SENSPA LUXURY in the BRITISH Countryside (written for SIX Magazine)

A couple of weeks ago I was invited down to the heart of the New Forest in Hampshire to experience the tranquillity of SenSpa, a Thai luxury retreat that fuses traditional Eastern and Western philosophies of holistic wellbeing.

Named 'Sen', which in Thai translates as ‘energy meridians in the body’, and 'forest' in Chinese, SenSpa offers the perfect union of the rural British landscape and the healing properties of contemporary Eastern therapy.

Not one to turn down some clean country air and a day of pampering, myself and a guest arrived amid a downpour that was to last the whole weekend. Not dampening our spirits, our first impressions of the Careys Manor Hotel in quaint Brockenhurst were as you’d expect from a luxury four-star country house; grand and stately.

Less than a five minute drive from the train station (Brokenhurst is approximately an hour and a half south-west of Waterloo), Careys Manor and SenSpa are set back from the main road in 14 acre grounds, with all windows providing unrivalled views of lush greenery.

Emphasising a balance of mind, body and spirit, the spa facilities are second to none. If you’re not indulging in a treatment (it would be a shame not to, as they are so good), the hydrotherapy facilities are enough to calm even the tensest of visitors, and are well worth the trip.

Float in the large Hydrotherapy or Ozone swimming pool; sweat out toxins in the herbal sauna and the amethyst crystal steam room and cool down in the ice room – an experience like no other; super cool with crushed ice on tap and energising strobe lighting.

Experience showers, with ‘tropical’, ‘sea’ and’ ice storm’ themes, offer an interesting way to cool down or warm up; featuring an array of jets that hit different regions of the body in strong and short refreshing bursts which work to tone, cleanse and brighten. If you opt for the ‘ice storm’ theme, don’t be scared by the thunder and lightning effects, this is all part of the fun.

Conversely, if you’d prefer to avoid special effects, health showers offer a calming alternative. Enjoy stimulating overhead and side water jets which boost circulation, while aromas of eucalyptus and peppermint work to further relax both body and mind.

With several other facilities designed for optimum relaxation such as tepidarium; a relaxation room with heated loungers and hypnotic twinkling lights that resemble stars in a night sky and laconicum; a gentle thermal room which is less intense than a sauna and offers a gentle heat meaning you can stay for longer. If this wasn’t enough, there is also a room where oriental music is played, and one without, where guests are welcome to indulge in some quality alone time.

For those who prefer to do something more than simply let their stresses drift away, the fully-equipped gymnasium is great for working up a sweat. And then there are the treatments!

With Thai-trained therapists at the helm of SenSpa, the range of authentic treatments on offer is extensive. Seriously spoilt for choice, whether you’re looking for a facial (there are nine to choose from – each lasting between a quarter of an hour and an hour), a body wrap (choose between seven that utilise combinations of aloe vera, brown rice, lemongrass and Himalayan rock salt), a water treatment (three are available, each incorporating various elements such as Rhassoul mud and a variety of massage techniques) or massage (including traditional Thai, relaxing and revitalising); whatever results you’re looking to achieve there is a chemical-free natural remedy designed for the job.
Wanting to combine and experience as many techniques as possible, I opted for the hour-long Nam, Water Relaxer treatment which involved a deep body scrub, Vichy shower and a back, shoulder, neck and head massage.

Held in a Vichy room (one of 17 treatment rooms in the facility), I lay on a gently heated Hammam slab where a mixture of Himalayan rock salt and organic aloe vera was polished into my skin. With even pressure and a circular massage technique, my therapist exfoliated all over and paid particular attention to my heels, knees, elbows and back, ensuring she reached all the places that many find hard to access adequately at home.

Next came the Vichy shower, whereby the seven shower heads directly above me were activated, and warm water jets targeted my spine and ran across my back working to sooth and release tension. Much more comfortable than I had envisaged this was, surprisingly, the best part of the session for me as I wasn’t sure what to expect from the water, but was more than pleasantly surprised.

