It's the busiest time of the year, with invitations to Christmas lunches, festive parties and December catch-ups coming from all angles, so it's only natural to want a little quiet time every so often.
For many of us, this me-time comes in the form of beauty appointments, such as massages, manicures and facials. With this sacred hour potentially the only solitude we get in a day, more and more people are booking in for 'silent beauty treatments' – a session where your therapist doesn't chat during the appointment, to allow clients headspace and time to think.
If you think this sounds dreamy, you're not alone. SpaSeekers.com revealed that searches for silent hair treatments have increased by 600% over the past three years, while 'silent massages' have also seen a 51% increase.
© GettySpaSeekers explains that a silent treatment can elevate the experience by creating an even more peaceful, undisturbed environment, without the pressure to make small talk.
With this in mind, beauty therapists, hair stylists and spas up and down the country are now offering 'silent beauty treatments', but in a world where we're more in our heads and isolated than ever, is a silent treatment going to make us further introverted?
HELLO!'s Beauty Collective shared their thoughts…
Ateh Jewel: Give me the silent treatment
"Getting the silent treatment is usually a sign that something has gone very wrong, but in a beauty treatment, it can make you feel really good.
"I’m a natural born chatty Cathy and recovering people pleaser. I give all day and feel nurtured by people and the little chit-chats I have throughout the day for both work and pleasure. However, when I had the ARU NA UCHE Deep Tissue Massage with Alphonsus Modebe, he told me to be silent. It was so hard and I had to fight all my instincts to chat, but I'm so glad I did. The silence gave me a chance to reset, reconnect and find peace, so it doesn't surprise me that searches for silent hair treatments have increased.
"Al has a healer's touch and it was one of the best massages I have had in 23 years as a beauty journalist. There’s room for both chatty and silent treatments, whatever you are looking for, but I will definitely be back for more of the silent treatment!"
Sidra Imtiaz, beauty writer: Introverts will love silent treatments
"As someone who is naturally introverted but works in media and PR, my social battery is often drained at the end of each day. Though I've never had a silent treatment, I completely understand the appeal and would opt in if offered.
"Finding the time to treat yourself to beauty appointments is hard, and when they feel like yet another social commitment, I find myself putting them off rather than looking forward to them.
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"I love to talk when it's diagnostic - if the manicurist is giving me tips on my bedraggled cuticles, or my hairstylist is talking me through the health of my strands, the beauty writer in me loves to hear from experts in their field. However, I do think I would enjoy the peace of a silent treatment, and I think those giving the treatment would too.
"They're already providing a service that requires a lot of them physically - I'm sure the additional pressure of making small talk with everyone is exhausting. I say let's abandon the notion of it being rude to sit in the chair and receive your treatment, and let the expert focus on their craft!"
Glynis Barber. HELLO! columnist: It's about balance
"Beauty therapists and hairdressers are a chatty lot, aren't they? They're also quite inquisitive.
"'Are you married? How many children have you got? How old? What do they do? What are you working on now? What are you doing next?'
"Sometimes I feel like I'm being interrogated and sometimes I feel like I'm with a reporter from The Sun (never a good feeling for a thespian).
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"Of course, they mean well and are just being friendly, but the problem is that I'm usually a bit overworked and a bit stressed. When I take time out for a face treatment or a blow dry, I want time for myself. I want to relax and have a moment where I don't have to make any effort. And, let's be honest, small talk is most definitely a bit of an effort.
"Don't get me wrong, a little bit of back and forth is fine, but full-on questioning and non-stop talking is stressful. I had one therapist recently who spoke so rapidly and so relentlessly, that I could feel my blood pressure going up. I felt completely drained afterwards.
"I would also say that part of the training for a therapist should include how to know when to chat and when to be quiet. Take a cue from the client. I don't think it’s appropriate to fire personal questions at people, especially if it's a client you’ve never met before. I find that intrusive, but perhaps that's the actress in me. On the other hand, I've known my hairdresser for years and he knows more about my personal life than many of my friends. The difference is that I chose to tell him.
"It's all about balance. Sometimes having a little natter is rather nice and sometimes you just need to zone out and chill. And the therapist should know the difference."
