Health and beauty freaks rubbed shoulders with those simply looking for something to do at the weekend, each swinging their free gift bags as they wandered the stalls of the Look & Feel Good Expo at the ICC.
I’d imagined there would be more focus on healthy foods and ways to prepare invigorating and healthy meals. And I was disappointed not to see at least one miniature organic market, but maybe that’s because there’s already quite a few organic food markets at the weekends.
Emphasis was more on the sort of cosmetic products you see on the shelves of grocery or clothing stores, but there were also a few interesting set-ups here and there. The Laughter Executives were quite fun, offering laughter workshops that focused on the release of tension and stress. Shape Magazine also had workshops on offer with various speakers including dieticians, psychologists, and writers. I was very excited to attend a talk by a dietician but I gave up after waiting for half an hour.
Frustratingly there wasn’t very much to do unless you had wads of money with you, though a back massage for R50 from trainees at the school for the deaf had a constant queue and those being massaged looked happy. I did inevitably buy a few things; some amazing incense and a bottle of leave-in hair conditioner that smells glorious, and definitely achieved the look-and-feel good aim. And I had a tarot card reading, but I think I should keep the details of that to myself.
By far the most interesting stall was an initiative by Maryam Leeuw, a cyclist who is part of the team of spinners who will be attempting to set a Guinness World Record for 24 hour cycling. The stall had two exercise bikes for people attending the expo to try and qualify for a team of six cyclists. The qualifying time was 20km in 30 minutes… yikes. The team will be at Earthdance where they cycle for 24 hours, harnessing the energy created for use elsewhere. Good luck to them.
Although a nice way to start a Sunday morning and to get into the zone of being health-and-beauty-conscious, I would suggest that the organisers next year should widen their focus from cosmetics to a larger variety of products and foods. But I will certainly attend next year. It’s a great reminder of the joys of healthy living and how to have fun whilst trying to be healthy.
Sid Sidwaba
@Woict_student
The Look & Feel Good Expo runs at the CTICC 16-18 September 2011.
