8 minute read
WELLBEING Discover the local places that will pick you up and leave you revitalised and raring to go
AS GOOD AS NEW This content was taken from Bath Life issue 408. This information was correct at the time
Sleep retreats, hot yoga, a nourishing foodie cleanse and a load of heavenly spas – discover the local places that will pick you up and leave you revitalised and raring to go
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By Harriet Noble
Float away at Thermae Bath Spa
SLEEP RETREAT AT LUCKNAM PARK In a nutshell: A weekend designed to help you re-discover how to sleep well. The gang here will be helping to balance your energy levels and to restore equilibrium of mind and body through guided meditation and hypnotherapy. More details please: Over the weekend you’ll be partaking in yoga sessions, a therapeutic session at the equestrian centre, sleep meditation sessions, forest walks, a sound healing gong bath and breath workshop plus enjoying three-course meals at their Michelin star Brasserie restaurant. Anything unusual: Yes, you’ll be learning how to connect with a horse! The therapeutic sessions at the equestrian centre are run by Dawn Cameron who has been managing the Lucknam Park Equestrian Centre for over 20 years. Guests will be working in the round pen using the horse’s natural instincts and methods of communication to bond with the fourlegged creature. Perfect for: Someone who wants to improve their sleep, likes horses and fancies staying in a country house with a spa and a top-notch restaurant. Starting price: From £1,040 per person for twonight stay. Lucknam Park Hotel & Spa, Colerne, Chippenham, Wiltshire; www.lucknampark.co.uk
HOT YOGA AT BATH YOGA STUDIO In a nutshell: Bath Yoga Studio aims to offer classes which help you move, sweat and tone your body, whilst also tackling internal stresses; leading to a deeper sense of peace and happiness.
“We are Bath’s only Hot Yoga Studio and we offer a variety of classes both with and without heat, more Yang to soothing restorative Yin,” says Diane Lee, head yogi at Bath Yoga Studio. What’s coming up: There’s the Yin Yoga hibernation on 24 January which helps you to draw inwards, to recoup lost energy and pass the winter by withdrawing into a deep Yin Yoga practice. Next up is a Prana Kriya (Learning to breathe!) Healing food here we come at The Kitchari Cleanse;
Perfect for: Anyone who wants to reconnect with their body. Starting price: £15 Bath Yoga Studio, Norfolk Buildings, James Street West; www. bathyogastudio.com
THE KITCHARI CLEANSE In a nutshell: “The Kitchari Cleanse offers regular cleanses that increase the digestive fire inside us and brighten up the body – giving us back our spark – with a clarity of mind and a passion for life!” says co-owner Hannah Marshall. All the recipes are created in the kitchen of St. James’s Cafe Deli by professional chef Kim Koniotes and Hannah, who is an Ayurvedic lifestyle consultant. They are both passionate about providing delicious, healthy, healing Ayurvedic-influenced food locally. The pair offer talks, cleanses, support and advice, recipes, food plans, and Yoga classes all centered on complete digestion and perfecthealth. What’s on the menu: Their signature dish is Kitchari, an Ayurvedic recipe (similar to dhal)
You may never get out of Lucknam Park’s outdoor hydrotherapy pool
that cleanses through the GI tract, stimulating the digestive fire and encouraging complete digestion, assimilation, absorption and elimination. What’s the vibe: “Our cleanses are kind and unique,” says Hannah. “They are fresh, nourishing, gentle, vegan and available locally in Bath. The Kitchari Cleanse resonates with the desire in every individual to live well and enjoy the best possible health.” Perfect for: Anyone who wants to eat well and feel good. Starting price: One-day cleanse is £15, three-day cleanse is £45. The Kic hari Cleanse, St. James’s Cafe Deli, 5-6 St James’s Street www.thekitcharicleanse.com
BEST OF THE SPAS THE SOUL SPA In a nutshell: The Soul Spa is a new space in town providing all manner of meditations in their wonderfully calm zen den.
“The room is full of cushions and mats, and created to resemble the inside of a yurt, with coloured back-lit canvas walls, so you feel like you have been transported far away from the city,” says owner Madeline Blackburn.
Diane Lee from Bath Yoga Studio having a stretch
You can also get treatments here, from holistic massages, to acupuncture, energy healing and many more courses and workshops. What’s coming up: First up is a new group starting for women who are expecting babies called Antenatal iRest®️, for women to connect with their unborn child and learn how to relax through the whole process and there’s also a special meditation group for the over 55’s. Anything else?
