After a week’s stay at Grayshott Spa I now feel mentally and physically revitalised and ready to face the world again.
We all have moments in our life when we need to simply stop to recharge, regroup, take stock and then start again.
Usually these are key moments in life such as divorce, bereavement, recuperation from an injury or an operation, exhaustion or burn out, a milestone birthday, weight-gain or weight-loss.
For over 30 years I have chosen Grayshott Spa as my go-to sanctuary where I re-find my positive and energetic self, just like re-booting a computer to get it operating again in tip-top condition.
This time my reason is 6 weeks post-hip-resurface-surgery to get healthy and fit mentally and physically, then consider my personal and business venture options that I put on hold for 3 months.
Arrival and first days at any hotel or spa always seem to be less than relaxed and take a bit of pace adjustment.
Often room changes, specific diet requirements and booking favourite treatments and therapists can feel unnecessarily.stressful.
but by day #3 I am so chilled I am nearly comatose.
Day #2 has a slight blip in the middle of the night with a fire alarm evacuation
(not a drill but a real evacuation with 2 fire engines arriving within minutes)
but all is resolved swiftly by both the fire-brigade and the extremely kind and efficient staff, led by the incredibly calm front desk manager, Michelle- all credit to her- amazing leadership skills for such a young girl,
It is quite a funny experience looking back on it (especially as the cause of the fire is caught early enough to not be serious) It feels possibly rather like a wartime evacuation, as all guests and staff are huddled together in the middle of a cold rainy night in our nighties and pj’s, on an indoor tennis court, whilst waiting for the firemen to give the all clear so we can return to our nice comfy warm king size beds.
From day #3 onwards everything is running smoothly again, with my mornings starting with a daily swim in the indoor pool or heated outdoor pool on the sunnier days. Then a very quick submersion in the freezing cold plunge pool in the sauna and steam room area.
This is the beautiful view from my bedroom window of the heated outdoor pool and the grounds.
Breakfast everyday is a selection of fruits, healthy cereals, porridge, choice of eggs, smoked salmon, and also gluten and dairy free options if required. I am not even missing my daily Expresso.
I spend mornings relaxing or initially taking gentle exercise until an early lunch.
Every day at midday is a pre-lunch talk from a different nutritional expert. Each providing information on how to eat and live a healthier lifestyle. Ideas to take home to continue all the effort and good work started here. Talks include how not have a yo-yo cycle of diet and weight gain, how stress can prevent you losing weight, which fats are good and which are bad, good and bad carbs. All fascinating facts to help you improve your eating habits
Every lunchtime a delicious home-cooked vegetarian soup is the starter before the large daily help-yourself buffet. The Grayshott Spa ethos is to fill up your plate with mostly vegetables and salad, whilst the smaller portion should be protein and good carbs.
This glorious Wisteria is the view from my lunch table.
I choose to not overload myself with too many treatments as my objective is to relax, so my daily highlight is my after-lunch massage. Bliss. My favourite therapists are Donna (who has known me since I first started coming here) and Faye and Pam.
All Grayshott therapists are excellent at their job, but its always lovely to return to the ones that you have an ongoing relationship with
As I regain my energy levels daily, I vary my exercise with pilates and
yoga classes at tea-time, where the instructors give classes that work for all guest abilities, by showing various options of how to do an exercise that could prove to be too challenging for some.
Sue Woods is a visiting instructor whom I have been working with for many years now, whose knowledge and mastery of yoga, tai-chi and chi-gong never ceases to amaze me.
There is an end-of-day rest and relaxation class which is a guided meditation and I also choose to have a 1-2-1 meditation session to help focus on my life choice possibilities.
My personal favourite lecture is by Sharon Gregory on the art of willpower and mindfulness. So difficult to only have one chocolate or one biscuit isn’t it?…..Sharon sees 1-2-1 clients at Grayshott for NLP, hypnotherapy and EFT, and practices locally as well ([email protected])
The Grayshott nutritionist Stephanie Moore is also inspirational and has helped many returning guests lose significant weight and subsequently keep it off.
Dinners are designed by the executive chef to appeal both visually and to the taste buds whilst being healthy and low calorie. Yummy
There are also a myriad of beauty treatments. I am saving the facial for my final day.
I’m sad to leave but my stay has helped me change me from recovering from an operation to being ready to face the world again
www.grayshottspa.com
[email protected]
@grayshottspa
01428 602000
Unaccustomed to holidaying on my own, I was anxious that I could feel awkward, but this trip was so good. Rarely can one say it was a perfect holiday – but it was. There wasn’t even a single cloud in the sky for the whole week. Looking forward to re-visiting next year.