Melanie Macleod, HELLO! Wellness Editor: Let's chat!
"I'm unashamedly chatty throughout every beauty treatment I book in for. While many people might relish the chance to quiet their minds and reach the ultimate state of bliss, for me, beauty appointments are a chance to learn.
"Call me a nerd if you like, but I love to quiz the beauty professional who is performing my treatment, be it the lady wielding the laser during laser hair removal, the woman waxing my legs, or the expert extracting dirt from my pores, I want to know exactly what she's doing, why it's beneficial for my skin and why she loves the treatment.
"I've learned so much, about my beauty therapist and the treatments they perform, all from asking a few questions mid-treatment, and I hate to think how much expert knowledge I'd have missed over the years had I not.
"That said, if I'm having a massage, after we've talked through the treatment, a bit of silent time doesn't go amiss, I suppose…"
Donna Francis, HELLO! beauty expert: Quiet, please
"There is nothing worse for me than a talkative therapist! Whether I'm having a facial, massage or manicure I don't want to chat.
"Massages and facials are strictly for relaxation only - not socialising. I go into a slumber-like meditative state when I'm having these kinds of treatments and I don't want that to be interrupted by irrelevant small talk.
"I think every therapist should always ask, at the top of treatment whether or not you prefer silence or would prefer to chat. It should be a prerequisite. Because if they do chat, I'm the kind of person who will then reciprocate and not ask them what I want them to do - shut up!
"The only exception to the silence rule is when I'm having my hair done. My hairdresser is a bit like my therapist and we have become good friends because of it. In fact, I think she knows more about me than most of my good friends!"
Vanese Maddix, beauty writer: Give me the choice
"I'm split when it comes to silent beauty treatments. While I do enjoy chatting during some appointments, there are times when I'd prefer silence. For instance, I had a period a few months ago where every nail appointment turned into a lecture about how I should get nail add-ons because of my thin nails. While I appreciated the advice, it became repetitive and insistent, and I often wished for nothing but peace and quiet.
"On the flip side, my hair appointments are a completely different story. Over the years, I've developed a lovely friendship with my hairdresser and now they're filled with yapping and laughter that I genuinely look forward to.
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"I don't think we would have reached this point if I had always opted for silent appointments back in the day. What I love most about our dynamic is that there's an unspoken understanding, if I want to scroll on my phone or even sneak in a little nap during a long braiding session, she'll let me be without interrupting.
"That said, I do wish there was an option to book silent beauty treatments, something like Uber's quiet mode (though we all know not every driver sticks to that). It's about having the choice. Whether you're the client or the professional, both sides should have the freedom to be, as Oprah Winfrey so perfectly put it, 'Silent or silenced.'"
Beatriz Colon: We're already isolated, is this necessary?
"It's funny how every trend gets a name these days; light blue nails are suddenly 'blueberry milk nails,' silky brown hair is 'liquid chocolate hair,' supposedly. So, it isn't too surprising that one's preference for chit-chat or lack thereof when it comes to getting your beauty treatments has now received its own branding and is offered as a specific service.
"I'm not picky when it comes to wanting to chat or not. I tend to not start conversations myself, though not because I have a preference for keeping it that way. It's more because I am usually introverted and feel tired when I do have time for such appointments, and it's nice to have an excuse and treat myself to a little scrolling on my phone without feeling bad about it.
"However I will say, especially living in New York City, where so many on default keep to themselves, it can feel like a compliment when a hair stylist or nail technician gets chatty, and most times you'll get to hear some pretty interesting stories.
© Getty"As far as 'silent beauty treatments' becoming an advertised service, I'm a little more suspicious - people will try to sell you anything these days!
"When you order an Uber Black, it gives you the option to choose whether you want your driver to talk to you or not — I don't think we should necessarily take the concept of silent beauty treatments much further than that.
"There is so much you can do and ask for without ever interacting with a real person, that maybe that has made us more introverted, but I'm not convinced we need a designated service just to not have to tell someone doing your hair or your nails or your massage that you're not in a particularly chatty mood."
