Blog

We asked Cowshed's product formulator Oliya to tell us a bit about the newest addition to our Indulge mood - a bath & body oil - and a little bit more about its hero ingredient, Borage seed oil.

‘Indulge is one of our most popular fragrance moods – it’s a beautiful, floriental, spicy fragrance. A lot of women were asking for a complimentary oil to bathe in, to use on their skin and for massages – basically to complete their ritual. There was a real demand, so we met it! This particular oil has such a heady, romantic, intensely feminine and sensual fragrance… we wanted to try to bring back that sense of taking time for yourself - think Cleopatra, or the golden age of Hollywood, just making bathing into a ritual again.

Of all our senses, smell is the strongest and that’s why this oil is so powerful. It is a 100% natural, bespoke blend of floral oils that interact with the parfum - which comes from Rose Absolute, Mandarin Oil and Palmarosa Oil - to create a unique composition. It warms on the skin, gradually releasing the different layers of scent – you might pick up on the spicy heat of clove oil, while sweet almond will intensely moisturise without leaving the skin feeling greasy.'

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Sam Reynolds runs an online resource for those adjusting to life after cancer at www.samspaces.co.uk and runs the monthly support group Safespaces. We asked her to put our new Jennifer Young spa treatment for people living with and beyond cancer to the test. Here's what she thought:

'Self-care becomes quite the priority after a cancer diagnosis, but when it comes to spa treatments we can feel more stressed out than blissed out.

For patients and survivors, simply completing the questionnaire pretreatment can bring on a panic attack, let alone the thought of having to strip down to our M&S t-shirt bras and undies! When it comes to ticking boxes and adding further details to having had any of the ‘medical conditions listed below’, there is a sharp intake of breath and in my case about three sides of A4 paper!

For anyone affected by cancer, the word ‘treatment’ itself can often be associated with all things chemo and radio and any patient will tell you that the idea of massage and facials can feel like a form of psychological torture after surgery. After two of my three breast cancer diagnosis, I was refused a facial because I was still taking the maintenance drug tamoxifen. What a treat indeed! And once again, the complexities of life after cancer are never ending.

However, the idea of a few hours to myself in London to sample a new spa treatment, specifically designed for those affected with or post cancer, after eight weeks of school holidays, made me feel slightly light headed. After three uninterrupted chapters of my book, a coffee so hot there was actually steam coming off it, a little sniff around my favourite shops and a salute to the mother ship that is Liberty’s, I arrived in Carnaby Street and skipped into the most stylish shed ever (and not a cow pat in sight!)'

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We are delighted to introduce a specialised menu of therapies to our UK spas developed with Jennifer Young, for those living with and beyond cancer. An associate member of the Royal Society of Medicine, beauty therapist and innovative product formulator, Jennifer has combined her extensive knowledge and experience to develop the treatments which include a Rejuvenating Facial, Balance Body & Mind Massage, Indulgent Massage, Manicure and Pedicure. We talked to Jennifer to discover how she came to create her own skincare line for cancer patients and what drives her.

‘About 7 years ago my local hospital asked me to create a skincare range for cancer patients. My background was as a scientist; my first degree was in biology, I’ve got a postgraduate degree in occupational health and I’ve got a further post graduate degree in law. I was accepted by the courts as an expert witness and was working in that space which combines health, the environment and law. I was retraining as a massage therapist, aromatherapist, product formulator and beauty therapist. I didn’t know anything about cancer patients or why they would want different products, but I was honoured to be invited and I really like to learn so off I went to the chemo ward.

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Planning a trip to Istanbul? Make sure you include a visit to the Cowshed spa at Soho House Istanbul - it'll be exactly what you need to relax and revive after a day's sightseeing. You'll fine it on the ground floor of the Glass Building part of the House. Open to both members and non-members, it has five treatment rooms, two hamam rooms, six mani-pedi stations, a men’s grooming area, a blow dry bar and a Cowshed shop. Banu Ozin is Cowshed Istanbul's manager and shared what makes her spa - and city - so special.