As the jets washed away the exfoliant, the therapy suite became a wet room, with my therapist paddling around the Hammam slab to massage my back, shoulders and neck, moisturising in the process. Finishing with a head massage which used ancient Ayurvedic techniques, all the stresses I’d arrived at SenSpa with genuinely stopped whirring around my head and I felt calm.

After a good, solid hour had passed my skin felt silky smooth, I was deeply relaxed, having almost fallen asleep on a couple of occasions, and didn’t want to leave. The perfect mix of relaxation and reinvigoration, this treatment targeted all my problem areas (dry skin, tense shoulders and a stiff neck).

No matter which treatment you are having or if you have any problem areas you’d specifically like targeted, the staff have such a way about them whereby you feel completely at ease in their care. My therapist consistently made sure I was comfortable and talked through each stage of my treatment so I knew exactly what to expect.

Exclusively using natural and organic products from the SenSpa Organic Therapy range in treatments; all skincare products use only natural, chemical-free ingredients, made in England and certified organic by the Soil Association. All packaging is designed to be as compact as possible and uses recycled materials, so you need not feel guilty about buying products in order to recreate your favourite treatments at home.

A place where you can easily while away a weekend, let alone a few precious hours, SenSpa and indeed Careys Manor are the ideal destination for relaxing, recuperating or pampering yourself for a few stolen hours. Expect warm, friendly staff and a relaxed atmosphere; you can wear your bathrobe across the hotel and spa (including the Zen Garden Thai Restaurant), however, there is a smart casual dress code in the award winning two AA Rosette Manor Restaurant.

Whilst there are a few pubs and other amenities located in the village of Brockenhurst, there is genuinely no need to leave Careys Manor, due to the on-site facilities. Choose between restaurants (Manor and Zen Garden Thai); the latter of which uses local, free-range and organic ingredients wherever possible, a cocktail bar and a boutique – just in case you lose your swimsuit!

Tearing myself away from the spa, some 20 hours after we checked in, I left feeling energised, revitalised and eager to come back and do it all over again. I never really thought I was a spa person, but it turns out I am, provided the atmosphere and surroundings are as tranquil as this, and the facilities as varied and innovative.

Treatment prices begin at £20 for an Anti-ageing eye treatment, rising to £105 for the Saboo, Deep Cleanse.

*Special thanks to Jane at Scarlett PR!*

Why doing good always works (written for SIX Magazine)

A company that SIX has been eager to write about for a while is Good Work(s) Make A Difference®, who spread a message of humanitarianism and good will through their striking range of products. Committed to donating 25% of net profits to good causes that inspire, empower, and give hope to people around the world, never has accessorising felt so good!

One of Good Work(s)’s most popular product ranges is the wrap around bracelet, available in a plethora of bright and interesting colours such as teal, magenta, gold and silver. With several options including length, finish and stud detailing, customers have several options when it comes to customising. ‘Live in unity’, ‘sow love’, ‘speak kindness’, ‘forgive’ and ‘make a difference’ are just some of the wise and motivational words that come inscribed on the outside edge, promoting essential virtues and wisdom.

Read the article in full on the SIX Magazine website.

SIX Magazine gets SPRUNG... issue 4 live next week...

Make + Mend: A Guide to Recycling Clothes and Fabrics (written for SIX Magazine)

A brilliant new book released this month by Spring Hill encourages those with thrifty minds and idle hands to rejuvenate old clothes and transform fabric remnants into new and stylish fashion and home-ware pieces. Perfectly timed to appeal to the crafty among us this spring, history tells us that it is now in times of financial hardship that we become thrifty, growing our own fruit and veg and exploring new ways to make items we already have last a little longer.

Written by Rebecca Peacock and Sam Tickner Make + Mend: A Guide to Recycling Clothes and Fabrics is packed to the brim with ideas, handy tips and easy-to-follow patterns perfectly demonstrating how to give old clothes a new lease of life. If you’ve ever wondered how to transform an old, tired coat into a cushion cover, create a tote bag from a ripped dress or a neck-tie from a negligee, this handy ‘make-do and mend’ book will divulge all.

