A few weeks ago I realized that I’d have a full day and evening to myself on 2 August, when @madgie was cycling the Prudential 100 Ride London.
Rather than waste the day, I decided to investigate the possibility of a spa day at a local-ish hotel. The thought of a hotel seemed more luxurious, even if it didn’t include an overnight stay.
The Alexander House Hotel came up on a few searches and following a recommendation by Twitter pal @lastwaltz, the decision was made.
I booked a package, which included two treatments and a two-course lunch. And I couldn’t resist booking another treatment when I arrived on the day. Well, my toes were looking sooo sad and unloved!
So on Sunday I arrived promptly for my 9am start time – I didn’t want to waste a minute of pampering. I was pretty excited about the day ahead, though less about the treatments and more because I’ve never really done anything like this before – just take myself off for a massive treat on my own.
Once I’d checked in I got my spa menu. The spa is in a separate part to the main hotel and has its own garden. I had 6 hours of spa stretching ahead of me, though with almost 3 hours of treatments it felt like a nice balance. Just in case the whole doing nothing thing got a bit too much.
Yeah. Doing nothing. That’s a bit odd isn’t it? Anyone who has a busy life (who doesn’t) probably craves time to do nothing, as I do. Yet when faced with it it was almost a little overwhelming. So I just got stuck in, starting off with a swim and whirlpool, which was basically bath temperature, so that was nice and relaxing. The pool area is really quite dark, and I knew it was a beautiful day outside so I headed outside to see if there were any outdoor water options.
Bingo! In the spa garden was a lovely hot tub and sauna cabin. The sun was shining and there wasn’t a soul around. I took full advantage and sat in the hot tub reading magazines. It’s ages since I read something that wasn’t on a screen! Once I was in danger of turning into a prune I dried off and laid on a lounger for a while. I kept thinking ‘I should be doing something’ and that stupid list making to-do bot in my head kept dreaming me up things to think about. But a cup of herbal tea and some more lying down in the relaxation room definitely helped.
My first treatment was a full body massage, followed by a pedicure and then lunch. The food was delicious – soup, followed by lamb. Then more relaxing and it was time for my facial. I love a facial, and this one didn’t disappoint. By this time I was clearly relaxed, as I had a little snooze in the middle of it. I do hope I didn’t snore!
It was a bit weird and also very lovely spending time alone. As an only child I don’t mind my own company, but I am out of the habit of keeping it. It reminded me that every now and again you need to time out and have a rest – and spend some quality time with yourself. I didn’t quite manage to leave my phone in my bag, so I need to work on that one, but my excuse was I was checking in on Madge’s progress on the 100 mile cycle!