Welcome to The Still Room. You might find the name unusual for a skincare business, but its roots run deep into an era when holistic health was woven naturally into daily life.
Long before the convenience of modern pharmacies and readily available doctors, English households relied on a special place known as the still room. Here, the woman of the house would gather the harvest from her cottage garden—fragrant herbs, blossoms, roots, and leaves—and transform them into remedies, ointments, tinctures, floral waters, and skincare preparations.
These artisanal medicines were not just therapeutic; they were testaments to a self-sustaining lifestyle, guided by the rhythms of nature and handed down through generations in family stillroom books.
This enduring legacy struck a chord with me. My journey began in Auckland, operating a salon called “A Touch of Beauty.” As I refined my craft and worked closely with clients who struggled with sensitive, reactive skin and hormonal acne, I realised quickly that topical treatments alone weren’t enough.
The more I learned, the clearer it became that our skin reflects our inner environment and our connection to the broader world around us. Something essential was missing in our modern approach and so I started to develop my own range of natural products – I called this range The Still Room.
It was during my research into English skin care remedies I stumbled upon the concept of the still room. I became fascinated by how these spaces seamlessly merged the art of skincare with the science of herbalism, grounded in the natural resources just beyond the doorstep.
The still room was an alchemical testimony to women’s innate knowledge of medicinal plants – and the requirement for these remedies before scientific research even became a thing. It reminded me of how our grandmothers and great-grandmothers often knew which herb to pick and when, which infusion to brew for a fever, which ointment to apply for a rash—intuitive remedies passed from one generation to the next.
As I embraced this old-world wisdom, my vision evolved. The name “The Still Room” became more than a historical curiosity; it felt like a guiding principle for my work today. It symbolises my holistic approach to skincare and well-being: a return to understanding our bodies in tandem with nature’s cycles, a respect for the potency of plants grown in living soil from our own back yards, and a commitment to nurturing both skin and spirit through attentive, holistic care.
In truth, The Still Room is more relevant now than ever. We live in a time when many feel disconnected—from each other, from the land, and even from ourselves. Today, as science gradually catches up with the complexities of women’s health, these ancestral traditions offer valuable insight.
They teach us that true well-being isn’t about isolating symptoms, but about weaving together the threads of environment, nourishment, emotional balance, and self-awareness.
In my work, I like to think that I hold and carry forward this legacy. I grow herbs, in protected soil and select ingredients with care, always mindful of their source.
I draw on my background in herbal knowledge, essential oils, and decades in hands on skin and spa therapies – to create formulations that respect the skin’s natural processes.
More than just products, I offer a philosophy: a gentle, ecological, and historically informed approach to skincare that cherishes the essence of the still room and brings its wisdom into our modern world.By choosing The Still Room, you’re not stepping into a relic of the past, but embracing an evolved tradition that values slow, mindful methods and recognises that our health and beauty flourish when we are connected—to the nature, to each other, and to the ancient understanding that nature has always been our first and most generous pharmacy.
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