Belaqua Spa Days & Breaks Blog

Just five and a half weeks to go to Christmas.  There's still plenty of time to buy presents, but there are always those tricky people to buy for who seem to have everything.  A spa day gift voucher could be the perfect solution.  Your mum would probably love to be pampered with a massage or facial, combined with time to exercise or relax in sumptuous surroundings.  If your own daughter has children, a day away at a spa would be a very welcome break, especially if you offer to do the babysitting while she's out.  Check out the Belaqua website for our exclusive Simply Spa Days at venues across the UK. You can buy a voucher for any of them, starting at just £69.

Labels: Christmas gift vouchers, spa day gift vouchers

We're all agreed in the office that once a party invitation arrives, planning your outfit, buying a new dress (and shoes!) and having your hair and make-up done can all be just as much fun as the big night out itself.

Spas may not be first on your list when preparing for a party and we wouldn't necessarily recommend a relaxing massage with oils before slipping into a silk dress.

However, most spas offer beauty treatments too, so a day or afternoon at a spa before a night out will make you feel a million dollars. A manicure, pedicure, leg wax and professional make up will ensure that you are ready to go without rushing around at the last minute, hoping that your nail polish will dry before you go out!

Labels: manicure, night out, pedicure, professional make up

Christmas is looming and it'll soon be time to squeeze yourself into a little black dress for all those Christmas parties and whizz around for gifts, food and decorations.

With a little planning though, you could cut the inevitable stress that comes with getting everything ready for the big day. Follow our guide for an enjoyable time.

1. Organise your family early. If you would like to invite everyone to your place, do it now. If you are planning something different from the norm, let everyone know so that they can plan accordingly.

2. Shop on-line if you can, hit the shops during the week when they may be quieter, or keep things simple and make presents for your nearest and dearest. Home made gifts cost far less and will be cherished.

3. Plan the food early, make shopping lists and pre-prepare as much as you can. If you feel you are the one who waits on everyone else, shake things up this year by giving jobs out to your visitors (especially if they are family) so that you don't feel exhausted on January 2nd.

4. Factor in some time for yourself. A short walk every day, trip to the gym, spa or swimming pool will keep you in tip top condition.

5. Don't forget to enjoy the season! It's supposed to be a celebration, so let's celebrate!

Labels: Christmas preparations, de-stress, gym, party season

There are several skin care and beauty brands that have been especially formulated for use in professional spas. You can also often buy products from the spa that you have particularly enjoyed during your visit. Your therapist will be able to advise you on the best options.

Here's the low down on some of the more popular brands.

Elemis
A firm favourite experienced by as many as 6.5m spa-goers each year. The products combine natural ingredients with cutting-edge technology. With 15 years' experience, the company states that its products will offer outstanding results and its formulas are of a medical grade, offering scientific beauty solutions.

Sundari
The name means 'beautiful woman' in Sanskrit and the treatments are based on Ayurvedic principles, identifying whether a person is Vata, Pitta or Kapha. The therapist will then adjust the products used accordingly. Therapeutic grade essential oils are used for the anti-ageing treatments and no synthetic fragrances or dyes are used.

Decleor
Founded in the 1970s and with its head office in Paris, the company was a pioneer in aromatherapy and phytotherapy and still features some of its original products in its range today. Decleor has won many awards and incorporates essential oils in eight different skincare regimes. There are products formulated especially for men and the range features products for every type of skin.

Sienna X
This product provides a professional sunless tan. Sienna X has been available since 2007 and is now the official tanning supplier to the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing. The active ingredient that creates a sunless tan is DHA, which was discovered in Germany in the 1920s. It has been used on the skin for over 30 years and is not absorbed into the body and is not known to be toxic. A sunless tans last between five and seven days.

Jessica Nails
The Jessica Nail Clinic was founded in 1969 in Hollywood by Jessica Vartoughian and has served many celebrities, film stars and lovers of beautiful nails. Jessica was a pioneer of nail care and developed different products for damaged, dry, brittle or normal nails. The Jessica nail system and product range is now available in 28 countries in the world.

There are other ranges available and you can find out more from your spa booking agent before indulging in a spa day or break.

Labels: Decleor, Elemis, Jessica Nails, Sienna X, Sundari

Thank you to everyone at Belaqua for organising a fantastic trip to the Vale Country Club and Spa last week. I have visited the hotel before to play golf with friends, but had never been to the spa. On this occasion I booked a spa day for my wife and me. What a place!

