Caroline Phillips

Journalism

Caroline Phillips
“Caroline Phillips is a tenacious and skilful writer with a flair for high quality interviewing and a knack for making things work.”

Caroline Phillips

Journalism

All Health, Beauty & Spa articles

Our review of a facial with Vaishaly

Queen of Retreats | 7 Sep 2016

Vaishaly (like Madonna and Brad, she’s known only by her first name) is a superfacialist who works with your energy, reading your unique energy ‘signature’ and using her intuition and magic hands (plus her own brand organic products). Her treatment includes a facial massage, cranial techniques, Reiki and manual lymphatic drainage. It’s a holistic approach that takes you to heaven and back – without moving from her Marylebone clinic with its flickering candles and serene Buddhas. She has a three-month waiting list – but it’s worth the wait.


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Experience a treatment journey at the Coach House Spa

The Luxury Channel | 10 Apr 2016

The English countryside, a glass architect and a massage. What do they have in common? This is what I discover when I have a treatment in the Coach House Spa, at Beaverbrook, the luxury country estate hotel near Leatherhead, England. The Coach House was previously used for the Bentleys of the then-owner of the property, the late press baron and politician, Lord Beaverbrook. There’s little to remind of that time, given the spa’s water-blue, fern-green and poppy-red tiles and golden-leaves-on-sky stained glass skylights by Brian Clarke, creator of the world’s most monumental stained glass works. A scheme by the glass architect that evokes English country fields and water or looks like a psychedelic trip on the Underground, depending on your point of view.


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Amaveda Detox Retreat

Our Man on the Ground | 29 Feb 2016

Anyone for Abhyanga in East Sussex? Or perhaps a little Charshana? Or maybe some Panchakarma? In other words, anyone for “dry brushing of the body”, “self-oiling” or “the yogic system of detoxification”. I’m easing myself into a gentle detox. I’m not existing on gulps of air or sips of lemon water. Or even colonics. But rather on Ayurvedic practices, mindfully cooked food, yoga and oodles of downtime. I’m on an Amaveda Detox.


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My Personal Sanctuary review: roaming therapists, UK

Queen of Retreats | 5 Feb 2016

The quick read: This lovely company organises spa therapists to come to your own home or five star holiday homes anywhere in the UK outside of London. They have hundreds of high-end therapists on their books, do training and secret shopping to maintain standards, and use products by Neal’s Yard Remedies, which smell great and are effective. You can buy an amount of time and mix and match the treatments to your needs – from deep tissue massage to facials and hand and feet pampering treats. It’s great for parties, family get togethers, hen nights and corporate jollies.


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QMS Skincare popup at Liberty, London

Our Man on the Ground | 11 Dec 2015

If you’re tired of Christmas shopping and longing to be pampered, hotfoot it to the QMS Skincare Spa pop up in Liberty, London. The treatment rooms are on the first floor, a hidden world (think The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) behind a door at the rear of the shoe department. Boasting a gently clinical vibe and classical music, the rooms are simple and white-on-white – with white-clad therapists who look after you beautifully. (A hand and shoulder massage comes with the facial.)


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Mindful movement (and cake) in the Atlas Mountains

Queen of Retreats | 6 Dec 2015

The quick read: Satvada Retreats’ 5-day yoga, mindfulness meditation and walking retreat runs on set dates throughout the year and is based at a kasbah at Tahanaout, in the spectacular foothills of the Atlas Mountains. The vibe is gentle, mindful and uncompetitive, so these retreats suit beginners just as much as they do the experienced practitioner. The accommodation is traditional – in a serene setting – and the food rustic and good, including cake and wine if you want it. There are superb guided walks, a hammam (with so-so massages) or it’s just a 30-minute drive from Marrakech for the souk. You’re almost guaranteed to come back from the holiday feeling inspired and restored.


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‘I tried sensory therapy for my past trauma’

Healthista | 9 Nov 2015

There was that time my house was hit by a tornado when I was at home. And then there was my physically and emotionally abusive childhood, at the hands of my mentally ill mother. Yes, I’m a good subject for trauma therapy. But actually nearly everybody has suffered trauma. You don’t have to be a war veteran or a survivor of incest or of a car crash. Even seemingly benign experiences can be traumatic for some – it depends on your attitude – from that nasty knee surgery to root canal treatment at the dentist or a ride on a roller-coaster.


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Uspaah – the personal spa concierge for those too busy to visit a spa

Our Man on the Ground | 25 Oct 2015

Don’t want to leave your hotel room? Want something special in your office? Or don’t want to have to drive home from the spa after a relaxing massage? Can’t be bothered to get your pedi done in the nail bar down the road? Like to do a his and hers spa chez vous? Then USPAAH is your new personal spa concierge, bringing a spa to your door. It’s a new app that offers high-end beauty treatments from ‘spaahristas’ – think tip-top mobile beauticians – who arrive Uber-style at a tap of your finger and within the hour.


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Ever wondered what actually happens when you see a life coach? Here’s exactly what happened when our writer went to see one

Healthista | 20 Oct 2015

Midgie Thompson ran her first marathon eleven months after being hit by glandular fever — call it mind over matter. And I entered my first triathlon, then age 48 and unfit, under her tutelage — and still made the finishing line. But she also helps everyone from students to perform well in exams to clients who need support in completing, say, a business project or healthy work/life balance. Or people who want to change job.


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