No longer the preserve of an old ladies’ circle, crafts are en vogue again, seeing institutions like the WI welcoming a new generation of women eager to learn the skills no longer taught at home or in school. No matter what your experience to date, Make + Mend breaks down each instruction, enabling those of all sewing and embellishing abilities to learn new skills and ultimately produce something unique.

To read the article in full visit SIX Magazine.

Kick start your complexion for 2012 (written for SIX Magazine)

Image courtesy of Pai

An organically certified beauty brand that featured high on SIX Magazine’s Christmas wish list is Pai, who specialise in delectable products designed exclusively for sensitive and allergy-prone skin.

Exclusively utilising naturally derived ingredients which are approved by the Soil Association, Pai shun preservatives and aim to aid sensitive skin at every opportunity. Manufacturing in-house allows Pai to extensively research and test each product without the need for synthetic chemicals, artificial fragrances, alcohol and ‘secret formulas’, enabling consumers to understand exactly what is inside each and every bottle.

Read the rest of the article here.

Fashioning the Future Awards 2011 (written for SIX Magazine)

Images courtesy of Alex Maguire and LCF

Last Thursday SIX Magazine were invited to the annual Fashioning the Future Awards pioneered by London College of Fashion’s Centre for Sustainable Fashion. Held in the heart of the financial district in Canary Wharf’s domed East Wintergarden, aspiring designers and S+E fashion experts gathered to find out which graduates were to be crowned cream of the crop for 2011.

Founded just three years ago, the awards have gone from strength to strength encouraging a new generation of fashion innovators to pursue design-led solutions and sustainable practice in business. In a short space of time, the Fashioning the Future Awards has become the leading international student competition for design and innovation in sustainable fashion, attracting thousands of entries from around the world.

Up first was the award for Unique Balance which went to the deserving Sara Emilie Terp Hansen from Denmark. Using cork, a material usually associated with the wine industry, and giving it a new lease of life with a fashion forward application, Hansen was a clear winner highlighting the neglect of a valuable natural resource. The cork industry is currently threatened by the growth in plastic alternatives to classic bottle stoppers. This threatens the continued existence of cork forests worldwide; an important natural habitat and source of livelihood for many communities.

To read the full article visit SIX Magazine.

Brand Of The Week: David Longshaw

A designer who has been on my radar since my first foray into fashion journalism whilst at Amelia’s Magazine, I have followed the career of David Longshaw eagerly - especially in recent seasons - coveting the wonderful accessories made in conjunction with his girlfriend and incidentally SIX Magazine favorite, Kirsty Ward for the past two seasons.

An esteemed illustrator having won the Colin Barnes Drawing Prize in 2005, Longshaw has an unrivalled talent for creating individualist characters that centre in his own narrative stories. Sponsored by Swarovski Elements garments are sculptural, colourful and in short, match Longshaw’s signature to a tee. Longshaw’s work is witty, imaginative, thought-provoking and above all; beautiful. For the first time AW11 sees the designer collaborate on a capsule footwear collection with footwear designer Heather Blake.

The AW11 collection is inspired by the following shirt story:
‘Seriously Rose, I can’t bloody believe it here, they’ve stuck me in the middle of sodding nowhere with these religious nuts who expect me to go to church with them and sit shitting cross stitching by the fire ‘of an eve.’ What do they think it is, the bloody 15thCentury?’ They don’t drink and they don’t f****ing swear. There’s no one my age I’ve met other than one or two who are destined to die virgins unless one of them changes sex and their parents force them in to an arranged marriage to procreate more dull, wierd looking bastards! ‘Don’t even get me started on the sodding birds! It’s supposed to be quiet in the countryside, but every morning at 5am all I get is bloody tweet, tweet, tweet; they even tap on the window- I thought it was someone at the front door at first. It’s a nightmare when you’ve got a hangover. I managed to smuggle in some booze but I’m running low.’ Tora, a wayward girl, gets sent to live with her tea-total, religious, cross stitching, aunt and uncle in the middle of nowhere, to try get her on the straight and narrow. She takes a soft toy named Frank with her, which has a pet shoe and a love of whisky.

