A little indulgence goes a long way – and you don’t need pockets full of cash to spoil yourself.

“Luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it is not luxury.”
– Coco Chanel

Now that we have dusted off the recession, the sobering effects got me thinking more about life’s pleasures that one would indulge at a whim, the deep satisfaction of the luxury purchase followed by the horror of that bank balance.

The recession was like a financial diet – and you know when you are on a diet, all you can think about is food… awful!

Well, I got creative and found harmless ways to curb the craving for luxury experiences while maintaining the financial diet.

Let me start off by defining what luxury is to me: a unique experience, presented in a ritualistic nature, complemented with impeccable service. Quality not quantity. Attention to detail, especially in packaging.

Jo Malone in Hyde Park, the purveyors of luxury scented candles, body butters, fragrant linen sprays and fragrance offers decadent free hand massages that are sure to leave you feeling like a million bucks. I love the ritual they perform on you hands. They start by cooling your hands with refrigerated hand towels. The aroma of amazing fragrant candles, body lotions and fragrances engulfs you. It’s like The Body Shop for rich people – you’re looking at being set back close to R900 for the body butter. Oh, back to the amazing hand wash. Spring water is used to cleanse your hands before the massage, to which they use your chosen scented body butter, followed by a complementing fragrance lightly sprayed over your hands. I love it.

Actually, I am bad at diets. I bought the tiniest candle for my home and light it to lift my mood and soothe my soul. As they say with dieting – if you can’t eat it, smell it.

Luxury is a state of mind…