I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I arrived at Glam and Glow Beauty Lab in Hockley Heath.

I'd been invited to try one of the treatments at the award-winning beauty and wellness business, but rather than simply being shown a treatment menu and asked to choose, owner Paola Spiga sat down with me for around 30 minutes to talk about me.

She asked about my lifestyle, how I was feeling and what I wanted to get out of the experience before deciding which treatment would be best suited to me.

That immediately stood out.

It felt less like walking into a beauty salon and more like being welcomed into someone's personal wellness space.

And, admittedly, the atmosphere was very much my vibe.

The space was beautifully presented, with a lovely scent throughout and small details that made it feel warm and inviting.

There was incense burning elsewhere in the salon, adding to the overall atmosphere without being overpowering.

Paola herself was warm, energetic and incredibly welcoming, and I found myself feeling comfortable with her almost immediately.

It was perhaps unsurprising that the experience felt so personal given Paola's background.

Before opening Glam and Glow in October 2023, she worked as a beauty therapist at the five-star St Regis hotel in Florence, where she treated guests from around the world, including royalty.

She later spent years building her expertise in salons and spas in the UK before finally opening her own business in Hockley Heath.

That luxury background seems to have followed her into Glam and Glow.

Paola has now collected 13 awards and accolades in less than three years, including the Solihull Customer Commitment Award from the Greater Birmingham Chamber of Commerce.

But what interested me wasn't the list of awards, it was whether that attention to detail could actually be felt as a customer.

And, after my visit, I could see why it had been recognised.

So, what exactly is a sound bath?

After our consultation, Paola recommended that I try a two-hour sound bath.

I'd never experienced one before, so I had no real idea what to expect.

The session involved lying comfortably while Paola used a range of instruments, including a drum, singing bowls and a large gong.

The singing bowls were particularly mesmerising.

Paola would strike them with a small mallet and then run it around the edge, creating a long, resonating sound that seemed to hang in the air.

Then came the gong, its deep vibrations filling the room.

Combined with the rhythmic sound of the drum, the effect was incredibly immersive.

Two hours sounded like a long time to do nothing.

But that was exactly what made it so good.

Once the session began, there was nowhere I needed to be and nothing I needed to do. I could simply lie down and listen.

The sounds filled the room while the calming surroundings made it surprisingly easy to let go of everything else.

My phone, work, everyday stresses, all of it felt very far away.

What I loved most was that I didn't feel as though I was being told to relax.

The environment simply made relaxation happen naturally.

And after two hours, I felt genuinely refreshed, grounded, and like nothing could ruin the rest of my day.

For me, that was the biggest takeaway from Glam and Glow.

The experience wasn't about rushing through a treatment or ticking something off a beauty checklist.

It was about taking time for yourself.

I arrived curious about what a sound bath could actually do and left understanding why someone might make it a regular part of their self-care routine.

Would I go back?

Absolutely.

View the range of treatments available at Glam and Glow here.

Disclosure: I was invited by Glam and Glow Beauty Lab's PR team to attend the sound bath free of charge for review purposes.