Turn over a new page with Page8 Hotel’s latest creative workshop series. If you’re looking for contemporary surroundings without clutter and unusual wellness experiences without a steep price tag, it’s time to book a ticket, says Editor Sophie Ritchie when she joins them for a night of holistic entertainment
In today’s day and age, it feels like we’re always looking to add new strings to our bows. New skills, new courses and new experiences – we really can’t quite get enough, especially after the dull limitations of lockdown. We don’t just want our fingers in the pies anymore, people are looking to grab the entire bakery with both outstretched hands. Especially when it comes to wellness, which is one of the fastest-growing sectors. And I’m definitely amongst them.
The sleekly central Page8 Hotel in Trafalgar Square has certainly cottoned onto this. Designed with three brand pillars in mind; locality, people, and communal space, this stylish city stay (with a sister property in Hong Kong) aims to be more than just a pretty face – both locals and tourists alike are invited to experience its welcoming, collaborative nature through a number of initiatives and cleverly-cultivated spaces.
New for spring 2022, they’ve just launched a new wellness-led creative workshop series filled with reoccurring intriguing events. I joined them recently for the very first – a female-only Rose Full Moon Circle in Libra workshop hosted by the wonderful Foxey of The Inner Majik. The event’s aim? Simply for attendees ‘to connect to their own inner knowing and leave feeling held, heard, appreciated, and cherished for their magikal and unique soul’.
Now, I’m not a particularly spiritual soul (I mean, I only know one of my star signs) but something about the holistic description of welcoming in the New Moon in a a self-empowering way sounded rather fascinating when reading the event bio – and certainly different to the usual kind of workshops I see being hosted. And perhaps because, I too am a Libra!
Hosted in one of the hotel’s larger rooms on the 5th floor, one swift elevator trip and a corridor stroll later brought me to the space for the event, which featured a makeshift circle comprised of large pillows surrounding a beautiful floral wreath centrepiece. Pastel-hued oracle cards were also dotted around the floor, along with beautiful fresh roses for each attendee and simple tealight candles positioned by each woman’s pillow.
The room was soon filled with fellow curious guests, who one by one took their pillow places, ready for the experience to begin. This was no witches coven (I’ve definitely been watching too much of Steve Coogan’s The Witch Finder) but there was certainly something special about the gathering of women as we started the evening, one by one, by sharing our names and our different star signs (for those that knew both) with the others.
I might be new-ish to the mystical world of astrology and spiritual guidance but I did my best to embrace it all, standing up for the smudging sage ceremony and lifting my feet up to be ‘cleansed’ just like the others. After this, we each selected an individual ‘goddess’ oracle card from either the floor around us or from Foxey’s deck itself. The names of the goddesses were to be kept hidden to avoid misinterpretation – instead, she encouraged us to study the pictures depicted on each pastel-coloured card.
As part of the experience, we were then invited to hold a large glossy pink ‘sharing stone’ and speak aloud to the group, in the hope that it might inspire, help or simply provide a safe space to be listened to within the circle. The sense of collaboration – rather than the usual innate competition – was prevalent as we listened to the musings of the others sharing their thoughts and feelings with the group in the growingly harmonious ambience. The room felt softer, calmer – as if the little burning wicks of our wax candles were melting down our initial barriers upon first meeting. This wasn’t about who was superior – it was simply a gentle space of feminine understanding.
With the room now fully settled, we moved onto a mindful meditation session – lying down on the floor (a little like human jigsaw pieces thanks to the slightly cramped space). As someone who can be constantly on the go – with a usually caffeine-charged brain that can go a million miles a minute sometimes – simply lying down and imagining an abstract landscape felt like quite the challenge at first. But despite the inevitable background music of London’s wailing sirens and car honks, zoning out and picturing a soft, calming space of my own slowly manifested in my mind, envisioned with the picture I’d seen earlier on my chosen goddess oracle card.
After slowly bringing us ‘back to the room’, Foxey ended the session with one last gentle conversation, reminding us of our inner strength as women and passing around small books that shared guidance on how on our chosen oracle cards could be interpreted through their different meanings.
Rose in hand, I left the event feeling reminded of how important it can be to connect to your inner emotions in a world where being compassionate is so often overlooked. Being strong is much more than just lifting weights, avoiding emotive language when writing emails or hitting a goal pace. As Foxey advised us, it can be just as vital to embrace your inner rose – with roots dug deep into the soil – thorns, petals and all. And one thing’s for sure – for those seeking a wellness experience in luxe surroundings, Page8 certainly feels like the place for turning over a new page.
If you feel like making a night of it (or avoiding the late trains home) then Page8 hotel’s 138 rooms are excellent for resting one’s weary head. Post-circle, I floated back downstairs to one of Page8’s equally plush abodes for the night. Whilst opening the blinds into the bustling face of Trafalgar Square in the morning felt a little peculiar to be such a fly on the stylish wall, a sleepover in central London never gets old.
Velvety navy tones, marble-draped bathrooms and a soft king-size bed provide the perfect backdrop essentials for a night of self-care slumbering. Peer out of the windows like me or partake in the action yourself – this central location is the ideal base for a city adventure.
The following day I headed back downstairs to the hotel’s Page Common Coffeehouse, where delicious frothy creations are whipped up for both residents and everyone else who fancies something hot and caffeinated. Breakfast was also served here, with a succinct but tasty menu of bagels, buns and the chic contemporary essential – avocado on toast, of course.
The Wordrobe Verdict
Break away from your usual barre session and park the pasta masterclass for now. If you’re looking for contemporary surroundings without clutter and unusual wellness experiences without a steep price tag, book a ticket to one of Page8’s new upcoming events and escape the ordinary for a little while.
Plus: a sneak preview of what’s next
- Candle Making with Habit Haus (29.04.22)- Harri at Habit Haus has spent the hours perfecting this not-as-easy-as-it-looks craft, and for the first time is sharing her secret tips and tricks. Guests will be bending, twisting, and wonky-ing 5 x dinner candles to take home with them, even hand-painting some creative motifs onto them afterwards if desired. Harri will take the class step-by-step through the candle making process. They will have the opportunity to choose colourways and play around with styles, meanwhile sharing hints and tips on the creation of the perfect Instagramable candles.
- The Art of Bonsai with Ma-ke Bonsai (May TBC) – Bonsai learning and best practices brought to you by renowned bonsai teacher and artist Mark D’Cruz. Mark teaches Bonsai as a calming and stabilising facet of life that teaches patience and attention to detail. With expert tips on potting, pruning, and perfecting Bonsai trees, the class is sure to inspire a lifelong love of this historic Japanese art form.
Make it happen
Where: 8 St. Martin’s Pl, London WC2N 4JH
How: Classes start from £15. The cost of the workshop is inclusive of all materials, finished products and food & beverages provided by Page 8. Rates for a one night stay at Page8 start from £180 based on two sharing on a B&B basis. Find out more and make a booking via pagehotels.com. For further details on The Inner Majik visit this link.
Words by Sophie Ritchie, editor