Having fallen in love with Longshaw’s forthcoming AW11 collection at the Iroquois press day back in April, I can’t wait to see what VOGUE.com’s ‘Designer to Watch 2011’ and ELLE’s ‘Rising star of 2011’ will have in store

Creative-Idle featured on the Wardrobe Mistress blog

Earlier in the week I met with Willow Magic of fantastic e-tailer Wardrobe Mistress for a brief Q+A on my personal style.

**This week Willow Magic met the fabulous creative Rachael Oku, Founder of Creative-Idle blog and Associate Editor of Six Magazine

Name: Rachael Oku
Profession: Blogger/Founder of Creative-Idle, Associate Editor of SIX Magazine and Sub-Editor.
Location: London
Passion: The worlds of fashion and modern art

I work in fashion because… I get to meet and work with a wide array of brilliantly creative people and rarely are two days ever the same. It’s thrilling to call something I will always do as a hobby my job. That said, I have always had a love/ hate relationship with fashion: sometimes I feel it is too frivolous a pursuit, but most days I cannot contain my excitement for the latest collections…

What makes my work interesting… is the variety. As the founder of a blog and website I call the shots and have creative freedom, enabling me to write about and embark on projects that truly interest me. Working for SIX Magazine is a dream as I am constantly challenged to find new S&E designers to feature, and hopefully I’m helping to propel S&E fashion further into the mainstream consciousness.

I get my fashion inspiration from … novels such as The Great Gatsby and Vile Bodies and old 40s and 50s films. Favorites are classics such as All About Eve, Gilda, and How to Marry A Millionaire. TV show Mad Men sums up the style of most of my vintage fashion choices, and I am, like most women, guilty of being inspired by fashion magazines. The Glamour Of The Gods; Hollywood Portraits exhibition currently showing at The National Portrait Gallery sums up the aesthetic I strive to achieve.

My Style in a sentence is… ever changing, although I must admit it is largely dependent on my mood and the weather when I wake up. At the moment I’m loving smart masculine accessories and the ensuing intrigue of men on the tube!

My luxury must-have item is… can I say my Paul Smith glasses? Necessary and stylish in equal measure.

What’s your best Style advice… simply to be yourself. When I was younger I bought into fads as I wanted to look like my peers, but in recent years I’ve realized that there is nothing better than looking like yourself – unique. My top tip would be; dress to show off your personality!

Wardrobe must haves:
A good pair of brogues
A staple pair of tried and tested jeans that match everything
Black suit / tux jacket
Structured handbag (preferably vintage, very Betty Draper/ Margaret Thatcher)
Cases full of vintage statement accessories
Beautiful printed fabrics

Most treasured item in your wardrobe and why… This would have to be my new embossed leather briefcase that I got earlier this month from Camden Stables Market. I’m a sucker for all things vintage (this is from the 40s or 50s), and goes perfectly with the preppy/ masculine look I’m rocking at the moment. Alternatively I still love my vintage navy Dior handbag that I’ve had for about a decade.

What is your favorite piece on the Wardrobe Mistress site right now… a very tough choice, but I’d have to say the khaki coloured Dolce + Gabbana party dress – it’s gorgeous and a bargain too!**

Visit the Wardrobe Mistress website to read the article in full.

LCF Presents Catalytic Clothing (written for SIX Magazine)

Erin O'Connor in a still from Catalytic Clothing Film. Image by Adam Mufti, courtesy of LCF

Last week SIX Magazine was invited down to the headquarters of the London College of Fashion for the launch of their latest innovation; Catalytic Clothing.
Created in partnership with University of Sheffield and University for the Arts London, Catalytic Clothing is a collaboration that brings together the spheres of fashion and science, to explore how textiles and nanotechnology can be used to form a catalytic surface to purify the air in our environment.

Catalytic Clothing’s aim is to harness the power of a photocatalyst to break down airborne pollutants such as industrial pollutants and car exhaust fumes. Catalytic Clothing materials reorder the electrons in the constituent atoms of the fabrics to create a more reactive surface. These outer electrons then react with the water molecules in the air breaking them into two radicals (extremely reactive molecules). These radicals then react with the pollutants creating non-harmful chemicals as an end product.

Read the rest of the article here.

