The beauty industry bears its fair share of blemishes- think animal testing, hidden chemicals and the general ethos that women need to make themselves look better- but there are a few companies out there whose fresh-faced authenticity makes them stand out. LUSH has been pioneering the use of sutainably sourced ingredients for ages, as well as fairtrade practices and their support for other ethical issues like the anti- shark-finning campaign of 2008 (you can get involved via @lushcampaigns on twitter).

So it was no huge surprise to me that LUSH did spas differently too. If, like me, you can find high-end spas intimidating and clinical, you'll feel completly at home in LUSH's little basement flat on King's road, the perfect antidote to the posh spa. I asked my masseur Holly if they got many people from the local area in, but she said no, the Chelsea lot were often under the assumption that LUSH was just for kids. It's exactly that fun, childish vibe that draws me into LUSH- great packaging, inventive product names and the products themselves- well- look no further than their recent invention, FUN. Does what it says on the tin. Just don't eat it. You'll be tempted to, cos it smells out of this world.

Bath bombs, massage bars and products like FUN are what LUSH does best- stuff that make you feel good rather than products that promise to knock off ten years or shrink your ass.

Holly and my choice of massage bars

Once I'd been welcomed into the little spa 'kitchen', Holly sat down and explained what The Good Hour would entail and let me choose which massage bar I wanted. I opted for From Dusk 'Til Dawn which smelt like chocolate orange to me- supposedly it's a blend of aphrodisiac ingredients, but it mostly made me want to go and speed-scoff one of Terry's finest. 

Holly asked me about any sore spots I might have, so I explained how I often get a pain behind my shoulder blade, usually from too long sitting at my computer. She explained how she'd use a special jelly disc, made with eucalyptus, spearmint and peppermint oils to cool and alternate the body's temperature and release the muscle as the blood starts pumping- this would help to work out the tension. I also had a good sniff of the Big Blue Bath Ballistic which would create the 'sea scent' in the treatment room- as we entered Holly dropped it in a jug of water which she then poured over dry ice in a basin at the bottom of the bed- smoke rose against a nautical blue light and suddenly everything was very 'Pirates of the Carribean'. The soundtrack to The Good Hour consists of sea shanties which make for entertaining listenening, combined with the relaxing sound of waves and even ship's floorboards creaking.

You can have a shower before and afterwards in a lovely wetroom full of LUSH products- but as Holly pointed out, it's a bit of a waste to wash off all the gorgeous oils from the massage bar. I was certainly in no hurry to get clean now that I smelt of chocolate orange from head to toe. There's also a little bathroom with a selection of LUSH make-up and face products- so if you're going straight to an event after your massage, they have everything you need to get your face on. 

The massage itself was great- Holly used a numerical scale to judge whether the pressure was right- so you'd say 5 if it was perfect, 10 if it was way too hard and so forth. I can only describe how I felt afterwards as being akin to the moment at the end of the day where you take your bra off. Sorry blokes, this is the only anaology that's coming to me. It was like I'd taken off an imaginary, ill-fitting bra that had been putting pressure on my chest and back, but was now completely gone.

And if you weren't already won over- the experience ends with a cup of tea (optional rum) and ship's biscuits. Unlike other spas, you're not shooed out the second you're done, you can hang around in the kitchen for a chat and a cuppa, which I did until I decided to go upstairs and get a head start on my Christmas shopping in the store.

Thanks so much to Holly and LUSH for having us. You can get someone (or yourself) a Good Hour treatment at LUSH here for £80.