Latest news with #SubtleEnergies
Time Out
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Inside Saxon Spa's Stunning New Steyn City Sanctuary
Saxon spa fans, rejoice! The spa, which opened in July, has expanded to Steyn City with Tanya Lopes at the helm. Located in the Clubhouse, the spa is 1400 square meters, almost twice the size of the original. The new space embraces a brighter aesthetic with floor-to-ceiling windows in the main areas that overlook a magnificent lake. Marble floors and mirrors open the space further, alongside the Saxon spa's signature chandeliers, created by Stephen Pikus. Crystals are also a key feature, from the clusters to the geodes that scatter the property. When you book a treatment, your therapist explains each crystal's properties. 'From budgeting to sketching, from layouts to details, every single space in this spa was designed with intention,' Lopes says. The spa stocks a limited range of skincare: Babor, Dr Levy, Subtle Energies, Ling NY, and the in-house Soul by Saxon range, featuring sub-Saharan ingredients. My treatment, a Fire and Snow Glow facial, is from Dr Levy's range, promising 'advanced biohacking principles' – a fancy way of saying 'Please make me pass for a 20-something.' After a cleansing ceremony, a bespoke Saxon spa meditation track begins. My hundred-mile-a-minute brain didn't stand a chance at resisting the calm. My therapist, Nteseng Mogaise, used hot and cold contrast therapy, a special wand that delivered tiny contouring zaps, an LED red light mask and a 'Levy-tate' lift massage. I'm nosy, so I asked my therapist if she's ever treated royalty. 'It wouldn't matter,' she says. 'Everybody in our spa is a VVIP, whether there's a prince on the treatment bed or not.' Lopes is particular about her team of therapists. No matter how illustrious their CVs are, the entry ticket is a treatment they complete on her. 'I look for natural healers who heal from the heart. That's what makes the difference in a wellness community,' she says. Days later, I'm still getting compliments on my glow (though I'm still waiting to be carded at a bar). Spa guests can enjoy the hydrotherapy before or after their treatments – just bring along swimwear (that you can dry in the changing rooms, thanks to a handy machine). Choose from the steam room, sauna, cold plunge pool, floatation pool with 500 kgs of magnesium sulphate, or the heated indoor pool and jacuzzi. Feeling like health incarnate, I followed my soak with a peanut butter smoothie spiked with superfood powders. There are a few signature treatments at the Steyn City branch, like the sage, thyme and lemongrass treatment. Another feature only available here (for now) is the Quantum Harmonic, two vibroacoustic beds that use vibrational and binaural sound to assist with stress, anxiety, sleeping issues and more. They're the only two of their kind on the continent. 'From the case studies I've done, I've noticed such beautiful results in people who have had difficulty sleeping or going through a period of a lot of stress…just seeing this calmness come over them is amazing,' Lopes says. The Saxon Spa at Steyn City (Clubhouse) is open daily between 8 am and 7 pm.
South China Morning Post
09-03-2025
- Health
- South China Morning Post
Precious metals are revolutionising luxury skincare, as the anti-ageing, anti-inflammatory and collagen-boosting benefits of gold, silver and platinum come to the fore
Precious metals and minerals are becoming increasingly important in beauty regimes. From 24k gold face masks to platinum-infused serums and diamond creams, there is no shortage of luxe products that offer benefits, from reversing the signs of ageing to promoting collagen production. While using precious materials in skincare isn't exactly a novel concept – it's been said that Cleopatra applied pure gold on her skin to keep it youthful, while colloidal silver was used to treat wounds and infections during World War I – the offerings are expanding as more research and technology come to the fore. Chantecaille 24k Gold Cream Intense. Photo: Handout Advertisement 'Brands are creating their own signature formulas with innovative delivery systems that are also being patented,' says Harriet Lee, chief strategy adviser at Joyce Beauty. 'Potency and concentration matter when it comes to delivering these types of ingredients to the skin, and we have really seen a breakthrough in recent years.' Leading skincare expert and beauty influencer Renée Chow, aka Gothamista, adds, 'Nanotechnology is the game changer for why minerals and metals are effective and more present in skincare today, whether for more efficacious skin penetration or textural elegance. 'Ingredients can now penetrate layers of the skin to reach where they need to in order to work effectively,' she says. For years, gold has outshone other metals in terms of popularity. Although gold-infused products tend to be more expensive, the ingredient's apparent list of benefits outweighs its high price tag. Supposed advantages include reducing skin inflammation and damage, and brightening the complexion, making it ideal for anti-ageing Mogra Rejuvenating Gold Cream from Subtle Energies. Photo: Handout Gold can also stimulate the mitochondria – the powerhouses of cells – boosting their collagen support and promoting healthy skin cells, says Farida Irani, founder of spa brand Subtle Energies. The gold rush can also be attributed to the fact that the material is now readily available in new forms and concentrations, allowing it to be absorbed easily into the skin. 'There needs to be a certain quantity of gold delivered for the efficacy to be potent topically,' explains Irani. 'In our Mogra Rejuvenating Gold Cream, we use the gold leaf broken up so that combined with the fats in the cream it can reach the inner dermal layers to then react with the cells.'
