dubious about any miracle factor – but – my masseuse went at it, hammer and tong, and with a little help from her elbows, things went incredibly well.

The laymen science behind the massage is that a combination of bad posture, office work and backpacking injuries had cased my tendons to become tangled, knotted and inflamed. This swelling happens when the surrounding muscles gang up in order to protect the damaged specimen. One hour of poking, prodding and stretching later and I felt almost human again for the first time in years. I have since recommended this treatment to everyone.

Elemis Musclease Active Body Concentrate

In true junky style I didn't want my experience to end which is why I took the Musclease away with me. This is a great little number that you apply to aching areas when you step out of the bath or shower. Applying this to warmed tendons doesn't completely alleviate the pain but it goes a fair way towards it. The nifty little bottle is also a nice centerpiece for guest bathrooms too!

Elemis Deep Cleanse Facial Wash

The final offering from Elemis is the Deep Cleanse Facial Wash. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Investing in a quality, long lasting face wash is definitely worth the extra expense – especially on the road. Like this Elemis offering, such investments are more concentrated, they lasts longer, the effects are more immediately visible and they combats everything from combination skin to temperamental, acne break outs. This one is officially up there with our favourite – Dermalogica.

- Rob Savage