MAN was I in need of some pampering, and last Thursday pampering I received courtesy of the fabulous Danielle at the North London based salon, Natural Beauty Urban Retreat. The clue is in the name, but NBUR only use natural products for all their treatments, so I booked in for a pedicure and a Neal’s Yard Pure Radiance Wild Rose Facial that Danielle adapted to suit my crazily difficult, post-pregnancy skin.
We started with the pedicure so that my toes would have time to dry during the facial. Honestly if you had seen the state of my feet when I arrived you would’ve been truly *horrified* as I hadn’t done anything to them since before Teddy arrived (I kid you not), but Danielle got stuck in to getting them looking polished and pretty and thankfully she knows what she’s doing, so in no time at all I had feet to show off with dark red polish that was very Winter appropriate. I realise getting a pedicure in the Winter might seem like a strange thing to do, but pedicures are my ultimate indulgent treat and I always feel soooo much better when I have pampered feet. Plus I can now answer the door to the Postman without either hunting down a pair of socks or trying to angle my feet so they can’t be seen, so that’s handy…
Next up was my Neal’s Yard Pure Radiance Wild Rose Facial which consisted of an hour of beautifully scented oils and rubs with applied with long, massaging strokes; even though this was a facial with a purpose – to rebalance my skin and remove any signs of tension – it felt a lot more like a pampering treat that was just so relaxing and packed full of goodies designed to relax such as scalp massage, shoulder and neck rubs, and there’s also a foot cleanse included but I didn’t have it as I was leaving my toe polish to dry.
Natural Beauty Urban Retreat is based in LA Fitness in Muswell Hill, N10. The salon itself consists of two treatment rooms that are gently decorated so the finish is welcoming and clean without being too harsh or sterile. Danielle is also lovely and very easy to talk, but most importantly she’s extremely good at her treatments and definitely knows what she’s doing; both the cuticle work on my horridly neglected toes (sorry for that lovely imagery) and the massage pressure during the massage elements of my facial were spot on and completed to a very high level. The treatments available at NBUR are what I’d call “Old School” as they’re how pampering treatments used to be; I think we’re all to results-driven with beauty nowadays and have traded uncomfortable procedures for those that pamper with the idea that they’re money better spent, but it’s quite surprising just how much of a difference an hour of facial massage and relaxation can have on skin; I was left with a wonderfully balanced and refreshed face, a look that is extremely hard to achieve considering my new mum status and it lasted for a good few days post-treatment; I will be definitely be going back for more soon!
More info on Natural Beauty Urban Retreat can be found here – link – where you can find the treatment/price list and contact details for the salon. Danielle is currently offering a 20 minute taster facial along with a skin analysis for free, so if you’re looking to dip your toe in then that’s the way to do it.
*PR Appointment
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