Blog

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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Lucy Quick is a travel writer, mother to Nina and Editor at The Ned, the hotel and members' club in the City of London from Soho House. We asked her to try SkinCeuticals' latest release and share her findings...

'Is there anyone better to test a new SkinCeuticals product that a Knackered Cow - sorry, I mean, knackered mum? I think not. So, when Phoebe, Cowshed’s editor, asked me to road test SkinCeuticals' new Glycolic 10 Renew Overnight I practically bit her hand off.

I’m all for natural and organic products, but when it comes to my face, months of broken sleep (thanks to my teething toddler) have left me in need of some definite tightening and brightening, which is exactly what this promises to do. The main ingredients are 10% Glycolic Free Acid and 2% Phytic acid, which are designed to improve texture, radiance and overall glow. Just to flag from the outset – some sensitive types might need time to get used to the (wonderful) glycolic acid, so use this every other night for a week while your skin adjusts, after which you can slap it on daily.

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Emily Johnston aka Fashion Foie Gras is one of the original style bloggers and has been sharing her love of fashion, food and travel with her readership since 2009. This all-American girl hails from South Carolina but lives in London and as anyone who follows her blog or Instagram @fashionfoiegras will know, she spends a LOT of time on planes, trains and boats, documenting it all in colourful images with snappy captions that reveal a positivity and passion for life that never fails to inspire her followers. With her non-stop schedule, we thought she'd make the perfect candidate to put our new bespoke facial to the test, so we sent her for a spot of R & R at our Selfridges spa. Here's what she thought...

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‘I remembered going to Babington House when it opened and how amazing Cowshed was and the natural, ethical, healing message that the spa, when it was created, gave. The products being natural, British made. I liked the heritage so I said I’d like to meet the guys and chat. They wanted to look at updating things, so I spent a couple of months doing some secret shopping, chatting with the therapists, spending time with Jessica and Amie, trying to establish how we could move forward and if I could help.

My spa experiences have always been holistic and hands on, very different to any other salon environment. What came up was there was a need for change, to make Cowshed a future destination for spas. As great as it is and how it works, let’s just revamp it a bit. I gave a few proposals for what I thought needed to be done to make it a more bespoke service. It was about making it very personalised, adding signature elements onto everything. Then it was a case of supporting the training of all the therapists, adding a bespoke approach to make the journey of the clients’ facial, skincare, body treatment very specific to them.

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Introducing our Group Head of Spas, Amie Jones, the original Cowgirl...

'I joined Cowshed in 2005, about six months after Clarendon Cross opened as our first London spa. I was asked whether I’d be interested in going to work with the team at Clarendon Cross as assistant manager. The Electric had opened on Portobello so there was definitely a lot going on with Soho House. Back then Cowshed was quite unknown. People who went to Babington House or Soho House New York definitely knew of it and it had its following but I still remember getting on the tube with my Cowshed shopping bag and people looking curiously at the name!

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It's fair to say award-winning journalist, consultant and freelance beauty director Joanna McGarry knows beauty inside out. Currently studying for a degree in Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture, she is expecting her first child, which made her the perfect person to try out our maternity treatment.

'Filed under ‘things they don’t tell you about pregnancy’ is the surprising truth that for many women, the notion of touch – a caring touch – while growing a baby, sort of disappears. I’d become quite protective of my growing body, and – admittedly – a little unnerved by my rapidly changing shape.

So, save for the well-meaning hands I find cupped across my belly from time to time, and the warmth of my husband’s arms, I’d made myself an island, moving through the world with an invisible force-field around my body. And for the first trimester, my love for massages was, obsequiously, put on the back burner.

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Brownies that are delicious, easy to make and good for you are the dream.  Here's Natural chef and food blogger Ceri Jones' recipe for her seriously delicious cacao espresso no bake brownies. Check out her blog Natural Kitchen Adventures for more inspiration and ideas...

'I believe that brownies should be rich, gooey and so unbelievably chocolately so I rarely find that ‘healthier’ versions hit the spot.  These no bake ‘raw’ brownies are quite different to your average coffee shop brownie but the gooey dates, and rich chocolately raw cacao ensure they deliver on my non-negotiables.  I’ve added a touch of coffee extract to my topping for added oomph too.'

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Whether it’s grapefruit, lemon or bitter orange, citrus fruits are known for their rejuvenating properties and their essential oils are the hero ingredients in many of our products.

Grapefruit
Grapefruit doesn’t just make an excellent breakfast option – the essential oil obtained from the peel is also naturally uplifting, stimulating and great at toning the skin. Plus it smells delicious, with a tangy, invigorating aroma. That’s why you’ll find it in our Refresh Hand Wash and Refresh Hand Cream, plus our Replenish mood and Revive Foot Scrub (because weary feet can always benefit from a refreshing grapefruit-based wake-up call).

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