Happy New Year Everyone!!!!!!
Well I hope everyone had a wonderful Xmas and New Year. Being that we have just come through the busiest season over the last few weeks, I am sure that like me, people will be feeling a little sluggish after all the naughty treats, tired from burning the candle at both ends and in need of a little TLC.
Well let me tell you, I am a huge lover of mini spa breaks. There is nothing more reviving than treating yourself and your body to a little me time. So for those who have never been, I am going to tell you about my last visit to my favourite spa. For those who have been I am sure reading this will allow you to relive those relaxing moments.
Whenever I go back to the UK to see my family, me and my Mother have a girls break away to a place called Ragdale Hall Health Hydro and Spa. From the moment you pull up to the extremely picturesque building, you are looked after. Your bags are taken in for you and taken up to your room, someone parks your car for you and you are taken straight to a beautiful conservatory where you are offered a complimentary drink. Mum and I always sit and talk excitedly about what treatments we have booked, while sipping on a wonderful cup of Earl Grey tea. Whilst you are enjoying your drink a receptionist will come and bring you your room key. For first timers the receptionist will take you on a little tour of the Hall, show you where the hydro spa is, the library, gym, mind room and much more importantly where treatments are done and where you have to go when waiting for your treatment.
Once the introduction to the spa has been done, Mum and I usually go and check out our room. On the journey to our room we can smell essential oils seeping out of the treatment rooms, as we breathe it in we can already feel the tension begin to melt away. Once we get to our room we find our timetable of the treatments we have booked, with the times to go to our appointments, and the times to go to lunch and dinner. Breakfast is brought to your room, so you can start your day with breakfast in bed.
Now when your are staying for a mini break you have full and unlimited access to the health hydro, usually on your first day (because arrivals are in the afternoon) you won't have any treatments booked in. So we usually put on our swimmers, followed by our dressing gown (which we will be living in for the next 3 days) and our slippers and we make our way to the hydro spa. There are numerous little rooms to go in, there is the candle pool, where along the walls are flickering candles and the ceiling has stars lighting it. There is also my favourite room the volcanic salt bath, a steam room which has eucalyptus, is dimly lit and has a little volcano in the middle of the room which dispenses the steam and lights up. There is the indoor/outdoor pool that had various little massage jets, one for feet, shoulders, back etc, I like to go in there and use the massage jets to further my ever growing relaxed state. There is a rose sauna, a scented room, a colour flow cave steam room that changes its scents. There is also a nice big pool for those who want to swim and a hot tub too.
Once we have fully relaxed ourselves, we head to dinner (in our dressing gowns, not everyone does this but most people do). There we are presented with a delicious menu. What I love most about the way the menu is done is their little 'window' system. Each dish will have 1, 2 or 3 windows printed next to it. One window means that dish is very healthy and low fat, two is a little more naughty and three, well I am sure you know what three means!!! When I go, I try to be good and have one window meals, 'when in rome!!!' You can buy wine if you wish. I recommend buying a bottle rather than by the glass, whatever your don't finish, they will keep for you for the next day and so on.
After dinner there is still plenty to do, talks on various different beauty/health things. But we usually head to bed so we can wake up bright and breezy ready for Breakfast.
Now I had quite a few treatments the last time I was there and they were all absolutely wonderful!! However, I won't talk about them all as this blog will end up waaaaay too long. But my favourite treatment that I will go back and have time and time again was the Elemis Exotic Frangipani Body Nourish Float. This treatment was 55 minutes of pure bliss. Oh my goodness, they trickled this beautiful warm Elemis Frangipani oil all over my body, massaged it in, wrapped me up, lower me into this dry floatation tank that made me feel totally weightless, during my 'floating' time they continued my pure bliss by giving a massaging facial. By the time I left the room, not only was I walking on air, my skin looked AHHHMAZING, it was vibrant, soft, supple and smelt fantastic. I purchased the oil for use at home and I am totally addicted to it!!!
Imagine several treatments like this over the span of 2-3 days, and you can see why it is something that yes is completely self indulgent, but hey, in this day and age when the world is going at such a fast pace all the time, isn't it nice to take a time out for yourself every now and then!!! You certainly leave feeling revived, refreshed and ready to jump back into the real world!!!!
For those in the UK who are interested in health spa's, check out the Ragdale website. There are always some good little deals going on throughout the year :)
http://www.ragdalehall.co.uk/
Once again Happy New Year Everyone xxx
