Glasshouse first opened its doors in 2013, at a time when eco and sustainability was underrepresented in the industry of hair and beauty. Our founder Olivia Crighton aimed to unify her personal ethos with a contemporary relevance and aesthetic that would have accessible appeal to her clients and the future clients of Glasshouse Salon; “natural and organically based brands at this time were seen as just an ‘alternative option’ for some if they requested it.”
Following this personal awakening and upon moving to London in 2008, Olivia began to explore a more natural, organic and wellbeing led approach. Glasshouse has since evolved to also include an expansive shop and our new therapy room encompassing wellness, skincare and spirituality services. As with the initial conception of the salon, the opening of the therapy room has brought together and provided a way to further share Olivia’s personal growth and development. Having recently moved away from busy London life to the countryside, Olivia has been able to further explore her beliefs about the innate capacity we all hold to express health and healing, doing so herself holistically through various practices and modalities. With this in mind, she is now a practitioner in our therapy room, extending her knowledge and training to help others, sharing hands-on treatments, integrative lifestyle advice and practices that continually help to transform and improve her own health.
We took a moment with Olivia to reflect on her journey and explain about her unique services, as well as discovering her intentions and passions.
Can you tell us a little bit about your own journey and what led you to pursue training in healing modalities?
In my early 20’s my health took a turn and I couldn’t get many answers from conventional Western medicine. I began working with the support of an Ayurvedic doctor for a number of years. This facilitated my initial understanding of the mind and body connection. I was introduced to cleansing, meditation and the use of herbs and set about implementing changes to my diet, mindset and lifestyle. I also had a big awakening about the environmental pressures on the body through the products we use and upon moving to London in 2008 I knew I could no longer work with all the industry chemicals either this eventually led to the creation of Glasshouse Salon. I have been working with the support over the years of many inspirational practitioners and healers, particularly for chronic pain and migraines, and in 2014 I underwent my first Reiki initiation.
How did you choose which practices to train in?
Over the years I have been able to find and work with a variety of incredible practitioners in the realms of both structural body work such as massage and osteopathy and energy work such as clairvoyants and healers all of whom have influenced and guided me on this journey. I began consistently working with my first energy healer a little over 10 years ago and my first kinesiologist many years before that. I was particularly taken by Kinesiology as the body is able to tell us exactly what’s going on, what needs attention and in what order. I believe the body is always working to heal and regenerate– it’s a natural process, it just needs a little help and support along the way. When we go into fight, flight or fawn, or overload the body with the pressure of excess toxins, we can halt or slow down this natural healing process. The aim of my work is to remove or minimise these obstacles to healing. I chose these modalities because they work on the individual on a physical, spiritual and energetic level, as well as taking mental and emotional wellbeing into consideration.
I have learnt to work very instinctively and my biggest learning process over the last few years is how to trust what resonates with me and rings true to me intuitively.
For those unfamiliar with terms such as kinesiology and energy medicine, could you explain the basic principles behind these modalities?
The best and most simple way I can explain energy work is that everything is energy and we are working on the more etheric planes when we do ‘energy work’. There are multiple layers to the energy field of every human being, just as we can have a physical injury we can also have injury, infections or stagnant energy in the layers of the energy field. Overall my aim is to clear the energy field of weighty stagnant energy and raise the overall frequency so my clients can feel more light and free. A lot of this work is purely a ‘reintegration’ or ‘letting go’ process. Calling all the parts of ourselves that have fractured and separated back into alignment.
Kinesiology is an in-depth restorative treatment that incorporates the whole person’s mental, physical and emotional state, using a series of gentle muscle testing to determine imbalances in the body. Following this we can investigate what nutritional support such as supplements and ‘frequency medicines’ the body requires, as well as working with lymphatic massage, ESR (emotional stress release techniques) and running the energetic meridians of the body to bring them back to balance.
What kinds of issues can this work address?
Pretty much everything, my aim is to work with the root causes of dis-ease in the body. Common complaints I work with range from gut issues, headaches and migraines, skin issues, low immunity, stress, fatigue, limiting beliefs and overwhelming emotions. As I aim to work at the core of issues, we might often look at where an issue began and what was going on emotionally around that time. With kinesiology we look at illness from multiple states and perspectives; Mental such as thoughts and beliefs, nutritional such as dietary intake or deficiencies, emotional such as trapped emotions and trauma, and spiritual - the energetic patterns perpetuating a symptom. Sometimes it’s one or all of these factors. Spirit (energy) can affect the physical and the physical can affect the spiritual.
Why do you think these ancient and ‘alternative’ therapies are making their way into the modern world, particularly over the past few years?
I believe we have gotten so far away from nature and so disconnected from ourselves and others that we are now undergoing a ‘remembrance’ process. We are literally coming back to ourselves and our roots. This Ancient knowledge has been around for thousands of years but we have been in a cycle of forgetting who we are.
Nearly a quarter of the adult UK population are on full time medication, a lot of which is mostly symptom focused rather than addressing the root cause. I believe we are seeking a more holistic and complementary approach to wellbeing and a more preventative method to health.
I believe we are souls in a physical body and not the other way around. When you understand this concept our current systems for treating illness and disease feels quite limiting.
What do you think are some of the biggest misconceptions about this kind of work?
I feel for a lot of people there is fear in the unknown and unexplained. I think this type of work needs to be approached with an open mind. I have learnt to respect others' journeys in their own time and rhythm and feel it’s necessary to work with modalities and practitioners that resonate with the individual.
