At Comfort Zone, we believe in the joy of beauty for everyone, at every age, and in every phase of our life,” says Barbara Gavazzoli, director of communication and education for Comfort Zone. “We all have the right and the responsibility to care for the way we look and feel, and to assist those who need our support; sometimes this is easier, sometimes this gets very challenging for many different reasons. One of those reasons is cancer.”

To address this need, Comfort Zone has created a new programme called Beauty Reloaded, which includes a spa facial and body massage for cancer survivors, as well as a professional educational class.

Wellness for Cancer
Gavazzoli points to statistics that show 40 per cent of the population will suffer from cancer at some point during their lives. “Challenging and undesired as the situation can be when facing cancer and its effects, we know today, more than ever, that medical care is key to recover good health, and that professional spa care can be a valid support in again attaining serenity, energy and a revived glow,” she explains.

Gavazzoli first met Julie Bach, chair of Wellness for Cancer, at the Global Wellness Summit in Morocco in 2014, when Bach called for spas to stop turning away cancer survivors and instead, provide comfort, solace and positive recovery paths. Bach has been working closely with Comfort Zone on the Beauty Reloaded programme since then; the skincare company has even made her part of its scientific committee. That committee also includes Dr Mariuccia Bucci, a well-respected dermatologist who is also a founding member of the International-Italian Society of Plastic-Aesthetic and Oncologic Dermatology.

“For a project to succeed, it must have commitment and a cross-functional team that ensures the best for the clients,” says Bach. “Comfort Zone’s master trainers have been very open to learn, and also share some personal experiences they had with cancer directly or through their clients. This has added a more personal dimension to the professional one, and resulted in a very compassionate and empathic attitude, which is what the brand stands for.”

New protocols
The Beauty Reloaded programme includes one facial and one body treatment, as well as the educational session, which helps therapists learn to adapt their protocols to the different guests’ needs when they have been through a cancer-related care or surgery.

The facial addresses two important skincare issues of particular importance to cancer survivors: dehydration and sensitivity, which is catered to through Comfort Zone’s Remedy line. The body treatment takes on the issue of troubled, poor-quality sleep through the Beauty Reloaded Pro-Sleep Massage. All the formulas applied during these protocols are fragrance-free and without essential oils, to ensure maximum comfort for the skin.

The Beauty Reloaded Facial is a soothing, replenishing, calming facial to help with skin’s recovery, and to provide emotional comfort and reinforce the epidermal barrier after periods of intense stress. Fragrance-free delicate formulas are enriched with natural-origin prebiotics, which nourish and empower the skin’s good bacteria; Marula oil, which aids in repairing the skin; and Marvel of Peru and Mexican Hyssop extracts, which soothe inflammation.

The Beauty Reloaded Pro-Sleep Massage is designed to deeply alleviate both body and mind, and combines the benefits of a gentle touch and unique soft brushes to induce a deep relaxation. The fragrance-free, nourishing, restoring formulas are enriched with Illipé butter, Jojoba and Babassu oil.

“The Beauty Reloaded Pro-sleep Massage responds to the fact that sleep is a big issue for people touched by cancer,” says Bach. “Medical evidence suggests that sleep disruption is actually linked to cancer metastasis. Up to eighty per cent of people touched by cancer have sleep issues during treatment, and many continue to have sleep issues up to 10 years after cancer treatment.”

The Beauty Reloaded educational programme, which includes both in-class and digital sessions, is being organised through Comfort Zone’s regional branches and distributors around the world. The first one took place at Derby University in the UK, with many more scheduled across Europe and the US.

At ease in skin and body
“What people touched by cancer look for – and what we want to offer them – is a regenerative experience that can relieve both their skin and their emotional discomfort,” says Gavazzoli. “We want to make them feel and look beautiful and at ease in their skin, and in their bodies – this is why we have called the educational programme and the spa treatments Beauty Reloaded.”

Bach finds the name a perfectly fitting one. “The name ‘Beauty Reloaded’ fully expresses Comfort Zone’s understanding that the skin is a mirror of one’s physical and emotional wellbeing, and at the same time recalls what Wellness for Cancer stands for,” she says. “When someone goes through cancer treatment, the physical effects are very visible on the skin, but what’s worse is the damaging psychological effects on their own body perception and the sense of ‘lost beauty’. Therefore it is key, as Comfort Zone decided to do, to offer holistic, empathic care including ‘clean’ products and special massage techniques to repair the skin and ensure a total de-stressing, regenerating experience.”