“Our monthly Laugher Yoga evenings will continue to get those endorphins flowing, something we all need a bit of in January,” says Madeline. We’re teaming up with Harrington’s Hotel to create packages for their detox January/February where visitors will be able to totally relax in a guided visualisation and then bathe in the vibrations of a delicious sound bath. Perfect for: Anyone in need of some time out to recentre. Starting price: £5 drop-in or £20 monthly membership. The Soul Spa, 2 Hetling Court; www.thesoulspa.co.uk
THE SPA AT NO.15 GREAT PULTENEY, BATH In a nutshell: Underground and housed within exposed stone vaults, this gem of a spa features four
The pool at Lucknam Park also has a roaring fire
distinctive treatment rooms, a large cedar wood hot tub, a barrel-shaped sauna and a separate steam room. Each treatment room’s name hints at its distinctive decorative style – the Sock Room (where you’ll find handmade socks), Tapestry Room, Coral Room and the Pottery Room. Treatments to try in January: The ‘Balancing Back Treatment’ which focuses on stress in the back and shoulders. Ancient marma therapy and warm herbal poultices are massaged into the back of the body, while sound healing and chakra balancing takes away tension, releases negativity and brings your body back to a state of equilibrium. The longer treatment includes a massage to the front of the body as well as a scalp massage. Anything else? Half-day spa packages are a good choice; you arrive at 1.30pm and enjoy use of the hot-tub and sauna alongside a treatment of your choice (a back, foot and scalp massage; an energising and detoxifying body scrub or a glowing radiance organic facial de-stress massage and facial) before rounding off with English afternoon tea. Starting prices: For non-residents, use of the spa
Wine cellar meets sexy spa at No.15 starts at £20 if booking a treatment or £35 if not. Perfect for: Those who want chill-out time and massages in a cool, quirky (and central) location. No.15 Great Pulteney, 15 Great Pulteney Street; www.no15greatpulteney.co.uk
THERMAE BATH SPA In a nutshell: Sporting the UK’s only natural thermal waters and a showstopper of a rooftop pool, Thermae Bath Spa also offers the indoor minerva Bath, wellness suite (two aromatic steam rooms, infrared room, celestial relaxation suite, ice chamber and experience showers no less), Springs restaurant and an impressive 27 treatment rooms, Grade-II listed Hot Bath and Grade-I listed open-air Cross Bath. Treatments to try this January: Why not go for the perfect pick-me-up treatment (£102), an invigorating body scrub that lifts away dead skin, followed by an energising mud wrap, a relaxing head massage, finishing up when the therapist will ‘layer lock’ the goodness of the rich essential oils into your skin so that it continues to absorb and revive after the treatment. Perfect for: Those who want to relax with a partner
Lavender scents await at The Bath Priory
or friend and take in some great views of Bath’s rooftops. Starting price: £36 for entry to the main Thermae Bath Spa. Thermae Bath Spa, The Hetling Pump Room, Hot Bath Street; www.thermaebathspa.com
THE SPA AND BATH HOUSE AT THE ROYAL CRESCENT HOTEL & SPA In a nutshell: Could this joint win best looking swimming pool in Bath? Possibly so, it’s a beautiful 12-metre relaxation pool, with deep blue tiles and tall chapel-esque windows set in the limestone walls. Generic it is not. From there, you can float between the vitality pool, herbal steam inhalation room, and Himalayan salt-infused sauna – finishing your day with a luxurious treatment. Anything else? In warmer months, you can sit outside in the Taittinger Spa Garden and enjoy the birdsong while you sip Champagne in your fluffy dressing gown. Sounds good to us. Perfect for: Anyone who wants a spa with a bit of character, with beautiful gardens to boot. The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa, 16 Royal Crescent; www.royalcrescent.co.uk
THE GARDEN SPA BY L’OCCITANE, THE BATH PRIORY In a nutshell: Set within the beautiful Relais & Chateaux property of The Bath Priory hotel are four luxurious treatment rooms including a dual treatment suite, a relaxation lounge, indoor pool, pool-side sauna, elliptical steam pod and shower. Treatments include Swedish effleurage, Chinese acupressure and Balinese massage techniques, to stimulate circulation, ease tension and relieve stress. Treatments to try this January: The Bath Priory is hosting a Winter Spa Day (available to book between Sunday-Friday until 28 February 2020) offering guests a sumptuous two-course lunch with a glass of Champagne in The Pantry and a 60-minute treatment, followed by time to relax and unwind with full use of the spa facilities (Prices start from £125 per person). Perfect for: those wanting to rest and indulge in a relaxing haven away from the bustling city, with scents from Provence pervading. Starting price: Spa day prices start from £150, treatments start from £60. n The Bath Priory, Weston Road; www.thebathpriory.co.uk