A huge part of my process this last year or two is to be more true to myself and not be concerned with differing opinions and beliefs. I have done a lot of work on ‘witch wounding’ (a topic for another day perhaps!), and most of my life I felt the need to keep the spiritual side of me hidden and protected and I am ready to now fully embrace this powerful aspect of myself.
What part does nutrition play in your work?
Nutrition is fundamental to our wellbeing, it's our fuel and has the ability to help or hinder our healing process. I view food as medicinal and when we are in nature we are literally surrounded by medicine sprouting up from the ground with the abundance of wild herbs, fruit and vegetables available to us. In kinesiology we look at foods in three ways– therapeutic (healing to the body), neutral (has little or no impact), or harmful to that individual.
Though we can get a lot of our required nutrients through a well executed diet the quality of our fruits and vegetables and the soil conditions they are grown in has a big impact and has led to common deficiencies in B12 and Zinc amongst other things. Our current lifestyles and environments are putting huge pressure on our physical bodies, particularly if we are already dealing with chronic stress or a health issue. I believe most of us may need to regularly supplement to combat this. Kinesiology can help us to determine exactly what the body requires and in which form, for example there are three main forms of vitamin C we have available through supplementation and the body might require a particular type for bio-availability. I only work with pure nutritional supplements and herbs that don't contain any additional fillers and additives.
What is your personal food philosophy?
I have been mostly plant-based for over 15 years now, and though I do believe this will become a more natural evolution of diet on this planet - as we evolve we may require more light encoded natural and raw plant-based foods - I also feel it’s important to trust what your body feels it needs (with the exception of processed foods and addictions). For some people this might mean including meat in their diet for example. The goal with my work is to identify foods for each individual that might be putting pressure on the body and holding up its ability to properly detox or heal.
What do you turn to in order to feel your best; food, rituals and all other practices?
My role often demands that I work 7 days a week so it’s absolutely essential I carve out regular well-being practices to recenter and stay healthy. Currently I’m working with a lot of movement such as dance, yoga and qigong as well as meditation, sea swims and forest bathing. I also now see these rituals as part of my work as a practitioner; I cannot assist healing in others when I’m not feeling energetically clear, grounded and embodied myself. Nutrition plays a vital role for me and I have noticeable symptoms when I don’t align with the foods I consume. I also work a lot with herbs and gem/crystal based elixirs that I am excited to introduce in my clinical work at Glasshouse.
31 gem-based elixirs hand made by Olivia in her Sussex studio to be used in treatments.
What in the realm of health, spirituality or wellbeing do you feel most drawn to these days?
This year I’ve been working a lot with ancestral and familial healing as well as inner child work. Some of which has been group work such as family constellations, movement workshops, dance and recently a beautiful women’s retreat in Montenegro - there is nothing quite like experiencing immersive, collaborative group healing and connection in a safe space with like minded humans (and particularly women). This work has been deeply confronting and incredibly empowering. I've also been working very closely with my spiritual mentor and healer of many years this year in preparation for this work.
Your health continues to improve through the way you live your life — what are some of the recent changes you have personally made?
I recently made a move from London with my daughter to the beautiful British country side, we now have access the sea and many ancient woodlands and natural spaces at our fingertips. Over the summer my focus has been more towards herbalism and movement amongst other things. I doubt I will ever stop training and exploring, and this lifestyle shift has spurred a more balanced symbiotic relationship with nature, which has helped me to feel more in alignment with the cycles of the planet and mother Earth.
What is the health tip you share most frequently with your clients?
Keep asking yourself what feels good to you, the food, the environment, the people etc. If it doesn’t reflect on why and what you can do to change it, ask yourself, "What would someone who loves themselves do?”
Be kind to yourself too, you’re doing great!
Olivia is offering the following services bimonthly Saturdays; bookings can be made online by clicking here.
Food Sensitivity Testing & Supportive Investigative Work (60 minutes) £80
Modern lifestyles have contributed to poor nutrition, toxic load and weakened gut health. Utilising kinesiology muscle testing techniques, Olivia will investigate common food intolerances as well as therapeutic foods unique to you. Helping to gain clarity around dietary support and supplements for more optimal health.
Book now
IM__ Bespoke Frequency Elixir (30 minutes) £45
Using a combination of Gem-based elixirs, traditional Bach flower remedies and a herbal base, Olivia will create a powerful bespoke 20ml energy elixir to support and assist the mind, body and soul healing process. Includes a little ‘tune up’ to realign the central and governing meridians, restore equilibrium and attune the body to your new remedy.
Book now
Systematic Kinesiolgy (90 minutes) £120
Kinesiology is an in-depth restorative treatment that incorporates the whole person’s mental, physical and emotional state. Olivia will use a series of muscle testing to identify mechanical, biochemical, emotional and energetic imbalances in the body, utilising a series of prescriptive hands-on techniques to restore homeostasis and facilitate the body’s own innate healing initiatives. Includes a bespoke frequency elixir if required to take home with you.
Book now
Energy Medicine (60 / 90 minutes) £80 / £120
Working with the ancient healing rays of SKHM (SeKHem) and Terra Mai Reiki, Olivia will hold space for a restorative and rebalancing energy medicine treatment. Facilitating healing of the physical mind and body through the energetic field by actively cleansing, clearing and releasing dense, stagnant energy as well as unwanted attachments and offensive energies the body is ready to let go of. Creating and allowing the body space to hold lighter and higher light frequencies. Aiming to balance and realign the energetic meridian and chakra systems, as well as to restore alignment and connection to the etheric and physical bodies especially where there has been trauma. Restoring equilibrium and clarity, with the heart centred intention of leaving you feeling lighter, centred and more grounded in your body.
