Citizen Femme’s tried-and-tested beauty treatment review series, covers the CF team’s recommendations for facials, massages, aesthetics, and everything in between.
For this week’s review, fashion editor Gemma Louise Deeks visited Grey Wolfe in West London’s Barnes, a luxury private members’ club dedicated to wellbeing and longevity to try their pregnancy offering.
What is Grey Wolfe?
You’ll find this holistic wellness destination standing proud – yet unassuming – on the corner of Barnes’ leafy, upmarket White Hart Lane. Undergoing a transformation from a salon to an alternative wellness spa earlier this year, this chic space offers the healing power of solitude with exclusive use for whoever has booked in for a treatment, and is a different vibe from London’s often-busy hotel spas.
The mission at Grey Wolfe is to align the five life pillars, which they define as physical, mental, spiritual, social and emotional. The aim: to deliver improved health and longevity through a series of personalised BioHealth programmes in a membership package designed to fit individuals goals. Expect everything from biotechnology like the use of the Infra Red Sauna and Biocharger to holistic treatments such as energy healing and sound therapy – it really is a 360° approach to the mind, body and soul.
What is Pregnancy BioHarmony?
At 20 weeks pregnant with twins, I was keen to try Grey Wolfe’s Pregnancy BioHarmony package, which allows mothers-to-be to enjoy a series of nourishing (and baby-safe) treatments as part of their pregnancy journey. I was coming out the other end of a particularly hard first trimester and some pregnancy-induced stress, so restoring the balance was exactly what the doctor ordered.
The Lepidolite Pregnancy Membership Package allows you to disconnect from the outside world and the pressures of looming motherhood with private use of the beautiful Grey Wolfe space and zero distractions. Paying a set fee per month, you’ll have access to two hands-on treatments per month, four Rebalance Impulse sessions per month and wellness check-in consultations to help maintain the best possible wellbeing during pregnancy.
Tried and tested: what treatments did you have?
As I entered Grey Wolfe, all my current stresses melted away. Perhaps it was the impeccably chic and minimalist interiors, or the calming aura of the staff member that greeted me. Leaving my shoes at the door as a way to feel grounded, I started my afternoon lying on a heat marble bed with a questionnaire that allowed the therapists to get to know me better. I was then led to a calming treatment room downstairs, where my therapist started a 75-minute pregnancy-safe massage attuned to how I was feeling that day. For me, anxiety was a new second trimester symptom, and elements of sound healing were used throughput the treatment for extra relaxation. I relaxed so hard I was definitely asleep by the mid-way point, a mixture of the natural massage oil and the soothing techniques of the therapists hands.
Next, it was time to try out the Rebalance Impulse technology, in a private room with a large comfy bed. The technique combines bespoke light therapy, breathwork, guided mental imagery, mindfulness training, sound therapy and neuro-meditation exercises to take your mental wellbeing to new heights. Your therapist will take you through a new questionnaire that gages how you are feeling, which then recommends a programme based on your answers, from sleep aid and anxiety to cognitive performance and refined concentration. I (like most pregnant women) had been struggling with interrupted sleep patterns, so my 25 minute programme guided me through mediation that would help improve my sleep quality. A small head device that monitored my brain wave frequencies was applied and I was left to relax for the next half an hour.
Afterwards the qualified psychologist, a specialist in cognitive behavioural therapy, talked me through the results of the findings, and it was clear relaxation and breathing was something I needed to work on. She recommended tuning into some full body scan meditations on YouTube in the future to improve this going forward.
The verdict
This was my chance to have a peaceful few hours to myself, with no pregnancy worries and the opportunity to tune into what my mind, and body, needed. I left feeling thoroughly rested, and slept amazingly that night. For London mummas-to-be, this is your place to take time out and reward yourself – pregnancy is hard work.
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