The spa expert taking on the menopause

Jennifer Young is tired of seeing menopausal women portrayed as victims and has decided to do something about it.

She says:

“Women going through menopause have survived all that earlier life has thrown our way, giving us the skills to deal with everything that’s coming. We have found ourselves, we lead corporations, we are comfortable in our own skin, we are wise, we are forthright, we build businesses, we employ people. It’s insulting to present us as helpless at a time of life that, while not without challenges, is the start of a new phase.” 

The skincare specialist and spa therapist trainer launched her new brand, M+ (Menopause Plus) this month, seeking to change the way menopausal women are viewed, treated, talked about and experience the menopause.

Having made her name in oncology skincare and spa treatments, Jennifer is well known in the wellbeing industry for being a game-changer. Driven by compassion, a can-do spirit and evidence-based information, she has been instrumental in changing the spa industry perception and approach to cancer patients. 

Through her work with cancer patients, she has a long history of working with women who are going through the menopause. Some have reached it naturally, others have found it to be brought on early and suddenly through cancer treatment.

Having found Menopause support sites to be largely uninspiring and unglamorous, listing a myriad of problems and very few solutions, she found that suggestions shared a narrative that was almost universally non-pharmaceutical and often tantamount to snake oil. Marketing almost always presents menopausal women as vulnerable, miserable and with a downcast head held in their hands.

She says:

“Usually, we hear two voices - conservative and labour, democratic and republican, my voice and that of my husband. There is always a different perspective. Why then is the world of support for menopausal women a dictatorship?”

Seeing women who are going through menopause as powerful, experienced and worthy of better, M+ seeks to provide information and support, improve and educate, listen and talk, but, most importantly to celebrate women as they go through menopause and beyond. 

From products that address changing skin to hot flushes, bloating and brittle nails, to help and advice on everything from anxiety and depression to changing relationship dynamics, M+ is a forum providing practical support and a positive community. It also provides spa therapists with education in hormonal wellness so that they can offer dedicated support to clients.

She concludes:

“Women are equipped to deal with menopause, we sometimes just need a little help along the way. M+ is about celebrating women and providing tools to embrace a new stage of life with the strength and power that we have been harnessing our whole lives.”