Pampering

Win A Spa Day For Two With Red Letter Days

March 8, 2019 by Erica Hughes 73 Comments

back being massaged

We all love a bit of pampering don’t we? Sometimes we just think we need or deserve a bit of a treat, but other times we really need to spend some time away from our every day lives for the sake of our health and well being. When I’m needing a bit of a pick me up a spa day or even just a pampering treatment is the perfect thing. At this time of year I think we need something like this to look forward to as with the return of colder weather, we need something to keep us going until the sunshine is back again.

I’m loving this Blissful Spa Day Choice for Two from Red Letter Days. At the time of writing it was available for just £55 (down from £113) and you can choose from 80 great spa locations across the UK, including top brand names such as Bannatyne, Virgin Active, Hallmark, Mercure, Marriott or Village spa. Included in the day is the change to use the spa facilities, which will vary from venue to venue but typically include a swimming pool, sauna and steam, gym and relaxation room. Not only that you can each choose a 25-minute treatment from options such as a facial, file and paint, Swedish back massage or scalp massage.

spa day I have a Blissful Spa Day Choice for Two to give away to one lucky reader and if you’d like to win, you need to enter via the Gleam widget below.

Competition Terms and Conditions

1. No bulk, third-party or automated entries.

2. Entrants must be UK residents aged 18 years or older.

3. The winners will be chosen by a random draw.

4. The winner will be notified by email and will have a week to claim their prize. Should they fail to respond within this time, an alternative winner will be selected.

5. Promoter is responsible for fulfilling the prize and full contact details of the winner will be passed onto the promoter.

6. Competition closes on 31st March 2019.
Win A Spa Day For Two

Hilary Leach Natural Therapies Review

October 21, 2017 by Erica Hughes 8 Comments

Hilary Leach Natural Therapies
I first encountered Hilary Leach‘s therapy skills, probably somewhere around 13-15 years ago. As it happened I just rang a clinic that I knew of locally and ended up having an appointment with Hilary, but I quickly realised that I’d got lucky with that call. At that time I’d go along for the occasional treatment to help me destress after a day taking the sort of flack that a manager in the financial services industry tends to take. It really helped. Sometimes I’d have an aromotherapy massage and other times I’d go for reflexology. On other occasions I’d go to help clear a persistent ailment with an Indian Head Massage or Hopi Ear Candles.

When I was pregnant I had treatments with Hilary regularly, which was a welcome treat and really helped me through my pregnancy. I had few problems with my pregnancy, despite being an older mother, and I put some of that down to the care I received from Hilary during that time. In fact, we followed a programme of treatments which led to me trying out some new (to me) therapies, including the Bowen Technique and Reiki Healing. Hilary has studied and gained qualifications in a wide range of treatments and is quite a specialist in treating pregnant women and those trying to conceive. Many therapists don’t have the right qualifications and expertise to treat you when you are pregnant, so it was good to be in safe hands with Hilary.

aromotherapy

After having my son H I didn’t have so much time to go for treatments, but I still managed an occasional treat. Thankfully though my stress levels have been at a much lower level since giving up my office job, until recently that is. This year things have moved up a gear or several and I have been visiting Hilary again. Her friendly manner has a way of putting you at ease and I always feel very welcome and relaxed.

This time I went along for a massage and reflexology combo, which was great as I find it very hard to choose between these treatments as I find both really effective. I just had a back and shoulder massage to begin with and as that is where I carry a lot of my tension it was really valuable. Now that I was feeling relaxed, we moved onto the reflexology which I always find fascinating. Hilary found evidence of tension in my neck which I wasn’t surprised to hear. There was an area on my feet though that felt really tender when Hilary reached that part and it related to my adrenal glands, which given my stress levels isn’t perhaps so surprising.

She also tried some of the Bowen Technique moves for tennis elbow on me and they did seem to have some effect and I’m now wondering if I shouldn’t book in to have a proper treatment session for that.

Hilary Leach is based in Harborne in Birmingham. She provides a wide range of different treatments including relaxation packages. If you are looking for a thoughtful gift, you could consider one of her gift vouchers.

treatment room towels

So Much More at the Kingfisher Shopping Centre, Redditch

October 6, 2017 by Erica Hughes 8 Comments

Last weekend we were invited along to the Kingfisher Shopping Centre for an experience day. Now I’d never been to the centre, although it’s actually very easy to get to. We went by car and it was a very easy drive with lots of choice for car parks (if anything I was spoilt for choice and wasn’t sure which would be the best one for me). A friend said they liked to visit by train, which is easy too as Redditch is on the cross-city line that runs through Birmingham.

kingfisher shopping centre redditch Inside it was much bigger than I expected. It was bright and airy with lots of shops. We wandered around a number of the shops and I was impressed by the size of them and the range. The Debenhams was quite a big store and as luck would have it they had 20% off a lot of lines, so I was able to get a bargain. Meanwhile Hawkins Bazaar was popular with my companion for the day. Still I’m getting ahead of myself, we weren’t really there with shopping in mind, although it did form a part of our day, we were there to have some fun.

First off we went to Perfect Nails and Brows. It was very busy and there were clearly lots of regular clients. The service was friendly and efficient, plus the staff are skilled at their jobs. I had my nails done with a gel polish and I was very happy with the results. In fact, today almost a week later I am still very happy with the results as the finish is still near perfect. I’ve already recommended it to a friend who goes to Redditch regularly.
nails after manicure

Next up we went to Nando’s for lunch. Nando’s was very popular, but everyone who turned up at the door was quickly found a spot. We were looked after by friendly staff and had a enjoyable meal which set us up for the day.

nandos wrap

After a leisurely meal we strolled over to the Vue Cinema to see a film. I’d taken a very patient 10-year-old along with me when I had my nails done, so it seemed only fair he should choose the film: Despicable Me 3.

Despicable Me 3

I loved the fact that we found so much to do at the Kingfisher Shopping Centre. I’d not thought of having a day out there before, but I’d certainly consider it again. There are plenty of eating places in The Hub and the cinema too, plus there’s even a play centre for the kids.