A genuine Spa experience! (Lush Geo Phyzz Bath Bomb)

Member Name: missixty

Product:	Lush Geo Phyzz Bath Bomb
Date:	28/07/08 (128 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very relaxing, unisex, great for skin, very different from other bath bombs

Disadvantages: Most expensive, not exciting looking or girly, need to clean the bath after!

In my huge free Lush goodie bag that I got courtesy of their "something for the weekend" offer whereby you get a free goodie bag if you spend over £25 (when relating this story to boyfriends you may want to bend the truth to "when you spend over £5" or you no doubt will get a "£25???!!!!! On SOAP??!!!" reaction - they just can't see the bargain part of the deal!!) was this Geo Phyzz bath bomb.

It was one that hadn't jumped out at me in the past, I hadn't ever picked it up to smell it, I couldn't recall any reviews I'd read on it and I was pretty much unaware of it so didn't know what to expect. Rooting through my bag of goodies and picking each one up to smell, I sniffed one and smelt a horrendous smell. Omgosh, I can't use this, why would they make something that smells so hideous?? It was, of course since I'm mentioning it here, Geo Phyzz.

It really did smell bad, overpoweringly, overwhelmingly bad. It smelt like dirt, that's the best way I can describe it. I honestly thought I wouldn't be able to stand the smell in order to try it out.

However, it seemed that it contained a huge range of amazing ingredients for the skin and normally being the most expensive bath bomb at £3.15 for one bath(!) I figured that it must be good and that it would be kind of a waste not to at least try it out.

It's said to be like having a Spa bath at home so I figured it would make my skin great, and used it just before my holiday in order to prepare my skin as it would all be on show soon. I whacked some H'Suan Wen Hua (I hate this product - review coming soon) on my hair, wrapped it in cling film and got in the bath. If I'm going to be smelling disgusting I may as well do it all in one go. Think of the benefits, ignore the smells!

When the ballistic hit the water something strange but great happened. The disgusting smell transformed into actually a fairly nice one. Sure, it wasn't all girly sweetness or anything, it was a herby foresty smell but it wasn't the horrendous smell that it had been the few minutes before. It was actually quite a subtle relaxing smell once it was released in the water, it completely transformed, so I would urge you not to be put off this from smelling it in the shop (although one whiff of it and you won't be able to help but being put off!).

The ballistic is incredibly heavy compared with other bath bombs (probably due to the sheer amount of stuff in it!) and sinks to the bottom of the bath and takes longer than normal to fizz away. When it has (I suggest a bit of swirling to fully dissolve the salt), the water will be a murky shade of greeny brown like the River Mersey, or a muddy puddle. Okay, so it's not pink, it's not glittery and there are no flowers/butterflies/streamers in sight. In short it's not too girly. I'd go as far as saying this is actually all around manly, from the appearance to the smell, to the all round feel of it all.

Putting out of mind the fact that this is a million miles from the girly heaven I like my baths to be, and trying to fix in the forefront of my mind how great this product will be for my skin I lie back and let it work it's magic.

It's main ingredient is coarse sea salt which contains a lot of minerals that are beneficial to the skin. Magnesium combats stress, fluid retention, slows skin aging and calms the nervous system. Calcium prevents water retention and can increase circulation. Potassium energizes the body and helps balance skin moisture. Bromides ease muscle stiffness and relax muscles. Sodium is important for lymphatic fluid balance which helps the immune system. All in all this means it's great; it moisturizes, slows ageing, eases stress and soothes aching muscles - all of which are what you look for in a bath with a few added bonuses on top!

It also has Hawaiian red sea salt which not only makes it feel exotic and a bit more special but makes the skin really soft, the red colour coming from mineral rich volcanic clay. It's great for healing the skin and any wounds or body aches and is believed to draw toxins out of the body particularly from the muscles.

There is Cypress Oil which has a woody aroma which would explain the forest-y smell I described. It also regulates blood flow and is an antiseptic.

There is also Pine Absolute which gives it it's forest-y smell as well as treating various skin problems. It's used to treat psoriasis, itchy rashes, spots, eczema, sores, and all sorts of skin diseases. It balances the skin and renews it. It also soothes joint pain, arthritis and rheumatism. On top of all this is is energizing and relieves fatigue and mental stress. It also treats anxiety and nervous tension and can improve concentration. It's also antibacterial and antiseptic so can be used to treat boils cuts, athletes foot and sports injuries.

Sandalwood also has a rich warm woody aroma, which again explains the forest-y scent the bath bomb gives off. It soothes and softens the skin and is very moisturising so is particularly good for dry or dehydrated skin. It's also great for skin inflammation and to prevent ageing. It can calm conditions such as Rosaceae and acne due to its antiseptic and astringent qualities. It's also very relaxing and eases stress and tension so is perfect for clearing the mind whilst having a bath.


There is also Seaweed Absolute which stimulates the circulation, revitalizes and firms the skin and re establishes the natural moisture levels. It also nourishes, oxygenates and detoxifies the skin, which can apparently help reduce cellulite. It hydrates the skin ad purifies it. It has a high concentration of mineral salts, amino acids, vitamins A, C, B1, B12, E, PP, K and D! These do almost everything you would ever want to your skin! These are easy to absorb and nourish and moisturise the skin. It cleanses, tones and soothes the skin and regenerates body tissues which can help maintain a youthful appearance.

The nicest thing I noticed about this bath bomb was how incredibly soft it made the water. Out of all the bath bombs I've tried, I've never experience water so soft and silky as this. It felt absolutely gorgeous, more soft than you can imagine without being greasy or slippery. It was lovely and made the fact that this bath bomb is undoubtedly the ugly duckling of the bunch not even matter anymore. It felt so great on the skin and just made the bath feel that much more relaxing and luxurious, I could definitely see how it could be called a Spa bath.

After getting out of the bath my skin felt soft and didn't need any moisturising but I must admit it didn't do anything outstanding for my skin. It was no doubt beneficial to the skin and it did feel soft, but for the price of the bath bomb if I had bought it I would have expected more of a "wow" effect.

One thing you will notice even when you first get in the bath is the dark brown scummy line all around the bath where the water stops which did somewhat spoil my enjoyment of the bath by worrying what state it would be left in when I came to get out. Sure enough when I let the water out there was dirty brown marks all over the bath. I've read reports of staining and people having to really scrub the bath several time to get these marks off. I personally rubbed a normal (as in not Lush) bar of soap over the stains straight after the water had drained out, and then rubbed with my hand and rinsed away with the shower. They came off straight away, no hard work required but I would recommend tackling them straight away as if you don't then maybe they would stain or be harder to remove and brown is not a good colour for your bath to be stained!

All in all I surprisingly loved this ballistic. Okay, so it's not a girly retreat, but I can definitely vouch for the "spa retreat" feel of it. The smell is surprisingly nice and relaxing in a none sweet way, the water feels divine and it feeds your skin full of lovely stuff. It is an expensive one, so I'm not sure if I'd buy it again but I'd be more than happy if I ever received this as freebie again.

Summary: Lovely relaxing experience!