SIX minutes WITH Kirsty Ward (written for SIX Magazine)

Image courtesy of Kirsty Ward

First entering the consciousness of fashion editors throughout London with her beautiful monochromatic Saint Martins MA collection back in 2008, Kirsty Ward has gone from strength to strength, honing her signature aesthetic for combining oversized jewellery with bold structure. Working with a plethora of contrasting fabrics from waxed cotton to streams of silk, complimented by hinge and rivet detailing, Ward is certainly not your average designer, earning her place as one of the most exciting young designers working in London today. SIX Magazine caught up with the busy designer to get a glimpse into her world.
Congratulations on the successful launch of your eponymous brand. Founded just last year, you’ve already been lauded as ‘one to watch’ and ‘a rising star’ by fashion heavyweights such as Elle, Vogue.com and Selfridges. Has this incredible response to your work taken you by surprise?
The support I have received so far has been great, there’s still so much more to achieve though. In terms of compromise, there’s always a balance you need to get right so your label can still be directional, yet sellable. This is something I’m trying to fine tune each season!
Read the rest of the interview here.

Fashion Brand of the Month: Yan To (written for SIX Magazine)

Image of Yan To, courtesy of Sian To

Beautifully unique in every way, Yan To is a true designer’s designer. Having converted from a career in corporate advertising to one in fashion design, To debuted his eponymous label in February 2010 with the landmark collection, One. A range primarily comprised of chic dresses with halter-necks and open backs, it featured the amazing ‘20 Marlboro Lite’ series which saw To experiment by burning holes in several dresses, after ‘attacking’ them with spray paint, displaying a unique and unrivaled resourcefulness and investigatorial approach to design.

A true risk taker, whose integrity is paramount to his brand, To is a rare breed in fashion actively promoting the concept of anti-fashion, opting not to work with a PR and to steer clear of celebrity endorsement, instead seeking to subvert what is expected at every turn. With an unprecedented respect for his customer base, To believes that gifting garments to celebrities is disrespectful to the people who buy his clothes, offering them garments to enhance their mood, but not dictate it.
Read the full article here.

PACHACUTI for the prize (written for SIX Magazine)

Image courtesy of Pachacuti

Accessories brand add trophy to their collection
A few weeks back one of SIX's favourite accessories brands, Pachacuti took home the (greatly deserved) prize in the fashion and accessories category at the 6th annual Observer Ethical Awards - dubbed the UK’s ‘Green Oscars’ - held on June 9th at London’s Victoria + Albert Museum.

The awards recognise the work of individuals and organisations across 12 S+E categories covering everything from fashion to businesses, blogs and campaigners. One of the most hotly contested awards, the fashion and accessories category sponsored by Vogue featured some pioneering designers and this year's other finalists were Christopher Raeburn, who deftly recycles re-appropriates parachute silk into catwalk couture and French company Veja, who make beautiful shoes from organic cotton and tree-tap rubber.
Read the full article here.

Fairer Fashion Footprint (written for SIX Magazine)

At the end of May the SIX team descended on the West-End store of Swedish vintage hipsters Beyond Retro for a sophisticated evening of wine, debate and perhaps more importantly, sustainable shopping. Out in full force for the London School of Economics Student Union Fairer Fashion Footprint event were many an eco-pioneer including several SIX friends such as the Ethical Fashion Forum’s SOURCE magazine and one of SIX’s favourite S+E designer the delightful Ada Zanditon.

Lured to Beyond Retro for such a worthy cause, our motivation was ever-so-slightly boosted by keynote speakers Lucy Siegle and Livia Firth. Offering what could be described as a thrilling and informative overview of the state of the S+E fashion market, the social justice issues associated with fast-fashion and consumer awareness of S+E fashion in the UK.

Having formed a close bond through working on the Green Carpet Challenge for Vogue.com back in 2009, Firth and Siegle often join forces to highlight the social benefits of  S+E fashion, something which was evident in their interaction. Both ladies were firmly on point, with Siegle in particular reeling off the statistics, proving the breadth of her knowledge and in-depth research into the trends, product ion and side-effects of fashion leaving us all in no doubt that she knows the world of S+E fashion inside out.
Read the full article here.