Tweak of the Week is Citizen Femme’s in-depth beauty treatment and tweakment review series, featuring the CF team’s tried-and-tested recommendations for facials, massages and injectables.
This week, beauty editor Becki Murray escaped to the calming atmosphere of Tuscany’s flower-filled countryside, without even leaving London. It was courtesy of botanical beauty brand Seed to Skin‘s first-ever hotel spa partnership with The Carlton Tower Jumeirah in Knightsbridge, which offers a full array of facial and body treatments.
Read on for the full review.
What is Seed to Skin?
Lovers of botanical beauty and skincare science can both find lots to fascinate them within Tuscan-born beauty brand, Seed to Skin. No wonder its a brand that makes people stop at stare into the Liberty London windows.
Handmade on an estate at Borgo Santo Pietro in Italy, the luxurious skincare and bodycare company combines sustainably-sourced ingredients from its own organic farm with a state-of-the-art laboratory that supercharges their skin nourishing and healing properties through molecular science. Every product – which you’ll find packed with herbs such as rosehip, lavender, calendula, peppermint and rosemary – is also handmade and poured into the increasingly iconic green glass bottles to ensure transparency and traceability.
Why should you be excited about the partnership with The Carlton Tower Jumeirah?
By partnering with a classic London hotel in the heart of its luxury shopping district, Seed to Skin is bringing its beauty offering to a spa outside Italy for the very first time. Perfect for business travellers as well as London locals, The Carlton Tower Jumeirah is a stone’s throw from Harrods and makes the most of its views over Cadogen Gardens.
The partnership is also far more than just one signature branded treatment; you can pick and choose from the very best of Seed to Skin’s award-winning skincare and bodycare during your time in the spa. In particular, the new menu features head-to-toe experiences that utilise some of beauty’s most exciting (and social-media trending) facial and massage techniques, including lymphatic drainage, body brushing, candle massages and jade rolling. There’s options for couples too, if you are looking for a touch of romance during your stay.
Plus, the offering joins the already impressive spa experience to be found at The Peak Fitness Club and Spa onsite, which includes 111Skin and Aromatherapy Associate treatments. Make sure you leave enough time to make full use of London’s largest, natural light-filled indoor hotel swimming pool too, as well as to sample the delightful array of fresh salads in the restaurant.
Tried and tested: what is having the treatment like?
If you’re searching for some much needed me-time, the Seed to Skin partnership at Carlton Tower Jumeirah is exactly the spa experience you need. Every minute of your treatment is designed to make shutting out the stress of the outside world that little bit easier.
Designed as ‘journeys’, all the body rituals are multi-elemental, meaning there’s much more on offer than a choice of soft or firm pressure. Most of the body treatments start with thorough yet gentle body brushing, designed not only to exfoliate your skin, but to also stimulate your lymphatic system, pre-massage. This helps provide even greater tension-relieving results by removing any heaviness or water retention in your limbs in advance. It’s a must if you are always on the go, as such feelings are often made worse when we are stressed and tired.
What follows is not just a simple massage either. The strokes are rhythmic and smooth rather than aggressive, but you’ll still feel like you’ve grown an inch or two after being stretched out by the therapist’s hands. Your massage can also be supercharged by the use of a warm candle that allows your therapist to drip nourishing oils onto your skin to soothe deeper tension without needing to increase the pressure. The result is a deeply relaxing experience that will satisfy those of us who tend to carry around a lot of tension in our backs and shoulders.
There’s options for body masking, wraps and scrubs incorporated into individual treatments too, which are our recommendation pre-summer, as you’ll emerge with wonderfully soft skin that is incredibly hard to achieve at home. A highlight is the aptly named, ‘The Cocoon’ treatment: a 90-minute multi-sensory experience that allows you to sink into the cosy treatment bed in a way that you might not have thought possible. It includes a body wrap of argan oil, shea butter and vanilla rose that nourishes and seals moisture into your skin (with results that last all week), all while you enjoy a relaxing signature mini-facial.
Speaking of the face, ‘The Golden Dew’ is the highlight of the facial offering, with an impressive 90-minute option available. Here you’ll find even more trending beauty techniques, including jade roller-based massage that will leave your skin glowing and lifted. It’s combined with a full selection of Seed to Skin’s exfoliating, hydrating or detoxifying products, which are tailored personally to your skin type and goals.
What results can you expect?
Each of the Seed to Skin treatments at Carlton Tower Jumeirah are designed to transport you away from the busyness of London to a blissful half sleep that will have you dreaming of Tuscany’s fragrant floral fields. The results from the face and body treatments are immediate, with glowing skin from head-to-toe a real feature of the offering. That means you can leave with a healthy-looking radiance, without redness or any downtime.
Your skin will also look and feel more refreshed and hydrated, and you can continue to see the results by picking up your personalised Seed to Skin product recommendations from the spa post-treatment. You probably won’t be able to resist the Peace Probiotic Pink Clay Mask once you’ve tried it.
What is the aftercare advice?
You can walk out of the spa with your body knots taken care of and radiant skin from head-to-toe, with only a slight nourishing feeling of oil on your skin. It’s recommended you don’t shower or use steam rooms straight after the facials to get the most from the skincare ingredients, so if you have post-spa plans, simply ask the therapist not to touch your hair to keep it product-free. That said, you will miss out on a particularly stress-relieving head massage, so if you can arrange to simply go home and flop, you’ll probably have the best sleep you’ve had in a while.
Who is the Seed to Skin at Carlton Tower Jumeirah suitable for?
This is a spa experience that caters for almost everyone, including during pregnancy. A spa menu can feel quite limiting when you are expecting, but due to Seed to Skin’s considered and thorough offering, mums-to-be can still feel pampered. The facials can be tailored to suit your needs and the ‘Lady in Waiting’ ritual is not only a pregnancy-safe experience, but one that caters to common concerns during your trimesters. This includes gentle skin brushing to stimulate blood circulation and to buff away dry skin, followed by a foot and legs massage. There’s also a “Belly Facial”, focusing on the abdomen to help soften skin, and contribute to the prevention of stretch marks.
How many treatments do you need?
Each treatment is designed to be a stand-alone experience, with results visible from one session. That said, there’s the option to combine your facial and massage into one long ritual, which for ultimate relaxation we would more than recommend. You’ll leave the spa feeling like you are floating on a cloud.
Why is Seed to Skin at Carlton Tower Jumeirah ‘Tweak of the Week’ worthy?
True relaxation now awaits in Knightsbridge thanks to Seed to Skin’s top-to-toe rituals. What’s more, the rejuvenating experience doesn’t just decrease your stress levels, as the nourishing and soothing properties of the brand’s products make a noticeable difference to your skin – just in time for summer.
We predict that this won’t be the last we see of Seed to Skin in London spas, such is the demand for sustainable but results-driven beauty. So, by booking in now you’ll be able to get ahead of the all-but-guaranteed crowds.
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Any Questions or Tips to add?