As Peleton slash Echelon is to gyms, so these devices are to salons: introducing the latest gen tech for at-home personal care experiences.
It won’t be an exaggeration to say that 2020 sucked. It absolutely, categorically, quite immeasurably sucked. So when midnight, 31st Dec rolled around, there was zero love lost. And even the most sentimental slash change-averse (myself included) struggled to have anything good to say about The Year That Wasn’t. But then 2021 came around and we plunged straight back into full lockdown. De ja vu, except this time around we’d lost the initial excitement for banana bread, zoom quizzes (remember house party??) and humble brag workout nominations. 2021’s lockdown just hit different. Not to mention the slap in the face of relying heavily on the weather for plans of any kind through winter. In England. What the actual F.
Lots of time solo in the house without the novelty of a decreased workload or – I dunno – many sunlight hours – left lots of us in a bizarre quandary. Personally, I discovered a whole new (and entirely confusing) mix of utter apathy toward any task that I kind of sort of had to do, plus soul-crushing boredom and loneliness when I had nothing to do.
And then I got sent a home gel nail kit, and suddenly I had something to do. Ok it only takes approx 30 mins, but the ritual and routine of re-application finally gave my weeks some structure. I may not be able to plan a trip or look forward to a meal out, but at least there was something on the horizon that I knew I was going to do, that would make me feel good.
Self care has really come into its own recently. The underlying belief that many of us harbour is that spending time / money / effort on ourselves is a bit indulgent and therefore shouldn’t be a priority. The tides started shifting circa 2019 with the rise of mindfulness and hashtag grateful posts on socials, and although 2020 onwards has given us very many more things to really worry about slash prioritise, the need for self care has been a constant through-out.
As I write this, salons and spas across England are prepping for re-opening on 12th April. Currently, that is four sleeps away (four!!). But whilst it’s a baby step toward scrabbling back to real life, the reality is that many ex-salon-goers will continue to stay home, either from lack of desire to be out again, or because of limited appointment availability from social distancing, increased cleaning times, and staff self-isolation.
Here’s some alternatives…
Sensica Sensifirm
Hand-held body contouring tool offering Lipotherm RF technology previously only available in-salon. Fights stubborn fat pockets and accelerates collagen production, which helps tone, firm, and reduce visible cellulite. Reccomended treatment times are between 10-20 mins, which can be tracked on the handy app. You start seeing results from the first use, and it’s a great activity for a Netflix binge if you’re like me and need to feel ‘productive’ to relax.
Bondi Laser
Lightweight and small yet the strongest at-home IPL device out there. Entirely painless so suitable on even sensitive skin. Treatment times are typically 10-20 minutes, depending on the area.
Theragun
I won’t go as far as to say this replaces an actual deep tissue massage from an actual human with actual hands, but it comes damn close. Theragun offers 60% deeper massage compared to competitors, and the mini is just as powerful, but compact, portable, and raring to go when we start travelling again.
Skinego Prime
A frankly heroic combination of cleansing, de-puffing, and line-erasing. Unlike most cleansing devices, Prime uses both sonic and thermal technology, and has a streamlined design that allows maximum reach that others tend to miss. The warm eye massage setting is as glorious as it sounds.
Manucurist Green Flash
An entirely groundbreaking, new way to achieve long-lasting, high shine nail colour, Manucurist is totally clean, toxin-free, and speedy to remove. Each application is flawless thanks to lightweight formulas that glide on like glass.
