29-05-2025
The Mayflower Inn: Your Visa To A Vivacious Face And Stronger Spirituality.
The beautiful Mayflower Inn in Connecticut is a posh property offering a wealth of wellness services and spa treatments for rest, relaxation and rejuvenation.
As I write this story, I'm reminded of Dorothy and her companions in The Wizard of Oz. As I mentioned in my book, The Globetrotter's Get-Gorgeous Guide, this fantastic foursome stopped at a spa, on their way to The Emerald City, to experience total transformation! Do you remember? Dorothy had her hair done, The Tinman got oiled up, The Scarecrow got brand new straws, and The Cowardly Lion had his mane curled and his claws clipped. The adorable music still delights me – and I'm sure – millions and millions of other people.
I felt pretty much the same way on my recent visit to The Mayflower Inn – not somewhere over the rainbow — but an award-winning property in Connecticut. I was there as part of their ongoing Visiting Masters series.
The award-winning Mayflower Inn, Auberge Resorts Collection, is an exquisite country retreat and an antidote to urban stress. Nestled in 58 acres of beautifully designed gardens and woodlands in the idyllic town of Washington, Connecticut, it is situated less than a two-hour drive from New York City and is the quintessential country estate that's perfect for a restorative spa experience. As stated, it is part of Auberge Resorts Collection, a portfolio of 30 extraordinary hotels, resorts, residences and private clubs.
Guestrooms at The Mayflower Inn are beautifully decorated to offer lavish luxury.
The Mayflower Inn features a full-service 20, spa (called The Retreat), delightful dining and breathtaking grounds noted for stately specimen trees, formal gardens and acres of tranquil woodlands. It really is New England in a nutshell! The grounds are a large component of the Mayflower experience: Hiking, fly-fishing, archery, tennis and nature walks are also available on property, while biking and kayaking can also be arranged nearby. The verdant gardens and labyrinth are also used for meditation, outdoor yoga and guided afternoon walks. There is also a private Pilates studio, Technogym fitness equipment plus daily fitness instruction that includes yoga, Pilates, strength training, pool conditioning, Barre, HIIT, body sculpting classes, and more. It is a wonderful world of well-being (and also, very good gourmet cuisine).
The Visiting Masters weekend is a posh program that brings top wellness practitioners in different areas here to the Connecticut countryside, for top-notch retreats, exclusive sessions, and deep healing. Each Visiting Master program is designed to help guests feel nurtured, grounded, and inspired to reach their full potential.
The spa pool is a decadent delight at The award-winning Mayflower Inn.
It was here that I experienced the marvelousness of Dr. Nigma Talib, a pioneering Naturopathic Doctor, and her exquisite Time Lift Facial. Dr. Nigma – as she likes to be called — is a renowned (and world-famous) Naturopathic Doctor (and author) based in Beverly Hills, who brought her 20+ years of experience and knowledge to the countryside for a retreat committed to empowering patients by addressing the root causes of health issues through personalized dietary advice, themed around enhancing gut health, supporting skin rejuvenation, and balancing hormones. In a lengthy interview, she explained to me how she has been able to combine stomach/gut issues, with her love of aesthetics and skincare.
Dr. Nigma Talib is a world-famous and pioneering Naturopath who has created one of the most cutting-edge, state-of-the-art facials, with her unique TimeLift Facial Machine, which just debuted at The Mayflower Inn in Connecticut.
Among other things, she has created science-backed beauty supplements including her optimally-absorbed, drinkable Super Vitamin C Cocktail sticks/packets that contain, among other things, a VitaBerry superfruit antioxidant blend containing 6,000 ORAC units per gram. (This is Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity, a test-tube analysis that measures the percentage of antioxidant capability in food. Broccoli, for example, she told me, only has an ORAC of 900-1000. 'It's like eating barrels of berries without the sugar and all the antioxidants in Vitamin C.') This particular posh Vitamin C product (which should probably accompany you on every single plane trip, to combat fatigue and stress), is one of the biggest sellers at Erewhon (along with other products and supplements in her Dr. Nigma line) in Los Angeles, and has been touted on the Poosh website of Kourtney (no last name needed). If you can't get to Erewhon, they can also be found at Dr. Nigma's website. Her cleanser contains volcanic ash from Mt. Etna, 'to pull out toxins,' she explained. And her award-winning Biocellulose Sheet Mask was curated with a scientist in Switzerland and made in France 'to keep your skin 's microbiome optimal,' she told me. 'Many of the top makeup artists in LA use this on their celebrity clients before events,' she told me proudly. After using it, 'You'll be hydrated for days,' she said. It is a prebiotic-infused sheet mask with marine collagen, plus edelweiss and seaweed extracts that act as second skin and deliver potent actives for long-lasting hydration.
My lengthy 2.5-hour interview with her wasn't just a conversation – it was a fact-filled, fun and fascinating science lesson that taught me how beauty, food, facials, vitamins, gut health and skincare all intersect, for an enhanced appearance and more energy.