'I’ve been working in the hospitality business for 20 years, including 15 years in fine dining restaurants in South Beach Miami. I moved back to Istanbul four years ago and was working in Soho House Istanbul as Floor Manager before I started managing the spa.'

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Cowshed's Product Development Manager Oliya Kalashnikova is the powerhouse behind our products, sourcing plant extracts and essential oils from around the world that can deliver amazing benefits to skin and hair, as well as lifting your spirits with beautiful fragrances. A fan of all things natural (including the mug of herbal tea that's always brewing on her desk),  she told us about one of her favourite ingredients, Sea Buckthorn Oil, which is the hero of our Mother range.

‘I’m really glad we’re finally speaking about Sea Buckthorn Oil because we use it a lot but we don’t talk about how amazing it is! I’m from Russia and we’ve used it as a supplement, as food and as tea forever. It has so many benefits and it’s an ancient ‘super oil’ that was used in ancient Greece and is even mentioned in Tibetan healing texts – they refer to it as ‘oil of gold’. It’s widely used in Indian Ayurvedic medicine too.

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As Cowshed turns 20 this summer, we've been thinking about how our own approach to beauty has changed over the years. And because there's nothing better than snooping through someone else's bathroom cabinet or make-up bag, we asked Julia Rebaudo of one of our favourite lifestyle blogs Stylonylon to share her own beauty story, from her first forays to what's currently on sink-side rotation.

'My beauty story started like many of my peers back in the early 90s: a young teenager delighting in the fresh, wholesome new joys of The Body Shop’s enticing range of skincare products, shaking up the beauty industry and rocking our worlds. My early beauty forays having consisted mainly of my Mum’s heavy white Nivea creams in tins with foil sealants were fast replaced with the bubble-filled fun of my very first Passion Fruit cleanser – a smell I will never forget!

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In 1998 a very British beauty brand was born deep in the Somerset countryside. If you've ever wondered why we are called Cowshed, there's a simple reason: we opened our very first spa in the old cowshed at Babington House, Somerset in 1998. The products that were used in the spa treatments and bedrooms at Babington were made using ingredients from the Victorian walled garden on the estate and those are the very same products that you can buy and enjoy at home today. The original scents - or 'moods' were created by master perfumer Richard Howard but the whole idea originated with Soho House founder Nick Jones. Here's the Cowshed story in his own words...

‘There was always a plan to have a spa at Babington House, it was just a question of where it was going to go. After looking at all the options it ended up in the old cowshed where the cows used to live. The Cowshed was the obvious name to call the spa because I never try and do a tricky name, I always try and use a name which is simple.

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No trip to Soho House Barcelona is complete without a trip downstairs to the Cowshed spa.  Based on a traditional Spanish pharmacy, with typical Catalan vaulted ceilings and glazed tiles, the space features a tranquil pool, four treatment rooms, and our signature comfy mani/pedi chairs. Manager Helena Bosch explains what makes her particular Cowshed so special...

'I’m half Dutch and half Spanish and I’ve been working the hotel industry for 13 years, with four of those in spas and wellness. I love living in Barcelona, going to the gym and exploring new restaurants in the city.

Our spa has the most beautiful indoor pool with a traditional Catalan ceiling and a very peaceful atmosphere. Our most popular treatment is the Cowshed Moody Massage and our most popular product is Cow Pit deodorant. What makes Cowshed different to other spas is the approach we take to our clients. We are very friendly, familiar with and close to our guests. We like calling our guests by their names and offering them tailor made treatments.'

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We sent Grazia Beauty Editor Hannah Coates to try out our new bespoke body treatment. Here's her verdict.

'There’s very few of us nowadays who aren’t feeling constantly stressed with tense shoulders, rigid backs and clenched fists to match. With very little respite day to day, sometimes it’s essential to put time aside, book in for a treatment and totally let the world go – scheduled relaxation really can work and I found it at Destination Relaxation, Cowshed. And luckily for me, the new Bespoke Body Treatment was on the menu.

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