HOW TO FEEL ABSOLUTELY SOULFUL IN JUST 48 HOURS
Former PR guru Lynne Franks has created a wellness hub that promises to improve your mind, body and spirit in a weekend. Selfish Mother ’s Molly Gunn tries it out
Revitalise your mind, body and spirit
‘I WANT TO GET MY “SELF” AND MY BODY BACK’
Iam grinning because I’m going away, toute seule. Whizzing through country lanes in my red Mini with absolutely no kids in the car. And I’m grinning because my destination is only 10 minutes from where I live, in Bruton, Somerset. I’m off to The Hub at No.3, a holistic healing destination run by legendary PR guru Lynne Franks. In the 1980s and 90s, Lynne Franks PR was a big deal; she helped set up London Fashion Week, she managed the PR for Live Aid, her first client was eponymous fashion brand Katharine Hamnett and, of course, she was the inspiration for Absolutely Fabulous (though she would like to move on from constant reminders of it). Always ahead of the wellbeing curve, since selling her PR agency Franks has run women-centred holistic retreats in Los Angeles and Mallorca, and focused on female empowerment through her SEED movement (Sustainable Enterprise and Empowerment Dynamics), which teaches women how to use the principles of femininity in business. In short, it means she is totally in tune with the current rise in both feminism and the trend towards one-stop wellness havens, which bring self-care spa therapies, gentle movement, nutritional advice and spiritual and alternative healing together under one roof. What Franks has created embodies her own unique sense of creative woo-woo.
The minute I walk through the door, I feel a sense of homely calm: the room is warm and light and the walls are decorated with empowering messages (such as ‘Be all you are born to be’ and ‘Manifest abundance in all areas of your life’), plus murals of Franks and friends. Franks is there to greet me: friendly, direct, immediately welcoming.
Her long, purple hair and wide-leg trousers give off a wise-woman-spiritual vibe. The space feels innovative because it combines the spiritual (astrology workshops, storytelling and chanting) with pampering (a treatment room on site) and female entrepreneur networking (monthly ‘in conversation’ dinners). There are also four
‘eco’ bedrooms (so called, because they have natural-fibre, Fairtrade mattresses; organic cotton sheets; and ‘magical’ alpaca duvets), an on-site vegan cafe and a gorgeous gift shop (selling oils, duvets and clothes). The idea is that women (or men) come for pampering and soulfulness, and leave feeling refuelled in both mind and body.
So why I do I need refuelling? Over the past five years, I’ve built my brand, Selfish Mother, into a seven-figure business that employs six people, has its own HQ and has raised a million pounds for charity. This was all done while raising my three kids, aged eight, five, and two. So, let’s just say, daily life is pretty full-on! When I heard about Franks’ hub opening a stone’s throw from my front door, it felt like it was calling me. My life feels like work/kids/work/kids on rotation, but I’m inspired by the idea of spending some time by myself in a supportive, female-led environment.
Ahead of my stay, Franks emails a questionnaire so that she can design a bespoke programme for me, something she does with all her clients. I love this idea, as it means no two retreats will be the same. The questions ask what I’d like to gain, what areas I’d most like to focus on (professional, personal, wellbeing) and if I have any fears or blockages. I’m wondering if Franks can add another question: ‘How woo-woo are you-you?’ with a tick box or scale of one to 10. I’d say I’m ‘semi-spiritual’, but pretty open to trying new things. Instead, I simply say I want to feel restored.
However, talking to Franks over a lunch of sweet potato cakes and organic white wine after I arrive, I realise that I’m at a crossroads in my life. My youngest child, Liberty, has just turned two and suddenly I feel like I’m ‘out the other side’ of the baby years. I started trying for a baby when I was 30, and now I’m 41. So, for over a decade, my life has been about conceiving, having and raising babies. I’m still very much in the thick of having young children, but suddenly my horizon is different. I want to get my ‘self’ and my body back. ‘Where am I going from here?’ I wonder out loud. Franks says I might discover some new goals during the retreat.
