It’s a pattern that we’ve seen time and time again – where, upon reaching that point of burning out (through scorching the hell outta' both ends of your proverbial candle), a U-turn in lifestyle and a focus on wellbeing is brought into action. That’s exactly how the story went for Sasha Sabapathy – the self-proclaimed “self-care advocate” and “adaptogen junkie” behind London’s newest wellness hot spot, Glow Bar.

It was in the midst of putting pedal to metal in New York when the 28-year-old turned to adaptogens (steeped in holistic history), and revamped her life and alleviated her daily stresses. Press fast-forward on an exploration into Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine – alongside ways to bring them up to speed to fit in with “modern babes” as Sasha describes – and we’re taking a tour around her ‘gram-friendly “adaptogen-fuelled” café-cum-retail boutique in the heart of Central London…



Striking a harmonious mind-body balance is often easier said than done when the day-to-day duties of darting around the concrete jungle are factored in, but through this new hub (complete with infrared saunas downstairs that induce endorphins, glowing skin and increased blood circulation), we’re presented with four ways to get there via inner, outer, every day and intimate beauty. 

To get a rundown on the wellness talk of the town, we dropped in to meet Sasha to learn more about her favourite products in each carefully curated category...

Inner Beauty
"As well as being my personal favourite, Ashwagandha (100% Ayurvedic feel good magic for calming your body, mind and spirit) is our most popular product. It is really the root of our brand story and where it all began for me – I started taking it at a time in my life when I was super overwhelmed and it sort of revolutionised how I managed stress. I subsequently learned about different adaptogens as a result."

Outer Beauty
"All-clean, natural skincare is so important as we encounter myriad toxins everyday. My favourite skincare product is Le Pruiner’s anti-aging, balancing and restorative Plum Beauty Oil. It was the first plum seed oil that I’d ever heard of and it has a wonderful story behind it: three sisters who grew up on a plum farm in California wanted to make the family business waste-free, so following a couple of years of research into the kernels (which they would throw away) they discovered that they made for an amazing topical oil for your skin.



Every Day
This section is all about creating rituals out of everyday objects and everyday rituals like scented candles, crystal water bottles and face rollers. Right now, my hero product is our custom-made candle from East London-based home fragrance company, Evermore. We’ve got the full range of sustainable soy and coconut wax candles here too, which I adore!

Intimate Beauty
Hank’s Condoms top this category for me, purely because of the intention behind the brand. The product was created after one of the founders went into Boots to buy condoms and her boss walked in to see them in her basket, which caused her a surge of embarrassment; she then thought "Why should I be embarrassed about buying condoms?", and so her beautifully packaged condoms were born as a result.

Visit Glow Bar at 70 Mortimer Street, Marylebone, London W1W 7RY.

In case you missed it, read Jasmine Hemsley's column on her personal relationship with Ayurveda.