Her dedication to state-of-the-art skincare is evidenced by her Time Lift Facial, which uses a special machine that she had meticulously developed for her in Milan, Italy. The Time Lift Facial (a marvelous mini facelift) if I can describe it in a few sentences, is a cutting-edge treatment that utilizes advanced technology created especially for Dr. Nigma which deeply exfoliates, cleanses pores, reduces puffiness, and enhances the appearance of fine lines, uneven skin tone, and dark circles. She told me that her Time Lift Facial stimulates collagen production and tightens loose skin. A very cold pressurized air system facilitates the infusion of Dr. Nigma's curated serums—plant stem cells, peptides, hyaluronic acid, B vitamins, Vitamin C, and Glycolic acid—into microdroplets for deeper penetration into the facial skin. The session concludes with a radio-frequency application that lifts and tightens the skin, improving serum absorption, using an algae as a conductive agent to tighten, lift and firm the skin- providing instant results. There are no needles and no downtime. You know what I say? Glow for it! You just might be brightened and tightened for days. Celebrities such as Chelsea Handler are huge fans (here is Dr. Nigma's Instagram post about how Chelsea Handler had the facial before hosting the Critics Choice Awards) but mere mortals can also experience this facial for themselves.
When and where? Dr. Nigma plans to open her own Longevity Clinic in Beverly Hills in Summer of 2025. After September 20, 2025, you can book your own Time Lift Facial. 'I wanted to bring the whole person, from the inside out, working together as a team,' she explained to me. Dr. Nigma is also the author of Younger Skin Starts in the Gut and Reverse The Signs of Ageing.
At the Mayflower Inn, I also experienced a Mini Mindset Coaching Session with Megan Monahan, who wrote what I believe is one of the best books I've ever read about Meditation – It's called Don't Hate, Meditate. (For me, it really explained how to meditate, and the benefits of it, in a very user-friendly and informative way.) Since learning to meditate in 2009 with Deepak Chopra and becoming a Chopra-certified instructor, Ms. Monahan has taught thousands to meditate through her platform. She works with brands like Lululemon, Unplug Meditation, Netflix, Facebook and Wanderlust. This terrific session gave me some great reflection-and-renewal tools to shift some of my personal perspectives, overcome obstacles, and make empowered decisions moving forward.
So, here is where I channeled my inner Dorothy, found more spiritual power, and like The Cowardly Lion, found more courage in myself, and also experienced a life-enhancing, beautifying, First-Class facial.
Who doesn't love that?
Let me paraphrase Dorothy here, what she repeated three times, as she clicked her heels together — as this is what I also discovered: 'There's no place like om.'
Now, if you would like to read on, and you are a beauty-and-skincare junkie like me, you may enjoy this poem that I wrote for my book, encapsulating my ever-present and ongoing obsession with all-things-beauty. Let me tell you – when I travel? I Brake For Beauty Products. I swear, it should be my bumper sticker!
Besotted With Beauty ©
By Debbi Kickham
I've always wanted to be a beauty –
Like you. Or why not just a real cutie?
At the sweet, tender young age of seven
Nail polish and lipgloss were Seventh Heaven.
There I was, with pink bow in my blonde hair
Plus Evening in Paris scenting the air.
And thus began my own beauty saga
Before Madonna and Lady Gaga.
I went on to Tinkerbell, then Tussy
(When I was much too young to be fussy).
Then I met my bestest friend L'Oreal
Which clearly has been my own special pal.
I rarely leave home without eyelashes curled
And pouty lips from my friend Cover Girl.
But – it's funny how some men also know
Ultimate secrets, to offer a glow.
Men like Charles Revson and Charles of The Ritz
Had their particular, great beauty hits:
Classic Lipsticks like Cherries In The Snow
And special serums that go with the flow.
Make no mistake, though; I often am seen
With Nivea, Pareva and Maybelline.
My little face always wants more, more, more,
Of Chanel, Guerlain and 'J'adore Dior.'
Avon calling is also just the thing
With which to have a fine cosmetic fling.
By heaps of freshener, toner and lotion
You get a 'natural' look – I've an ocean.
With a dusting of powder, gloss and rouge
I can create my unique subterfuge.
I look in the mirror and with a glance
Capture myself in my own special trance.
Take it from me – you can always look great,
On every journey. You'll travel first-rate
And make every part of trips you travel
A beautiful trek where you won't unravel.
Just follow my advice, and try the creams
That will fulfill your best cosmetic dreams.
Pack gorgeous goodies, with skirts, shoes and pants
And you won't be sorry on Swiss or Air France.
You'll eat, sleep, exercise and look your best
In transit, on Emirates or just Northwest.
This book is written to show and unfurl
Travel and Beauty – the best of both worlds.
For more about my Wanderlust and Wellness travels, please Follow me on Instagram at @DebbiKickham or check out
