HEALTH + WELLNESS
IT TURNS OUT WE ARE A NATION OF PEOPLE TRYING HARD TO RELAX. RECENT SPASEEKERS’ RESEARCH FOUND THAT 82 % OF BRITS SPEND FREE TIME RELAXING, BUT 51 % STILL STRUGGLE TO SWITCH OFF, WHICH SUGGESTS THAT SITTING ON THE SOFA SCROLLING INSTAGRAM AND MENTALLY REORGANISING THE KITCHEN CUPBOARDS MAY NOT ACTUALLY COUNT. PERHAPS THAT’ S WHY THE SPA HAS NEVER FELT MORE RELEVANT. ONCE ROOTED IN WATER AND BATHING, THE IDEA HAS BEEN EVOLVING FOR CENTURIES- SPA IS, IN FACT, A BELGIAN TOWN FAMED FOR ITS MINERAL SPRINGS, WHILE ROMANS DISCOVERED BATH’ S NATURALLY HOT WATERS ALMOST 2,000 YEARS AGO. FAST-FORWARD TO 2026 AND WE ARE STILL CHASING THE SAME FEELING- WE’ VE SIMPLY ADDED LED MASKS, SCALP CAMERAS AND THE OCCASIONAL COLD PLUNGE TO THE MIX.
BY POLLY HUMPHRIS
So, what actually is a spa? Today, the term covers a broad spectrum. At one end sits the classic hotel or day spa- pool, sauna, steam room, hydrotherapy, robe and a treatment somewhere between lunch and doing absolutely nothing. At the other are destination retreats and high-tech spaces combining traditional treatments with light therapy, cryotherapy, infrared heat and personalised recovery.
If you feel as though everyone else received a secret spa handbook, they didn’ t. The Good Spa Guide found that one in four spa-goers cited body confidence as a concern, while more than 25 % worry about unexpected costs. A good spa will always share what’ s included in the price you’ ve paid, tell you what to bring, ask about your health and make clear you are not expected to wander around naked looking serene; most of us relax once safely tucked inside a robe, anyway.
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