The S.E.L.F Method

“Almost 40 years of spa experience and I didn’t really understand the question” says Claire Caddick, Managing Director at the Tribe517 Spa product house and MD at the Sparticulate Spa Consultancy as she talks about what body positivity means. She's collaborating with Amy Bates, founder of Beauty Rebellion, on a new movement in the spa world with a pioneering approach to spa therapies - called, the S.E.L.F Method - and it all starts by redefining what it means to be body positive.

A powerful partnership

Claire is known in the spa industry, having nearly 40 years' experience as an award-winning therapist, product formulator, therapist trainer and spa consultant. Every spa she works with embraces her inclusive, caring approach to spa treatments - an empathetic attitude that considers the wellbeing of the therapist as well as the client.

Amy is an ex-police detective turned award winning Bridal Hair & Makeup Artist who has over eleven years experience in the beauty industry. She is a bestselling author of her book, The Body Confidence Masterplan and hosts the podcast "I am a beauty rebel". She has seen first hand how body image issues and low self esteem affect people, and now runs a coaching and consultancy business that teaches beauty and spa businesses how to be body positive, inclusive and diverse.

Reframing body positivity

The duo make a powerful team and together decided to reconsider what body positivity means when it comes to spa treatments. Rather than making it about size, skin colour, age or appearance, they realised that body positivity is actually, in its simultaneously simple and complex form, about how we feel about ourselves.

From gender identity to coming to terms with scars after surgery, depression, age, grief, anorexia or whatever your personal challenge may be, they recognised that spas can do more to help individuals on their journey - provide positive acceptance.

Where passive acceptance simply says that everyone is welcome (which they are), positive acceptance is about providing tools to help people feel safe, supported and nurtured. There's a subtlety to what they're talking about, but it's an important one.

Claire says: "It’s not about us having to understand why and what is in everybody’s thoughts, but it is about supporting and offering the tools for everyone to manage their minds and feelings about themselves."

S.E.L.F Method spa treatments

The S.E.L.F Method is more than a spa treatment - it's a comprehensive journey that imbues the entire spa experience with the capacity to nurture inner strength, empowerment, liberation, and fearlessness. It also treats the spa therapy as a launchpad for self-care, with aftercare support via the Beauty Rebellion app.

Offering a core massage, facial and full body ritual with the nurturing and nourishing elements characteristic of Tribe517, the S.E.L.F Method spa treatments are supported by the spoken word for positive affirmation. Instead of filling in a consultation form before your treatment, they include a lifestyle questionnaire while you lay on the treatment bed, asking positive response questions which you can choose to respond to with the lift of your hand, or leave if you prefer not to answer.

The treatments themselves are rich in products, scents and movements designed to nurture inner strength, positivity and care. Then, after their spa experience, clients have access to The Beauty Rebellion app, a treasure trove of body confidence tools and emotional well-being support to further their journey, access valuable resources, and continue to build their emotional wellbeing.

The training also draws on Amy’s Body Positive Practitioner training program, designed specifically for spa professionals. It gives therapists the tools and skills to promote body positivity, self-acceptance and emotional well-being as part of the spa experience, ingraining that philosophy into spa culture. It works by not only supporting clients, but staff members as well. It's this methodology that has helped inform the S.E.L.F Method, and can also be elaborated on with further training to inform the wider spa journey.

Claire says: "It's called the 'S.E.L.F Method' because it's all about empowering the individual and helping you to feel as though you are doing something for yourself to move forwards, but knowing you have this experience - like a helping hand - to accept you and support you on your journey.”

Claire is now offering training in the S.E.L.F Method to all spas, starting with those who already work with Tribe517. We can't wait to try it!