insideSUSSEX Magazine Issue 15 - May 2016 | Page 63

HEALTH+WELLNESS

Mermaid Wellbeing

Pilates and pampering
with a personal touch
Fully trained in holistic therapies, massage and classical Pilates, Susie Mermaid has used her
expert skills in combination with her natural intuition and warm nature to develop a full wellbeing
enhancement programme for mind, body and spirit. Her flagship boutique day spa, specialising in
holistic facial and body treatments, which she combines with one-to-one Pilates sessions, is set in a
thoughtfully designed converted stable nestled among the wildlife and beautiful Sussex countryside of
Barlavington, near Petworth. Polly Humphris went along with an open mind and came out convinced.

Some of the more cynical among us might be questioning how
someone’s ‘warm nature’ can contribute to a personalised spa
experience, but Susie’s genuinely does. The delightful den of calm she
has created, aptly named the Mermaid Suite, is approached via a peoplefree, bucolic nirvana, which does wonders for the soul upon arrival
anyway, but there is always something mildly intimidating about trying a
new ‘thing’, which for me this time was Pilates. Truth be told, the stretchy,
springy machine on which she teaches you looks a bit intimidating at
first too, but any nerves immediately dissipate on meeting Susie: she’s
nurturing, engaging and focused all rolled into one.

Restorative is absolutely the word here. After only an hour’s session, I did
feel stronger and certainly like I’d had a workout too. Susie’s teaching
is flawless; I would attend one of her longer retreats abroad without
hesitation. Post-Pilates, I had the luxury of receiving Ms. Mermaid’s
signature ‘Hot Stone Full Body Facial’. Wow. Entirely unique to Mermaid
Wellbeing and adapted accordingly to the needs of the recipient, the
combination of lifting and soothing sensations together with hot and cold
stones applied to the arms, feet and eyes is a stress-busting blend that
left me utterly relaxed and refreshed (and, fingers crossed, with a few less
wrinkles too).

Turns out the ‘stretchy, springy machine’ is an expert and entirely
approachable piece of kit. Having explained to me that the apparatus
was designed by Joseph Pilates to optimise his classical technique, Susie
then sat down with me (beside her warming log fire and inviting treatment
table that just begs to be laid upon) to chat about what I’d like to achieve
from the session and what treatments I was considering. Her approach
is very much hands-on and targeted to you and you alone; a benefit
worth its weight in gold in this age of exercising with 30 other people and
picking treatments from a list.

“My tag line is to 'awaken all of the senses and allow inner radiance to
shine’,” Susie told me. “I enjoy tailoring days for people, and I even offer
afternoon tea or an Italian antipasti platter for guests who are with me for
a few hours. I can tailor mini-retreat days too, so guests can come and
have a Pilates session to awaken all their senses, before having some
restorative treatments to help them de-stress and float off to another
dimension, and I can even finish with a natural make-up session as the
icing on the cake.” Oh yes, I forgot to mention, Susie’s a professional
make-up artist too. Catch her while you can.

“When you bounded in, I got the impression that you’re quite 'go go go' in
your life, so I sensed you needed to slow down your thoughts and energy
for a while and feel very in control of your body,” Susie told me. “I wanted
you to experience the concept of slow, controlled, yet challenging and
effective exercise where the mind-body connection is key to promoting
harmony throughout. Though I can tailor a class to be very cardio focused
if that’s wanted and needed, some people only relate beneficial exercise
to ‘fast and sweaty’, and are missing out on something very restorative.
The most important thing for a Pilates beginner is to understand and
learn the correct technique first; the movements can be slower paced, so
people can almost be tricked into thinking they’re relaxing, but actually,
they’re stretching and strengthening their body to improve alignment and
posture, while increasing their flexibility and strength.”

Mermaid Wellbeing
The Old Stud Yard
Church Lane
Barlavington
Petworth
West Sussex
GU28 0LG
0333 006 3234
www.mermaidwellbeing.com
@Susie_Mermaid

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