The spa itself is huge and has an excellent cafe and friendly front of house reception staff. We were shown around the spa facilities by one of the therapists who responded very quickly to my remarks about there being lots of magazines, but no newspapers, by immediately sending for a copy of The Times for me. A nice touch.

We were able to construct our own salad lunch options by choosing from a comprehensive list of ingredients. We booked a time to have the meal brought to the spa cafe from the main hotel kitchens. This worked remarkably well and our hot chicken salads arrived promptly at 2.30 pm as requested.

The massage was very relaxing and an excellent way to start my visit. There are three separate rooms where you can lie down to relax on water beds, in an Indian themed room or in a very dark room if you fancy a good sleep. Apart from these relaxation areas there was further space just to sit and read a book, magazine, or indeed, my newspaper.

Downstairs from the main spa area we also enjoyed the steam rooms, whirlpool jacuzzi and the excellent 20m swimming pool. We were further delighted to discover that with the unusually mild weather at the beginning of October we were able to go outside to relax on the sun loungers and watch the golfers approach the tricky 9th, 10th and 18th greens of the Lakes course.

The facilities were first class and had benefitted from an expensive re-fit very recently. The hotel and spa are very conveniently located just off the M4 and only an hour's drive from Bath.

Thank you again for organising a wonderful day out for both of us.

Phil Callan
Bath

Labels: The Vale Country Club and Spa

How are things going with your other half at the moment? Sometimes we get so swept up in daily living that taking time to do nothing but gaze into each others eyes and have fun just doesn't happen.

There is no better way to revitalise your relationship than spending time together with no distractions (i.e. kids, your own parents and even other friends).

Make a date, sort out a baby sitter if you have kids, and re-live those early days when you first met. (Remember when you felt a tingle and your heart skipped a beat?) As the trees turn golden and red, autumn is a lovely time to go for a bracing walk, whether it's in a wood or along a cliff top or beach. Sunsets at this time of year can also be spectacular, so if you know of a good spot to watch the sun go down, wrap up warm, take a bottle of wine and a rug and simply sit and watch together.

Not your thing? What about each of you writing a letter to the other person listing all the reasons why you fell in love? Open the envelopes together and chat over a glass of wine. You could follow up with a romantic movie.

Another option is to indulge in a spa day or spa break together. Away from the house, office and with no mobile phones, you really will have a chance concentrate on each other. Hydrotherapy pools, saunas and steam rooms will make you both feel relaxed and you can enjoy lunch together, simply focusing on each other. Many hotel spas are based in country or coastal locations, so there is an option to spend some time outside as well as using the spa's facilities.

Labels: autumn, discounted spa days, revitalise relationship, spa break

Before you go ahead and book one of the usual venues this year for your office Christmas party, give some thought to a more civilised alternative. Turn the office party into a truly indulgent treat where your staff will return to the office the following day, not with a hangover and incapable of working, but fully refreshed, revived and rejuvenated.

What better way to invest in your staff this Christmas than by taking them to a spa?

Christmas 'spa-rties' can be arranged for any number of guests and depending on numbers you may be able to have exclusive use of the spa facilities. Treat your staff to something different: The chilled out feeling of a good massage or facial will make everyone in your team feel more spaced out and relaxed than a bottle of wine, but without the toxic effects!

Depending on your budget you could organise an afternoon at a spa, or a day with treatments and lunch, or if you really want your staff to feel loved, you could organise an overnight stay with dinner and breakfast. The Vale near Cardiff is offering an amazing overnight deal from just £89 per person, to include a fish pedicure with foot and leg massage, luxury overnight accommodation, Welsh breakfast and full use of the extensive spa and leisure facilities. Call our reservations department for details on 01225 872455.

Many other options are available and we can ensure that you have an inclusive price per guest so that you don't get any nasty surprises when it comes to paying the bill.

Venues offering Christmas spa experiences are available throughout the UK. If you think you would like to try something different this year, contact reservations@belaqua.co.uk and we can find a sumptuous venue near you. Based on your budget we will source the spa, schedule the treatments, organise meals or reserve accommodation. All you have to do is turn up and have a truly relaxing time in the pre-Christmas rush.

Labels: Christmas parties, spa breaks, spa experiences