Indulge

The Age

Thursday March 30, 2006

Emily Ross

Emily Ross gets a face work-out that calls for prodding, thwacking and just a little yelling.

A facial treatment from Herbario's Valli Shubere is not for sissies. It is 100 minutes of heat, herbs, prodding, pulling, stretching, some thwacks and more than a little pain. It is a place where loud yelps are encouraged. Shubere claims her own method (the SM 77 Face D.Tox Treatment) centres around saying goodbye to toxins and bacteria trapped in the skin and describes herself as an antioxidant skin therapist and practitioner of holistic phyto-dermatology: "It's for people who want things done." This is a hard-core work-out for the face.

The 90-minute facial ($180) takes place in a treatment room above the Herbario store in Windsor, past jars of wild yam, licorice, St John's wort, frankincense and celery seed and shelves of Herbario's remedies. Shubere's partner in life and business, herbalist Vito Cozza, guides me upstairs to the treatment room, undistinctive but for a fading lily motif painted close to the ceiling. A herbal mixture brews on a big counter. Shubere walks in wearing a crisp white coat, as far from a fading lily as you can get, with her luminous complexion (the mother of two adult children has flawless skin). "I don't want to scare you," she says, explaining that despite her reputation for vigorous treatments, the facial will be tailored to my comfort levels.

I put on the towelling strapless dress, lie on the massage table draped in fluffy towels and Shubere begins. The facial muzak is turned on, the herbal mixture has stopped gurgling and Shubere starts by examining my face through a magnifying glass. "Hmm, yes, ah ha," she says. She then holds up a mirror to my face and explains how stress, sinuses, neck problems, teeth grinding and frowning are impacting on my skin and what she can do about it.

Shubere's main weapons are her hands, with their surgeon's grip, Ian Thorpe strokes and Fred Astaire moves. These considerable assets are accompanied by holistic herbal products, a cleansing oil, powders of roots, flowers, seeds and leaves and a small range of sprays and serums. Towels soaked in the herbal brew are placed on my face. Then comes cleansing oil that doubles as a massage oil. The next hour is spent vigorously massaging the face, the jaw, the chest, neck and shoulders, getting the blood flowing. For the most part the treatment is extremely relaxing and stimulating but there are moments, oh boy, when those hands really do cause pain, particularly as Shubere treats tension held in the jaw.

Shubere clearly loves her work and gets excited by results, keeping you informed as the jaw loosens or the sinuses begin to clear. After more than 60 minutes of massage with oils and pastes, a green herbal mask is applied and feet are massaged (ahh) before an antiseptic spray and various serums. There is some brushing with the softest silk brush. The result: radiant skin smoother than the six-month-old baby I cuddled the day before. What a work-out.

Herbario, 222 Chapel Street, Prahran, phone 9529 6320.