On Retreat…
To retreat, from the Old French ‘retrete’ meaning to ‘draw back’ literally to take ‘a step backward’ – from the military practice of withdrawing troops to enable them to recover from battle, to rest and replenish so that they may live to fight another day…
Find Your Balance Retreat, Atlas Mountains, Morrocco February 2024
Having been invited some months prior to bring a facial and massage menu to the Atlas Mountains in February 2024, I was excited because I knew that this would bring something unique and truly special to the treatment room.
Part of the attraction of working in unusual places for me, is that very often they present the most beautiful challenge - working in warmer often extremely hot climates, a brighter light, and having to adapt equipment and furniture, only having access to the treatment room on arrival...but with this comes often a treatment room that is closer to nature and usually the most spectacular views.
These hidden spaces, with wooden chairs, ceramic floors and open windows overlooking
views of mountains with the wildest birdsong, were a source of inspiration and facilitated a deeper connection to the healing nature of touch therapies, no one day can ever be the same in these places. What I loved about the treatment room on this occasion is that when I first arrived it was a hotel room – a sky dome in fact - set apart from the rest of the complex but after some creative adjustment, by the time I had started my first facial – it was a dedicated area, as if it had always been intended as a place of withdrawal from the everyday, for deep rest and rejuvenation.
As you may know, I work in 3’s – for me it simplifies the decision-making process and facilitates mental clarity. I designed a collection of 3 treatments;
Find Your Balance Retreat Facial - incorporating Zone Face Lift*, also known as the spiritual
face lift, a deeply relaxing and restorative facial that promotes meditative rest and includes facial massage, Indian Head Massage, acupressure points, facial reflexology, gua sha techniques and facial cupping (a gentle and non-abrasive facial technique using soft silicone cups), with additional meditation and breathwork techniques.
Find Your Balance Ultimate Calm - combining a calming and restorative back massage followed by Zone Face Lift* facial with breathwork, meditation and Indian Head Massage.
Find Your Balance Massage - a restorative Therapeutic massage with acupressure techniques and breathwork to promote a sense of calm and emotional resilience.
It was a dream I had envisioned to work on Retreats... and you take the risk every time you accept such an offer, that connection might not take place in the way you desire.
The response blew me away. I felt not only connected to the environment I was working in and inspired by it but also that each unique individual that entered the room, left feeling transformed, restored and revived. I think that I have learnt that when you do something with love, that love transforms the energy that you are working with and adds a spark of light…it’s there in the quiet moments, that the magic happens…the glide of a palm across a brow that smooths it over and pads of fingers on an acupressure point that calms the thinking mind…the coolness of the gua sha against a warm cheek – it’s there – where the magic truly happens.
For reviews of the treatments offered on this Retreat please visit queenbeebeautiful.com/corporatedaysandretreats. To book a treatment with me or book me for your Retreat please contact laura@queenbeebeautiful.com.
Find Your Balance Retreat Morocco February 2024 was an Ashtanga and Restorative Yin Yoga Retreat by Sarah Vaughn (theyogahutch.com) and Becky Pell (aka rocknroll yogi).
*Zone Face Lift facial is entirely the unique creation of Ziggie Bergman.
댓글