But first, the pampering part: a hot stone massage. I’m set on zoning out, so I firmly close my eyes the second I’m on the bed and enjoy the bliss of hot stones and a light but firm kneading on my back. A post-massage pedicure instantly makes my toes look sandal-ready, and I realise I haven’t had any varnish on them for six months, so this
‘THERE’S NO BIG-BANG EMOTIONAL MOMENT, JUST AMAZING FOCUS’
immediately gives me a mental perk-up. Then, after an afternoon nap in my wooden-carved, alpaca-quilted bed, I ease my way through a light Pilates session and feel the restful, restorative effects of giving my body a good stretch.
That night, I sleep a full, magical seven hours (Franks is very proud of the natural Fairtrade mattress, so it may be down to that – or the fact that no small children crawled into my bed). I wake up early and get creative with scissors and a Pritt Stick to produce a vision board, which is next on my itinerary. The idea is that vision boards can help us clarify our goals, and this is very apt for me right now. My husband, Tom, and I once made one as a couple and looking back on it now, it is eerily spot-on. We’ve achieved nearly everything on it, from a house with a beautiful garden, to kids, to a fridge full of food. So it feels momentous to be creating another one now I’m entering what feels like a new stage of life. But this time, I decide it’s going to be less about material things and more a general sense of where I want to head, so I choose a picture of Cate Blanchett in a red power suit to represent me, but also have words like ‘glowing’ and ‘workout’, as I feel like I want to be the best version of me. I add a picture of messy tennis balls to represent family life. And then there is lots of blue: sea blue, sky blue, International Klein Blue. Every time I see a nice bit of blue in a magazine, I cut it out. I have a hankering to live by the sea – or at least spend a little more time in the Ibiza sunshine.
Over breakfast, Franks also tells me about the ‘altar to femininity’ (an alcove with religious statues inside), which doesn’t focus on one religion, but ‘borrows elements from about 10’. ‘I was raised a Jew and practised Buddhism, but now I take what I need from all sorts of religions,’ Franks tells me, before explaining that she starts every day with meditation and chanting. She says if she’d felt it was ‘my thing’, she would have asked me to join her. Chanting is meant to soothe the soul and release tension, so perhaps I should give it a go next time. If chanting is your thing, then this can be part of your retreat. There is a definite element of light woo-woo, which I’m happy to dip my toe into. I also like that it isn’t forced upon you.
Talking of the woo, straight after breakfast I have an appointment with Saskia Marjoram, who creates tailor-made tonics from flower essences (taken from flowers and mixed with water). She used to be a gardener at Highgrove House, but now creates these essences, which, she says, contain ‘vibrational energies of plants’. The way I interpret this is that the flower’s particular attribute is distilled into the tonics. For instance, rose nourishes the emotional heart, while lily brings peace, serenity and comfort.
Marjoram brings out an amethyst pendulum and says it will ‘choose’ what plant essences I need. I’m sceptical, but by the end of the session I have a tailored concoction of six essences, including Star of Bethlehem to soothe life shocks (in my case, childbirth); carrot to help with organisation and grounding; and willow for flexibility and being open to change. I’m told to place seven drops under my tongue twice a day. I do this immediately… though Marjoram warns me that I might feel emotionally low the next day before the positive effects kick in. And by positive, Marjoram reports that some people make big life changes soon after taking the essences.
Once I’ve seen Marjoram, Franks analyses my vision board. She nods approvingly and we chat about life and business, and she offers me some advice about running a brand with my other half, such as never to talk about business in bed and to celebrate each other’s strengths. It makes me think about which path I’m on next. And, even though I’ve been empowered recently, I realise that I shouldn’t be so quick to follow just my own ideas – I should listen to others, too.
I walk to my car feeling refreshed and full of optimism. Over the next week or so, this buoyant feeling grows. There’s no big-bang emotional moment, just amazing focus and calmness in the face of multiple life and work deadlines, which feels like a massive win. When it comes to navigating life’s intimate paths, I know there are no silver bullets (more’s the pity), but I have realised what an exciting time this might be for me. And to be honest, Franks’ attention to detail and genuine care for her Hub and my wellbeing, plus the convenience of having all these therapies under one roof, was what really made this very special indeed. I am happy to dip in and out of the woo-woo, but my time at No.3 gave me a chance to reset and refocus – and what could be more healing than that?