It's time we started enjoying our wellbeing more

Spas are for everybody

It's cold outside, but at spas across the UK it's warm and welcoming, giving you time to feel your best and live in the moment. Spas are places where there's no such thing as winter weight or being beach ready; a spa is for everybody, complete with fluffy robes, comfy slippers, and gorgeous experiences.

As a team, we have cultivated this mindset because there are so many messages around telling us what we should be doing all the time - it's exhausting. We believe that health is about enjoying the things that make you feel good, whether it's a workout one day or a chin wag by the pool the next, a spirulina smoothie, a luxury facial, or a bit of everything. There's a world of wellness waiting to be explored in whatever way you want to experience it, and what's right for someone else doesn't have to be right for you too.

Out with wellbeing 'shoulds'

Social media tends to put us all into boxes, promoting wellness trends with varying degrees of credibility. Some are harmless good fun, very much falling into the category of 'if it works for you, then roll with it'. Others become more problematic, placing impossible standards and expectations on us all and simply adding to an ever-growing to do list. Some enter the sphere of 'toxic wellness culture' ultimately having a negative impact.

Intentionally or otherwise, so much of our cultural approach seems to be punitive or about denial. There's often a focus on what you shouldn't eat, rather than the foods that really nourish mind, body and soul. There's also a lot of 'shoulds' around exercise, instead of placing the emphasis simply on helping you feel your best in your own body so you can maximise the joys of each day.

Well, we don't subscribe to any of that. We know that wellness is an evolving process. Sometimes it's about exercise, but sometimes it's about rest, often it's about routine, but occasionally it's about changing or breaking with what you normally do. At times it's about conversation, and at others it's about quiet, but it's always about what makes you feel good.

The joy of spa mentality

Spas are the embodiment of the idea that wellbeing is to be enjoyed, and that is shown through the many and varied options that are available when it comes to treatments and experiences at different destinations. For some of us, a spa break is all about having a treatment and time in the pool; for others, it's the only place you can get away from the white noise of the outside world and the silent hum of a smartphone.

There's enormous pleasure to be had in an afternoon in a sauna and steam room, followed by a home (hotel) made afternoon tea with your mum, dad, best friend, or partner. Perhaps for you, a spa in the countryside represents the chance to go for a run on woodland trails before someone else cooks you eggs on avocado toast.

Spas can also be a gateway to addressing health concerns that aren't medical, but that you feel you could do with some help on. Maybe you want to eat a little more mindfully but you're lacking inspiration, or perhaps you want to find a few ways to help manage stress holistically with little habits you can incorporate into daily life. Maybe you want to change your skincare routine to help feel your best in different seasons. Perhaps you want to give someone going through a hard time a safe space to relax, knowing that they're going to be totally taken care of and supported.

If there's one thing we want the New Year to bring, it's the chance for more people to take the time to truly enjoy their health and wellbeing. It's the ultimate gift, and this year, we invite you to revel in it.