I spent 60 minutes at an 'oasis of quiet calm' in Liverpool city centre and didn't want to leave - Yahoo News UK

[Maria Breslin]

From its lofty vantage point high above Liverpool’s busy and bustling Church Street Lush Spa is an oasis of quiet calm. In the beautiful wood-panelled second-floor relaxation room housed in the former Burton store, there’s no sound of the busker plying his trade outside neighbouring Primark.

Ambient lighting, an abundance of greenery, stylish blinds and muted colours all help create a real sense of serenity. I sip on a cocktail of elderflower and Scottish highland spring water as Lush’s reassuring therapists talk me through my treatment and my normal midweek stresses start slowly to slip away.

But today is about much more than escaping every day, it’s about being transported way north to the stunning Highlands of Scotland which are the inspiration for Lush’s latest treatment, launching on Friday, September 27 and having been previously only available in stores north of the border.

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Aptly named The Highlands, it was developed by Lush’s Jody Bailey whose passion for the landscape and culture is evident as she recalls lovingly researching the region and explains how smooth basalt, commonly found in riverbeds, is perfect for a hot stone massage allowing the therapist to deeper penetrate tissue.

The Highlands is billed as a 60-minute, full-body hot stone massage involving Highlands spring water and using stones carved with ancient Scottish symbols set to a soundtrack of specially re-recorded Gaelic folk songs. And my Highlands journey starts with a Scottish stone consultation with super-smiley therapist Meggan who encourages me to feel the engraved marble and choose the symbol that most appeals. I settle on The Key which denotes freedom and encourages me to Love my Fate. I am way out of my comfort zone but it seems strangely apt.

The Highlands spa treatment at Lush


Inside the dimly-lit treatment room, furze incense is burning inspired by the Celtic ritual of ‘saining’ which sees dried branches burned to cleanse and protect the environment. Then the real magic begins. Meggan uses a solid massage oil bar infused with mugwort which is a Scottish-grown ingredient traditionally used to settle the nervous system.

It’s fair to say the first hot stone comes as something of a shock but I soon acclimatise to the temperature and start to really relax and enjoy the moment. Seemingly choreographed to mirror the music, the movements become more vigorous and rhythmic as the soundtrack gathers momentum and I succumb to 60 minutes of stress-busting bliss.

The ingredients for Lush's new The Highlands treatment


The full-body treatment finishes with an exceptionally good scalp massage which I wished could have gone on forever before cool stones were gently applied to pressure points on my face, bringing me sadly back down to earth. In the relaxation room, I sip on Scottish tea infused with heather before walking back to work with an unusual sense of calm, a vow to ‘love my fate’ and a definite spring in my step.

The best things in life are not always free and at £150 The Highlander is not cheap. But it is, by a country mile, the best massage I’ve had in a long, long time and it’s more than just a treatment but an experience to remember.

Book The Highlands via the Lush app or by contacting the Liverpool store at [email protected] or by calling 0151 236 6952.