A vegan experience

Have you ever been in a situation where you are undergoing a facial and wondered what ingredients are in the cream or face scrub or pack someone is applying on your face only to be told that it's some random store-bought product? Well, when I posed the same question to my therapist Sunitha at Vedaearth Lounge, Bengaluru's first vegan spa in Jayanagar, she elaborated on each and every ingredient used as part of my facial. What more, every product was vegan too, which means all the ingredients were all cruelty-free with no animal by-products, no harsh chemicals or parabens in them.

Divya Dinesh, the founder and CEO, Vedaearth, elaborated on the vegan philosophy. "Vedaearth is a combination of Ayurvedic traditions and aromatherapy. Our speciality is in choosing nature's best active ingredients. Unlike common belief, vegetarian products are not entirely cruelty-free. But vegan products are. Moreover, people are becoming more aware of such things and want to use products  that contain less chemicals. When you choose vegan products, you are contributing to something big."

Pure indulgence

Among all the services listed out on the 11-page long menu of Vedaearth, the treatment that immediately caught my eye was the 'clear cleanse facial', a signature treatment of Vedaearth. The card read: "indulge in a facial that not only reduces pigmentation and blemishes, but also leaves your skin visibly brighter and lighter." What more, the treatment was 75 minutes long! Would I even stay for that long? I wondered. But the facial is so evenly paced and timed that I never felt overworked or fatigued.

Like any other facial, clear cleanse facial too began with a simple face wash and face scrub, which was then followed by some steaming and blackhead removal. But unlike other places, which would probably bid goodbye to you soon if not immediately after this step, Vedaearth goes two steps further with  a cleansing oil massage and pigmentation oil massage. Using oil on the face sounds risky, but Sunitha explained that these oils are lighter than others and can be easily absorbed by the skin. They sink into the deeper layers of your skin, moisturising it, and is also more effective in removing dirt from the skin.

And this is where the vegan principle of Vedaearth comes to fore. Using a combination of soft and hard strokes, Sunitha massaged benzoin, turmeric and cypress oil on my face, all the while educating me about the many benefits of this exercise. For instance, benzoin oil has astringent properties that help tone muscles. Turmeric oil, on the other hand, improves skin elasticity and reduces wrinkles. Cypress oil, which has sedative properties, regulates the blood flow to your skin. But what also added to my experience was the heady aroma of these essential oils that calmed my frayed nerves to a great extent.

After all the heavy-duty action, my face turned all hot. But then came the best bit: the face pack, which had ingredients like mango ginger, white turmeric, multani mitti, aloe extracts, dried rose petals and more. The beautiful smelling paste instantly cooled my face. Around 15 to 20 minutes later, Sunitha came back to wash off the pack and massaged my neck and back area, bringing the entire experience to a wholesome end.

Rejuvenation

After the initial oiliness vanished, my face looked squeaky clean and sported a sheen I had never seen before. This facial certainly had reached the deeper layers of my skin and took care of the underlying problems. It was truly a 'clear cleanse'. Seventy five minutes with nature's chosen ingredients certainly turned out to be a good bet.

I would recommend this treatment to those who  have time on their hands and love feeling indulged with every spa service, big or small. And if something as personal as a spa treatment does contribute to a bigger cause, why wouldn't you go for it?