There's nothing like a week off to recharge the batteries and banish the dark circles, even if their disappearance is short lived. My R&R unfortunately didn't feature any winter sun or taking to the slopes in some quaint European town. I did however get a little piece of heaven in the form of the Nadur SPA in Ballygarry House in Tralee.
There's great deals to be had out there at the moment, so after watching the pennies for a few weeks I was able to indulge in the monthly offer at the spa. The November deal involved a Voya sweet seaweed sugar scrub, Voya mineralising seaweed facial, Voya forget me knot reconditioning hair treatment. Seaweed was the magic word for my afternoon of pampering. The benefits of seaweed have long been shouted about but it was my first encounter with products that capitalised on its natural properties.
Before my treatments I had the use of their thermal suite. It was the perfect way to get me in the mood for relaxation. After slipping in to the not so flattering over-sized dressing gown and slippers I headed for the crystal steam room. Then it was onto the Glass Herbal Sauna. I did my best to stick it out for the ten minutes but despite all its padding my bum wasn't able to cope with the heat off the wood so I bailed out. Because it was November and Tralee the rain inevitably was falling so I decided to give the outdoor hot tub a skip. That and it was already taken and the look you get off someone in that situation is like you've gotten into their bath with them. After chilling out in the relaxation room for a while my therapist came to get me and then the real pampering began.
It started with the hair treatment - and by no means was it brushed through. It was like getting a head massage, it was glorious. Ignoring my natural urge to create chit chat, I closed my eyes and lapped it all up. I've never had a professional body scrub so I was pleasantly surprised at how relaxing removing dead skin cells could be. I have to say the therapists ability to gracefully preserve my modesty was something I had to admire. How the towel was moved to strategic positions, so I wasn't left red faced, and the way the muslin cloth was placed over my chest was effortlessly perfect. After ever inch of my body was scrubbed it was time to wash it off. The well equipped room had a wonderful shower where I was able to indulge in more Voya products - shower cream, shampoo and conditioner. I was fascinated with how the scrub looked. It was like little black crystals scattered all over my body.
It didn't end there. After I'd washed off, I then had the pleasure of having the most indulgent body cream applied. It felt like it was heated and smelt amazing. At that stage I was well on my way to pure bliss so when the facial started I was on another planet where stress was a word I didn't even recognise. The facial was the usual amazing rigmarole of cleansing, scrubbing, and a face massage - but the twist came in the form of the face mask. To help the mask along strips of seaweed were placed all over my face. Even though I knew like one of the creatures out of Pirates and the Caribbean I was too relaxed to care.
Unfortunately by 1 hr 3/4 of pampering came to an end, despite my pleas for it to last forever. To ease me back into reality I was led back to the relaxation room where a cup of herbal tea and yummy homemade shortcake biscuits helped to bring me back down to earth.
The next day my hair was like silk, my skin was glowing and my pores were practically non-existent.
After discovering the magic of seaweed I think I'll be picking some up the next time I pass a beach!
