It’s not merely a facial treatment, but an exotic journey, with remarkable effects.
By Richard Williams
Talking to Medina, the founder of Medina Organics before my facial, gives me an insight into the product range and her philosophy. Medina was born in New Zealand with a bit of Roma Gypsy DNA and raised in the Ba’hai Faith. So, this comes as no surprise then, that her childhood dreams were instilled with Middle Eastern magic and Magi, the desert caravanserai, the silk route, Mediterranean beaches, and spice markets. Later Medina would find her career as an aesthetician, with an aromatherapy, CIBTAC, ITEC and natural therapies background and eventually develop Medina Organics.
This is not an aromatherapy product line, but a range of skincare individually formulated. Crafted ingredients used from the source, traditionally hand distilled, raw and authentic and bought from the best. Medina seeks sustainability with natural organics that are all picked, peeled, produced by hand, believing this process instils love. She chooses ingredients that are empowering women in villages that pick and process the botanicals, and she believes therein lies the Goddess energy that fuels her brand.
These products and this facial is most definitely a scentual experience as Medina admits to her obsession with fragrance and natural ingredients. Imagine black tea, pomegranate, rose and saffron, face treatment cream. Hand-picked and harvested aloe vera, Hero products such as the Pink Lotus face serum, Iranian pomegranate oil in the Midnight Face Oil and utilizing botanical hyaluronic acids.
I am already enchanted by the story, imagining a Moroccan souk, a Turkish hammam, Tunisian tea houses, Kurdistan roses and Middle Eastern attars and ambers. This tapestry of botanical trade routes provide Medina with the ingredients to craft her range.
One point we agree very strongly on is hydration, hydration, hydration. Personally, I am particularly fond of hydrosols, and living in a tropical climate, I use them constantly through the day and confess to keeping more than one at hand in my refrigerator! Medina’s beautiful hydrosols are made from wild hand-picked botanicals.
This is not a facial to snooze off on, otherwise you will miss the feeling of the unctuous hydrating lotions and captivating aromas. I noticed that Medina used the hydrosols quite regularly during the treatment to constantly moisten the skin, or the product used and to hydrate further and awaken the senses. I am always pleasantly surprised if a facial massage is firm and this sequence was lifting and toning. I felt a noticeable tightening especially around the jawline. Medina likened the facial massage to “yoga facial fitness”.
Post-treatment my skin felt great, it felt like it could breathe easier if that makes sense; hydrated and bright. I asked Medina if the treatment as a whole was more the journey or the destination. She said that it’s still about the end result, a “gate to plate” intention, and as an aesthetician, very much creating a results-driven experience.
Who would have guessed that in this small town called Gisborne in New Zealand where I was raised, in a delightful midnight blue room of a historical colonial building, I would find this exotic facial skincare journey, I certainly look forward to returning to this Medina!
*Find Medina on Facebook at Medina Organic Skin Care
From January 1st to May 30th 2021, purchase two or more Medina products on the etsy platform to receive 15% discount (note shipping is additional). Please follow the link for the coupon at https://www.etsy.com/nz/shop/medinaorganic?coupon=15PERCENTSAVING
Richard Williams is a freelance spa consultant based in Bali, Indonesia with some 24 years plus, in the spa and wellness industry. He has worked for Chivasom and The Peninsula Hotels in Bangkok and Shanghai, managed a wellness resort in Bali, worked with AWLake.Design before opening his own company 6Degrees Spa Consulting. He mentors spa teams for two eco-resort private islands and lectures at Stenden University Bali Campus on Spa openings, Concept and Spa Business Development.
