It is a new year and the start has everyone reflecting on what they can do to make it a great one. As usual, wellness is heavy on people’s minds and that includes treatments that leaves you feeling better than when you came in, which has brought me to NuLife today.
This is a spa that opened 3 months ago in the West Broadway area. They focus on the trendy head massages I have been seeing, popping on my social media feed. You may have seen them too, a specialty half ring shower head with individual streams designed to offer the scalp a thorough washing. So I was curious to experience it for myself and report on the outcome here.
Marketed as a Health Spa NuLife offers a variety of services listed under the categories of Premium Head Spa, Skin Care, Body Therapy, and Health Therapy. This session I would opt in for the Deluxe Spa package to be able to try a bit from each category. 2.5 hours of pure bliss that flowed well into one another, and I would recommend doing as I did below.
The Deluxe Spa Package includes Premium Head Spa, Hydra Smooth Facial, and Essential Oil Back Massage with Hot Stones; conducted in the ascending order.
You check-in and are directed to one of their sectioned off spaces. Not an individual room, but one given privacy through curtained walls. There are individual session rooms and ones shared for couples.
I was invited to disrobe and dawn a terry cloth wrap towel that had a cartoon rabbit face on its front and an easy Velcro closure.
The entire experience was by way of the attendant’s expertise. No intake form, no probing questions. She accessed my skin, took note of my scalp, and felt out what needed to be worked on my neck and back; then attentively went to work.
We started with the Essential Oil Back Massage. It promises “to help dredge your meridians, improve blood circulation throughout the body, promote the discharge of toxins, relieve fatigue, and reduce muscle tension. That after the treatment, you will feel truly relaxed, refreshed, and completely revitalized”, as per their website.
Warm towels that clean to start, followed by heated packs to further relax. The massage itself isn’t restorative like that of an RMT, but regenerative. Soothing, top tissue work, while targeting pain points. Forceful, but gentle enough that I could sleep through it, if I tired hard enough. However that could just be me with my higher pain tolerance, and being use to all the knots I have in my neck and back between my workouts and extended sitting from the start of school.
I just could have used more heat from the towel or the pack, but definitely got it from the hot stones. Large, round, and flat sanded tones used to dig deeper than the balls of fingers and the bone of the forearm could. The sound of them clacking together reverberated into my chest. Their weight then allowed to rest along my spine, my skin absorbing what remained of their heat.
Neck, shoulder, back, and arms got plenty of attention, each side done evenly. She ended at the hip, offering some chops to them and the lower back. This treatment does not include legs and feet.
When done I was asked to flip over and the massage table with built-in cushions was converted into a basin with a plastic headrest. Thus began the facial portion of my session.
Admittedly I don’t have a skin care routine and one of my new year’s resolution is to find myself one for healthy skin in years to come. I typically just wash my face, so getting a treatment that included over 12 steps (before I lost count) was unbelievable. I was informed that I had sensitive skin that was dry and the treatment below was curated to treat that.
The Hydra Smooth Facial is described on their website as a “treatment that employs techniques and instruments to deliver luxurious and effective moisturizing and collagen ampoule nutrients directly into the deeper layers of the skin after exfoliation and deep cleansing. This process effectively nourishes and repairs the skin, restoring its moisture and elasticity”.
Gentle and agile fingers cleansed, scrubbed, washed, toned, massaged, and moisturized; an alternation of creams and tincture with wet pads meant to clean in between. There was even the scraping of pores from the nose, under the bottom lip, and in between the eyebrows. All while the temples and cheeks were massaged and pressure points around the eye sockets were pushed.
I was then given a face mask as we moved into the head spa portion. The chilled cloth mask stayed on for the majority of the hair treatment with additional serum being painted on over the mask and then under it, right on the skin.
The best part of getting your hair dyed and washed at the salon is having your scalp massages in the process and this was 60 minutes of that. My short hair made this a quick and easy process.
As per their website, “The premium head spa treatment combines various massage techniques, nourishing oils, and targeted products, allowing you to indulge in pure enjoyment and relaxation. This treatment helps clear the meridians in your head and promotes blood circulation, restoring vitality. It aids in expelling residual chemicals from your scalp, improving the scalp environment for better health. Additionally, it addresses issues such as split ends, tangles, and lack of lustre, resulting in healthier, fuller hair.”
The Head Spa involves deep cleaning, detoxing, and massaging to nourish the scalp and hair. It incorporates NuLife’s exclusive massage techniques with organic products to stimulate blood flow and promote healthy hair growth, which is something I actually need, as years of bleaching my hair blonde has damaged it and I have been seeing a lot of breakage and bangs that I did not ask for.
Worth mentioning is that for longer hair that extends beyond elbow length, an additional fee of $20 will be applied to accommodate the extended service time and additional product usage required for it.
The treatment consists of the regular scrubbing of the scalp with shampoo, conditioners, serums, and after care. The scrub is treated like a head massage with rinses from the hose head and speciality ring shower in between. The former provides more pressure, and the latter is a great show, especially with rotating colours. The closely set streams of water means every part of the scalp is treated ear to ear as the ring moves from the base of the neck to the forehead. It does not actually massage, but greatly assists in the rinsing process.
As the conditioner is allowed to sit, the face mask is removed and the facial completed with what felt like more toner, more tinctures, and plenty of layered moisturize massaged in.
The hair is then washed cleaned, blown dry, and a special stone shaped octopus tool with stubby legs is used to massage the scalp. This is said to alleviate the client of any headaches by activating blood flow, and can help with hair growth, along with a minty tingling spray that was applied at the root of the hair and rubbed in.
The conclusion and result of all three treatments was the most I relaxed I have felt in a long while. Decreased tension in my shoulders, more mobility in my neck, glowing and dewy skin, and bouncy soft hair that shined.
This was certainly a great way to start the new year and I can and will recommend the full upper body treatment to anyone who asks. Not only does this serve as a treat and regular indulgence for a well being, but can also serve as the pregame to a fancy event or a special night.
NuLife Beauty Health Spa
3270 W Broadway, Vancouver, BC V6K 2H4
(604) 670-8882
nulifespa.com
