Let’s Glow at Sensaura Day Spa
Sensaura Day Spa’s Gua Sha Glow facial – inspired by ancient Chinese techniques and using active organic products to nourish the skin – is a holistic treat for the senses that’ll leave you glowing both inside and out, discovers Rebecca Jamieson Dwyer.
I have two small children and get by on very little sleep, so I’m pretty sure the last time someone described me as ‘glowing’ was circa 2019 (thank you, pregnancy hormones!).
I also have zero time for self-care, so it’s fair to say that the morning I arrive at the beautiful Sensaura Day Spa just off Hastings Street in Bay Village, I’m feeling pretty frazzled.
Clocking my flustered vibe, the lovely reception team usher me out to the leafy terrace, present me with a cup of antioxidant-filled tea, and kindly but firmly implore me to relax.
Soothed by Sensaura’s tranquil surroundings, nature-inspired tones and soft music, I take some slow, deep breaths and try to get out of my head and sink back into my body in order to truly appreciate the experience.
Lead therapist Neryl has an incredibly calming presence, and she talks me through the treatment I’m booked in for today – one of the spa’s new experiences, the Gua Sha Glow facial.
Using the traditional Chinese jade stone tool, this facial combines ancient techniques with high performance organic products for an experience that encourages lymphatic drainage and visibly brightens, lifts and sculpts the skin. Count me in!
Each of Sensaura’s treatment rooms are named after local wild places, and Neryl leads me into Doonella, named after Tewantin’s Lake Doonella. I sink onto the comfortable bed, enveloped by the blanket and the dim calm of the room, as she begins gently cleansing my skin with a heavenly chamomile oil cleanser that’s as nourishing as it is fragrant.
I tell her about my busy home life, and she lights up. “Oh, I’m so excited for you to be experiencing this today!” she exclaims. “It’s exactly what you need. As women, we often do so much for other people, so I’m glad the next 90 minutes will be all about me taking care of you.”
After removing all traces of my makeup, Neryl applies a tingly enzyme cleanser with papaya to gently activate cellular renewal and remove dead skin cells, before gently exfoliating my face in a circular motion with a barley grass and jojoba bead exfoliant to really ramp up the glow. She pats a brightening Kakadu Plum vitamin C serum over my face, neck and decolletage, as I breathe in the gorgeous aromas and drift off into a blissful reverie.
While the ingredients are doing their thing, Neryl focuses on my shoulders, arms and hands, gently squeezing out the tension I’ve been holding in my shoulders and upper arms and giving me a divine hand and scalp massage, before working her magic on my legs and feet.
Sensaura exclusively uses Synthesis products – high-performance, cruelty-free, Certified Organic skincare that’s created in Byron Bay from the highest quality natural ingredients, containing bio-actives for clinically proven results.
“Many natural skincare products are beautiful and nourishing but don’t actually work to improve the skin, but we know that Synthesis does – and that’s what our clients want,” Neryl explains.
Prepping my skin with an antioxidant-rich moisturiser, Neryl gently glides the gua sha tool across the contours of my face, expertly lifting and massaging the skin as she goes.
I was expecting this part to feel intense, but in her expert hands the stone has the lightest touch, feeling subtle and relaxing while still working incredibly effectively to increase blood flow and revitalise the complexion.
As I float out of the treatment room and look in the mirror, there’s no denying it – this girl’s got glow!
My skin looks more plump and radiant than it has in years, with a hydration and even texture that lingers all week.
Sensaura’s Gua Sha Glow is really so much more than just a facial – it’s a holistic experience that encourages you to relax from head to toe, leaving you feeling nourished and glowy, inside and out.
If, like me, you need to get better at carving out time for self-care and want to treat yourself to the ultimate pampering experience, then what are you waiting for? Ready, set, glow!
