Their iconic bath bombs turn 30 this year, they sell a shampoo bar every five seconds and their spa treatments are in every beauty editor’s little black book - which is why Liverpool better be ready for an invasion as LUSH open their biggest ever store
LUSH have been infusing our high street with the scent of bubble bath since the 90s (does that make anyone else feel old)? Creators of the original bath bomb and environmental and sustainable philanthropists from the get-go, their core values remain super relevant – even more so now everyone’s on the hunt for effective and eco-friendly products that will save the planet as well as our skin.
However LUSH are on a crusade to save the high street, too. At the start of this year, they unveiled a plastic-free ‘Naked’ store in Manchester after the concept did so well in Milan and Berlin. As well as the wax-wrapped makeup and the Naked shower gels, the big coo came with innovations like the #LushLabs app that recognises products via camera phone rather than the traditional scanner/barcode format found on boxes and plastic wraps.
That’s small talk compared to this new flagship store opening in Liverpool today. Spread over three floors (two retail and one dedicated to the spa) and employing 167 members of staff, this is not your average in-and-out beauty experience. Damn it, you could get lost in here for days because this is ‘experiential shopping’ at its best. Here's what you can expect when you walk through the fragrant doors...
Book in with hair and beauty pros
As well as Insta-friendly products desperate to be documented on your Stories, let’s start with what you wouldn’t expect in your local LUSH. A hair salon? They’re on it. With three permanent stylists, the Hair Lab isn’t just blow-dries. Cuts, treatments, restyles, Henna colour – you name it, they do it.
Coffee? Naturally - because who doesn’t go shopping without a fancy flat white these days? Just don’t expect dairy because all brews are made with plant-based milks. And make sure you drink up before you head to the Makeup area, because you’ll want to get hands-on with the counters of Slap Stick foundation, Trix Stick concealer, Glow Sticks highlighters, eye liners and lipsticks. Play away or utilise the experts who can help you perfect that bold red lip (another reason for finshing your coffee first!).
Shop fresh scents and even fresher flowers
Synonymous with scent (let's face it, you can smell a LUSH store a mile off), the floral aroma you might be picking up could actually be from the Perfume Library, or the products, or from real-life flowers - because there’s a permanent florist housed here too.
This is not only in response to co-founder Mark wanting to sell flowers since they started, it’s another way to celebrate ‘freshness’ and also addresses the fact that 80% of cut flowers are imported.
Book in for a treatment
Talking of freshness, we must mention the Fresh Facial. A speedy half hour slot of face feeding, your therapist will conjure up your creams in front of your very eyes before massaging them into skin. Or if your shoulders are tenser than your jawline, make the most of the Shop Don’t Drop 25 minute floor-based massage. Exclusive to the Liverpool store, a quick rub-down in public has never been so appealing.
That said; if you want a real treat, book in at the spa. Despite having eight locations , the spas are something of an unsung hero. But I urge you to indulge. Each treatment has its own soundtrack which is synchronised with massage moves and special scents to ensure you zone out from start to finish. A welcome change from traditional spas and beauty salons, come for a solo experience, bring your plus one, or hey, bring two because as well as six treatment rooms, Liverpool’s not judging and has a triple room as well as an area for spa parties.
One final thing as we share the LUSH love. When it comes to the location, the co-founders chose Liverpool because alongside being a stellar shopping hotspot in the UK, they’ve had the same manager - Sandra Byrne - since the original (and tiny) store first opened back in August 2004. That's one pretty big thank you-come-promotion from the bosses.
Find out more about the new Liverpool store, which opens Friday 15th March 2019 at 11am, on the Lush website
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