By Lynnette Lounsbury
Gwinganna. Even the word has the power to lower my blood pressure.
If you haven’t heard about it yet, Gwinganna is an ecotourism certified Lifestyle Retreat set in the mountains of the Tallebudgera Valley in Queenslands, a short drive from the Gold Coast airport. It greats the sunrise over the coast every morning, is nestled into a rainforest and your stay combines organic living, guided movement and relaxation classes, organic nutritionally curated food from their own gardens and the largest spa in the Southern Hemisphere.
The Gwinganna Spa Sanctuary is an incredibly beautiful experience. The elevated circular deck allows nature into the spa and means that every one of the 33 rooms is connected to the rainforest. The rooms are custom designed for the treatments, some with showers or baths to enhance wrap and scrub treatments, other dark and cosy for the more spiritual, energetic experiences. There is a wellness lounge with the latest infrared sauna, massage chair and a Somadome Meditation Pod, as well as the Crystal Steam Room, a deep, darkened steam room that opens into an outdoor shower. Being in the spa is its own therapy. Herbal tea is on tap, birds and wallabies wander around the edges and you may even be greeted, as I was, by Pete the Peacock who sits at the 12-foot mirrored front doors to gaze at his own reflection.
The spa is a Vanessa Megan Naturaceuticals partner and so their facial menu, which is extensive and really quite enjoyable reading for a health and beauty nerd like me, is a collection of curated skin treatments that will serve anyone’s needs. One of the many things I love about the spa is the fact that while the staff are more than happy for you to choose whatever you would like from the menu, they will also help you diagnose your skin and body needs so that you can choose wisely. I wanted something dynamic, something resurfacing and something to reboot tired skin. I’m a long-time devotee of VM products so my skin is resilient enough to take on the more active of their offerings and the wellness consultant recommends their exclusive Gwinganna Cryo Facelift.
My therapist is Jan, who I am told repeatedly is not only Gwinganna spa’s “treasure”, but one of the most experienced therapists on the coast. She greats me at the spa lounge and as we walk to her treatment room, she asks me about my skin, my care routine and what I would like to get out of the treatment. I give her my unrealistic expectations (ten years younger) and she tempers them with good humour (three years younger!). Jan’s treatment room is exquisite. Decorated with flickering candles, local flowers and ferns and the incredible smells of the VM products lined up on her shelves. As I lie down, she talks me through the treatment in advance. She likes to do this so that once the treatment begins, her client can completely relax into the moment. She also gives me a beautiful scent experience based on my essential oil preferences.
The Cryo Facelift is a dynamic, 100% natural skin resurfacing treatment. It uses potent active ingredients at high concentrations to immediately change the texture of the skin. It involves a double cleanse, a vigorous exfoliation and the application of pure vitamin C to naturally heat the skin and induce immediate collagen synthesis. By this point my skin is tingling and I can feel the heat in it. Jan then used a Cryo Ice Cube Serum, a frozen block of serum that rapidly cools the skin and floods the warm, vulnerable cells with nutrient rich ingredients known to repair, and hydrate the skin. This allows for skin cell regeneration, plumping, brightening and lifting. She does this twice and massages in the serum leaving it on my skin while before adding a Gold and Lime Caviar sheet mask to seal in the moisture while she massages my hands, feet and head. Everyone knows this is the best part of any facial, and Jan’s ability to find the parts of my face, neck and head that need to relax is unparalleled. I am in a stupor by the time she comes back to mist and rehydrate my skin with VM’s Auric serum and the rich Aeon Azure regenerative crème. To say my skin is glowing isn’t even a blithe exaggeration. It is pink, clear and incredibly smooth and it stays that way for days. Jan’s knowledge of skin and skincare is incredible and she diagnoses what I need to do to keep my face in this sort of glow state by helping me re-curate my skincare routine into something more streamlined and targeted.
It is by far the most effective facial skincare treatment I have ever had, and I would recommend it for any skin type that wasn’t currently inflamed or sensitive. I would recommend Jan for anyone who wanted a comprehensive skin analysis and a carefully curated skin regime.
The products:
Petitgrain Ph Balancing Cream Cleanser
Rose Hydrosol Pore Refining Toner
Prebiotic & C Skin Polishing Exfoliator
Pure Vitamin C (spa only treatment. You can achieve a similar result at home by leaving your exfoliating powder on as a mask for 10-15 minutes.
Cryo Facelift Ice Cube Treament
Gold & Lime Caviar Coconut Membrane Mask
Auric 24K Gold and Wild Herb Radiance Serum
Aeon Azure Regenerative Night Repair Creme
Copper and Rose Firming Eye Cream
Mandarin & Basil Organic Lip Balm
VM offers a specialised treatment pack to do this amazing treatment at home – The Cryo Resurfacing Extreme Polar Temperature Treatment. Note: you will have to be your own Jan.