This is the place to go to do yoga and to get brilliant acupuncture treatments …
Escapada has a new seaside home. Described as an “integrative health clinic”, it delivers an all-round approach to women’s health. Maeve O’Sullivan’s enterprise is beautifully placed just by the Dun Laoghaire Baths (home to Happy Out cafe), with Bibi’s up the road and the People’s Park next door. It’s a pleasure to visit before you’ve even stepped inside – it’s now in my little black book as a perfect place to head for a weekly yoga class, followed by a seaside coffee.
I first met O’Sullivan several years ago, in her previous base near Grand Canal Dock. She’s an expert in Traditional Chinese Medicine, and a trained acupuncture practitioner (she also worked in nursing for many years). The clinic offers a host of integrative treatments for women including acupuncture, Chinese Medicine health plans, Gua Sha facials, cosmetic acupuncture treatments, LED Celluma Sessions, Infrared Light Therapy, weekly yoga classes (from €20 per class) and regular holistic masterclasses; for example, you can currently sign up with nutritionist Clodagh Thomas, with a focus on gut health. And there’s an Infrared sauna coming soon. O’Sullivan herself is wonderfully calm and warm to visit – this feels like a very welcoming and friendly space. “I want the clinic to become a community, a safe haven to empower women to explore avenues with their health and wellbeing, and make it a priority,” says O’Sullivan.
Acupuncture has so many benefits for the body. Forget the idea of needles, or discomfort. I hate needles, and am not interested in microneedling, or any other type of needles. But I have tried acupuncture at various times, for anything from relaxation to tennis elbow, and have found it to be both stress relieving and energy-boosting. And for the face, it can have many benefits too, particularly in relieving tension – many people, including me, hold tension in the jaw to a huge extent – and in boosting the skin’s own regenerative processes.
It feels that this is the way things are going – recently I’ve spoken to several beauty experts, from the Lumors at Dublin’s new Filo Clinic to Agne at Pembroke Aesthetics (actually an esthetic clinic, specialising in holistic facials), and they’re finding more clients are wanting to focus on enhancing the skin’s own functions, rather than introducing something foreign to the body (eg toxins). With facial yoga and massage becoming increasingly popular, Escapada’s 3-in-1 Chinese Medicine Glow Facial feels right on track. The treatment includes Escapada’s cosmetic acupuncture, Gua Sha facial massage, and Celluma LED, an FDA-approved gold-standard LED Light Therapy Mask, which uses red light energy to restore vitality to damaged cells.
After a cleanse comes the application of the (finest) acupuncture needles where you need them; mine focused on the hands, jaw area, brow area, cheeks and neck. Some you might feel very slightly, for a second, where you’re holding tension, but the process is entirely comfortable and not at all invasive. A cooling, hydrating face mask is carefully applied over the needles (again, not at all sore), then eye protectors so that you can enjoy the red LED light for up to half an hour. It’s both soothing and peaceful, yet weirdly energising; I found a million thoughts and ideas whizzing around my head (but you can listen to meditation if it helps you switch off.)
After, the needles are removed, and some soothing massage and Gua Sha helps to soothe the face and maximise the effects. Results are best seen a week later – although I felt my entire face lifted, boosted and sculpted, and had a brilliant night’s sleep, too. This treatment is as much about how your entire body and mind feels.
The price of the Escapada 3-in-1 TCM Glow Facial is currently €200 (usually €250) for 60 minutes and includes an initial health consultation, the 3-in-1 TCM Glow Facial with LED Celluma plus a personalised skin health plan to follow at home.
O’Sullivan recommends six to eight sessions of acupuncture if general skin health is your focus; and perhaps six to 12 if you want to target more intense issues, from deep wrinkles to sagging. All treatments here focus first on your constitutional health, to ensure that your body and mind are in the best shape first, before honing in on the skin. If you want to add in microneedling, O’Sullivan advises waiting until session three or four, so that your skin is first hydrated and prepared; “micro needling can be quite an intense treatment,” she notes.
“Cosmetic acupuncture practitioners often emphasise the connection between external appearance and internal health,” says O’Sullivan. “The focus on overall wellbeing resonates with individuals seeking beauty treatments that go beyond surface-level improvements, and our Escapada TCM Glow treatment does exactly that!” It’s best to build it into your routine, notes O’Sullivan – the ideal is to start with six weekly sessions, followed by a monthly session for maintenance. This is not a hard sell, or a vague promise, but an investment in your overall health and how you feel, as well as look. Escapada Acupuncture (body) starts from €120 (60 minutes, and includes initial consultation).
The dream? To book in for an Escapada women’s health and wellness escape in Mallorca (May 2024).
Escapada Health Clinic, Ardeen House, 10/11 Marine Terrace, Dun Laoghaire; www.escapadahealth.com.
