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CLOSING DOWN SALE. ALL ITEMS REDUCED AND FINAL SALE.
CLOSING DOWN SALE. ALL ITEMS REDUCED AND FINAL SALE.
From spas in Ancient Greece and Egyptian Thalassotherapy, to Victorian seaside promenades and 1950s flotation tanks, we’ve always used water’s calming and relaxing properties.
Whether you’re frazzled from work or entertaining children during the school holidays (or juggling both), we’ve found seven quick and easy ways to escape into water. For when time’s tight, just a few hours out of the daily chaos can feel like a holiday. This way to relax and rejuvenate your mind and body.
Research has shown that being near water has a positive impact on our mental health. The sight and sound of water helps reduce stress and anxiety, promoting a sense of calmness and relaxation.
Top tip: Lose the electronics and take a walk by a river, lake or the ocean. Look out to the horizon and breathe deeply.
Far from too indulgent, a spa day is a special way to relax and pamper yourself through and through. Water-based treatments such as hydrotherapy, hot tubs and saunas relax muscles, improve circulation and promote overall wellbeing.
Top tip:Try water-based therapy that you’ve never tried before. We love Watsu therapy where you float while your therapist uses shiatsu-style movements.
Wild swimming is all about immersing in nature. The buoyancy of the water not only helps relieve joint pain and muscle tension, but also the rhythmic motion of swimming is meditative and calming and the cold water triggers your body to release feel-good hormones. No wonder it has become so popular.
Top tip: Go swimming with a friend or two, muck around and play, adding laughter therapy to your experience.
If you don’t fancy a cold swim in the sea, you can get the same benefits of feeling almost weightless in a floatation tank. Alone in total darkness, you float without any sense of time or space, which puts you into a meditative state. It sounds bizarre, but it’s the ultimate relaxation.
Top tip:Use comfortable earplugs to avoid getting salty water in your ears.
If you prefer activity to unwind, water walking or Aquajogging are fantastic workouts that you can do in a pool or outdoors. They improve your flexibility and agility, strengthen your muscles and give you a great cardiovascular workout. The water’s buoyancy takes stress off your joints so it’s easier to move, but it also provides resistance to strengthen muscles.
Top tip:Wear a flotation belt to stay upright in deeper water.
Cruising on a paddleboard is a beautiful, peaceful way to enjoy the water. And yoga is one of the best ways to relax, focus on your breathing and tune into your body. Combine the two, and you’re onto a winner. Surrounded by the sounds of water and wildlife, you have to concentrate on not falling off – and there’s no room for worrying about anything else.
Top tip:The centre of the paddleboard is the easiest place to keep your balance and the board steady.
When you’re pushed for time, nothing beats a soak in the bath. It’s the ultimate in self-care because it’s a ritual that you can do for yourself. That means choosing what helps you relax and wash away the stress – your favourite bath oils, scented candles, bubble bath, audio book or soothing music. Warm baths help to decrease stress hormones and balanced serotonin levels, which help regulate mood. They can also improve sleep, soothe muscles and calm busy minds.
Top tip:Switch on airplane mode on your phone, close the door and let it all go.
