Jessica Turner If only turning off the mind was as easy as turning on a tap.
Even with tranquil tunes and heavenly handiwork, relaxation and spa sessions aren’t always synonymous.
Thoughts such as: “What will I make for dinner?”, “OMG. I’m nekkid!”, “Will this treatment aggravate that eczema patch near my elbow?” reverberate through the consciousness. Well, mine anyway.
This is why Michelle Kokum, owner of Souls Temple, incorporates mindful meditation into her hydrotherapy treatments.
“It just slows you down so the whole hour’s about you,” she says. It’s about giving someone that space where they feel nothing else, except for that moment.”
Located in the heart of Newcastle, NSW, Souls Temple shares the same bricks and mortar, and similar zen vibes, as YogaBodyWorks.
It’s a chilly Saturday morning but the foyer is cosy. The light is soft, and so is the scent of aromatherapy oils.
When Michelle and her client emerge from a treatment room, they embrace in a hug before the client books in her next microdermabrasion appointment. Microdermarasion? In this establishment fit for the Dalai Lama?
Despite the bohemian feel, there’s a bevy of medispa procedures on the menu. MAX 7 LED Light Therapy is offered alongside naturopath-approved “juice facials” performed using a bio-compatible fellow Novocastrian brand.
Michelle is masterful in meshing together a mix of treatments to suit her clientele. She began her career managing the prestigious Golden Door Health Retreat, before being poached to oversee the opening of the Crown Plaza Spa, also in the Hunter Valley.
In 2003, she opened her own spa, daring to be different: “I don’t want to do what everyone else is doing. I want to have a healing retreat within Newcastle. I’m about giving back to people, giving people a sense of ‘I deserved that hour’,” she explains.
Souls Temple is one of only two spas in Newcastle offering hydrotherapy, so it’s no surprise that the Vichy shower is one of the most popular treatments.
The seven shower-heads (also found on freestanding Vichy showers) are enclosed in a capsule, reminiscent of a flotation tank. Besides enhancing a body scrub, the benefits of the Vichy shower include relaxation (because it simulates the feeling of floating on water) and lymphatic circulation, which boosts the immune system.
In a tranquil tone, Michelle says: “When you feel your mind wandering, just focus on your breathing.” She begins massaging in the scrub, which smells incredible – it has been infused with a blend of aromatherapy oils customised to soothe stress.
While the water heats, the capsule is charged with steam. Although a traditional Vichy shower treatment is set to body temperature, the weather is cold, so Michelle turns up the heat, ensuring a tranquil, rather than tepid time. Intuitive tweaks like this turn up the customer experience too.
The massage that follows is on a dry table, but the luxuriating effect of the Vichy shower is carried across. I fall asleep …
Stripping down for a body treatment is stressful enough, but feeling pressured to buy products post-treatment can take this tension to new terrain. So when I’m gifted with a glass of crisp champagne, not a sales pitch at the end of the treatment, I’m impressed.
“I’m not solely focused on retail. For me it’s all about the health and wellbeing of the client, and I prefer to educate them. Then it’s up to them if they want to take something home,” Michelle points out.
But when I wake up the next morning with an eczema free elbow, I’m sold on everything; mindfulness, Vichy showers, and the largest jar of whatever scrub she used!
