You are already beautiful the way you are. But sometimes a beauty treatment can bring you back to yourself. Reporter Michelle tests the five best beauty trends especially for you.
Henna brows
It is no exaggeration when I say that eyebrows determine your entire appearance. So time for a new trend, I thought, when I saw that you can also go for henna brows. “Henna stays on your skin longer, up to three weeks. And your eyebrow hairs themselves remain colored for four to six weeks,” according to the beautician of BeautyIcon in Almere.
That already makes me enthusiastic. On a Thursday evening I am lying in the chair, where the beautician starts with ‘mapping’. In other words: with a thin thread she draws a minefield on my face, in order to achieve the best symmetry. “The eyebrows hairdresser”, is what she calls herself. She fills in the drawing on my face with henna, and when that has taken effect, it is scrubbed off roughly. “That has to be done, because you don’t want any difference in colour”, she laughs. She is right, because the shape is perfect when I look in the mirror that is offered to me. The colour – taupe with ash brown – also seems to fit. I quickly polish away the line under my nose, left behind by the ‘mapping’. You don’t want to spread unnecessary stories.
Satisfied, I walk out the door, but when I wake up the next morning, I am shocked by my reflection in the mirror. Small tip: do not plan any important appointments on the day after. The color still has to adjust to your skin, and is quite in-your-face. In my case, it has completely settled down two days later, and I am very satisfied.
Henna brows in Almere, including epilation and mapping: €39.99.
Cocooning
A treatment in the Cocoon Wellness Pro: I have no idea what it is. Although I can imagine something with the word cocooning. I do it every Sunday, wrapped in a soft fleece blanket on the couch, with a good series on TV. Maybe nicely wrapped in a warm device, one that takes away all my worries?
The device on the Dokterstolteweg in Zwolle turns out to be anything but that, but it ís warm. It reminds me of a sunbed, but looks like a long stretched-out egg, if that makes sense. I lie in the device in my underpants, and I pull the hood towards me. Once in the cocoon – completely covered – I can stick my hands out through the holes to operate the control panel. I set the massage, based on vibrations, to the highest setting. To be honest, I could do with it being a bit higher, but I have already reached the max. I turn off the fan at my head, and the heat of the cocoon goes to medium.
The warmth of the cocoon “can help relieve muscle tension and can promote blood circulation”. I notice the latter, because I feel really anxious. My claustrophobia is playing up, and the fact that it doesn’t have a relaxing effect is entirely my own fault this time. There is a clock on the control panel that keeps track of the 30 minutes that I am allowed to lie in it. So it’s smarter to keep your eyes closed during the treatment, because a minute passes very slowly when you keep looking at them. Help!
Cocooning in Zwolle Berkum: €74, in combination with one hour of floating.
Floating
After lying in the long stretched white Easter egg, it is time for the big work. A few doors down, at the same company, I am going floating. Floating in a bath full of magnesium sulphate. The changing room looks like a high school gym, but with all kinds of free goodies. You can use the towels, soap and earplugs that are ready. Not because floating makes so much noise, but because you don’t want to wake up the next day with a kilo of salt in your ears.
I float naked, although you can also come in your swimsuit. The space is private, so no one can see you. After I quickly rinse myself off – and firmly press the earplugs – I open the ‘secret’ door of the float pool. I see rippling water, soothing music and a clear starry sky. Under my arm I have the headrest, where I rest my head on while floating. And damn, I stay afloat.
The water has a special smell, due to the salty cocktail, and feels pleasantly warm. This treatment should “improve your concentration, reduce your stress and the production of stress hormones and help combat fatigue”. Floating for an hour is therefore equivalent to five hours (!) of sleep. For the best experience, you float without music and a starry sky, but for me the sound is a nice distraction. After a while I feel myself becoming completely zen. I have no sense of time at all and then completely pass out, before I hear an English voice calling me to get out of the bath. The hour has already passed. Yes, I am sure I have slept.
After floating, you can use the shower in the same private room to rinse all the salt off your body. I wash my hair thoroughly, and although I would have preferred to go home in a bathrobe, I put my clothes back on. I don’t know if I have improved concentration, but I feel rosy and relaxed. And that is already a big gain.
Floating in Zwolle Berkum – without combination deal – €46.50.
Skin analysis
Upon entering, I immediately get pampered. In the beautiful reception area, I am given a cappuccino and a snack. The skin analysis – Opatra Dome analysis – takes place at the front of the building, a large, light room with a somewhat futuristic-looking device in it, in which I have to stick my head. Let’s see what my actual skin age is. Small side note: I will be thirty this year, but I am afraid that the device will say that I am the age of a sixty-year-old chain smoker who rubs herself with olive oil before going out into the sun. Anyway, photos are taken and with the result as a basis, we go through my skin analysis. In one image, my face turns red, in the other I see dots light up. Houston, we have a problem.
Based on the analysis, it is discussed which treatment – ‘eighty percent you do at home’, according to the skin expert – is best for your face. “For example, your pores will sag more as you get older, and they will become more visible. Something you can optically change by peeling once a week”, I am told. Then my pigment; it’s quite confronting when you can see on a photo what UV damage your skin has suffered so far. “All these spots can eventually develop into skin cancer”. Boom! You know you have to apply sunscreen, and yet I think to myself every day: oh, the sun is not that bright. In my case, the damage is mainly on my forehead, and there is a good tip for that. “When applying sunscreen to your face, start with your forehead. You probably start with your cheeks, and that is where most of the sun protection ends up”. Simple, but very handy.
Skin metabolism, skin sensitivity, moisture content and possible rosacea: it all comes up during the analysis. Nice to know: the salon has been nominated for the Beauty Awards 2025 and will be in the final on May 18.
House of Joy & Health in Zwolle centrum, price of measuring: €50.
Japanese Headspa
In Zwolle, the first headspa of Overijssel is hidden in the industrial area in Westenholte: LABEAU. It takes a while to find, but once inside, there is a nice atmosphere. The headspa is a dark room, including a starry sky and large mirrors on the walls. A champagne glass is already waiting for me in front of the mirror. But before that, I start the treatment with a scalp scan. And I can tell you: the sight of your hair under a microscopic lens is anything but relaxing. They looked like tree trunks, divided into groups over my skull. ‘Do I have bald spots now?’, I ask anxiously. The owner of the salon already reassures me. “Your hair follicles are close together, and three hairs grow out of most of them. So a full head, which is what you want. However, you do have clumps of sebum around your hair follicles, which we are going to scrub away.”
Would I go again? For 75 euros you will be completely pampered for an hour, and I think it is more than worth it. “It could be a nice treatment, especially for people with eczema or psoriasis,” says the salon owner. “It brings some relief to the scalp, which reduces the itching and makes you scratch less.” Of course, it is important to always consult your doctor first for these types of complaints.
Headspa in Westenholte: €75.
text: Michelle van der Molen
photos: Japser van Overbeek
