As the year comes to a close and we head into the festive season, there is a frenetic energy that comes with gifting.

We all give and receive in different ways, for some it means more than others, but really we should consider gifting as an expression of love, care and appreciation.

Even with this in mind, sometimes still finding the right gift can be tricky, options are endless and budget may be limited.

I have listed a variety of gift ideas based on experiences and products that I absolutely love:

A subscription to Melissa Wood Health

A subscription to a wellness and lifestyle app will be the gift that keeps on giving all year round. My top choice would be a subscription to Melissa Wood Health. A monthly subscription is really affordable and gives access to 500+ workouts (pilates, yoga, pre and post natal plus more), meditations along with recipes and video tutorials that cover lifestyle and nutrition. 

A consultation with Siim Land

If someone is looking for a health expert to help them revitalise their lives and set new health goals, I highly recommend Siim Land. He is a renowned expert in biohacking, health optimisation, and overall performance optimisation. He is based in Estonia but consults all over the world. He has written a number of books and, unlike many other internationally-renownned health experts, he is accessible. Siim’s coaching doesn’t come cheap, but his expertise is invaluable and worth every penny. 

A retreat at Sterrekopje

Give the gift of a retreat – going away on a retreat can help us gain much-needed perspective on our lives. In my area, Sterrekopje in Franschhoek offers the most amazing retreats. The Wise Women Retreat is one of their offerings, and is created to build deeper connections with our innate feminine power, our fellow sisters, and Mother Nature. It’s a 6 night retreat offered on specific dates throughout the year. The Family Retreat is a playground for big and small where everyone is encouraged to explore and set their imagination free and reconnect with your tribe through a wide range of therapeutic activities. It is also a 6 day retreat. 

Body treatments

• An Ozone Treatment – I find ozone treatments to be an incredible experience offering diverse benefits. A natural way to promote overall health and wellness, an ozone treatment relaxes and loosens muscles by reducing the buildup of lactic acid and increasing muscle flexibility. It also oxidises toxins so they can be eliminated – great for both men and women. If you’re in Cape Town, try The Ozone Lounge.
  
• An Endermologie Treatment – a 100% natural alternative. It stimulates dormant cellular activity within our skin to fight all unaesthetic manifestations such as wrinkles, sagging skin, localised resistant fat, cellulite appearance, and more. A great gift for the holidays and going into the new year. Capetonians can head to Love Living.
  
• A Sculpting Face Lifting Experience – this is a facial massage technique that lifts and sculpts the face using only the hands and a natural alternative to botox, fillers and more invasive procedures such as facelifts, due to its amazing anti-aging benefits. I love going to Veronika at Vertex Cosmetology.

Skin & body

• Comfort Zone body and face products make great gifts. Their ethos is aligned with mine, click here to read their full story but their products are clean and sustainable, combining the best of science and nature whilst acting responsibility for the planet with recyclable packaging and using renewable resources. They are available in South Africa.
  
• Botane Skin care products are amazing too. They are a South African based brand with products that have been ethically formulated using advanced technology to optimise your skin’s natural physiology. One drop delivers targeted skin activities with ‘age-defying botanicals, potent antioxidants and cell boosting peptides to restructure and rejuvenate the skin’.  
  
• Gua Sha facial tool and Jojoba carrier essential oil is a great gift. I am a big fan of using Gua Sha. Traditionally made of jade or quartz, it is a stone tool used to relieve tension, sculpt skin, and increase circulation on your face. They are traditionally made of jade or quartz. The stones come in various shapes and usually have a minor edge that can be used near the eyes or nose. It’s a fantastic technique to stimulate cell health and massage your lymphatic areas around your face. 
  
• A Dry Body Brush – I am a huge fan of dry body brushing. It is an Ayurvedic practice to detox the body, promote lymphatic cleansing and remove cellular waste products from the body. It leaves your skin soft, improves skin tone, increases circulation and reduces the effects of stress on the body. 
  
• Foreo Bear Facial Massage Tool for your face. A massage tool for your face that trains and tones over 65 muscles in your face and neck It helps improve facial contour, sagging & the appearance of fine lines. 
  
• Massage – the wide variety of treatments at The Massage Room in Cape Town are also great gifts as vouchers. 

Clean makeup

Give the gift of these clean, toxin-free cosmetics:

• Ilia Mascara is naturally derived, with organic waxes, Shea Butter, and Keratin. 
• Sisley Lip Balm uses a combination of oils (Hazelnut, Plum and Sunflower) and butters (Shea and Kokum) for repairing, rehydrating and plumping lips. 
• Westman Atelier Makeup is a clean and nourishing makeup range. 

Books

These are my recommended great reads:

• Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior by Chogyam Trungpa
• The Game of Life and How to Play It by Florence Scovel Shinn – this is a phenomenal book!
• The Biology of Belief by Bruce Lipton – amazing!
• Man’s Search for Meaning by V. Frankl
• Molecules of Emotion by Candice Pert
• And then any books by Louise Hay and Dr Joe Dispenza

Other gift ideas

• Babylonstoren organic box or some of their amazing honey and olive oil
• For little girls, hand-made personalised dolls with Smitten Critters
• Natroceutics Wellness Supplement Kit:  go for Liposomal Vitamin C, Berberine, Quercetin, Omega 3 and Curcumin – this selection will cover inflammation, mood, metabolic health, brain health and also boost immunity.
• Natroceutics Glutathione supplement, the ultimate proageing nutrient!
• A beautiful bouquet from your local florist – I love Adene flowers
• Collagen powder from Harvest Table
• For your pooch, a daytime stay at Poochy Coo Day Care with a mountain walk and some Farmer Angus beef liver. 

And lastly – a beautiful, priceless gift…

• A walk in nature with a good friend followed by the best coffee in town – my absolute favourite treat ever.

Much love,

Vanessa xx

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