Get there a little early

To enjoy your day spa gift certificate, it’s a good idea to leave plenty of time before your appointment. As well as allowing for the possibility of queues, this also means that you have time to fill out any forms that may be required and, most importantly of all, relax before your treatment.

Leave your baggage behind

While many spas have locker facilities, for your own peace of mind it is generally better not to take any valuables with you if you can help it.  If you must bring it with you be sure to turn your phone off, too; not only will it stop you relaxing but it may also disturb other people.

Therapist preferences

Some spas have both male and female therapists, so if you have a preference it’s best to mention it when you book.  Regardless of gender, however, all therapists are trained in proper draping techniques and will respect your boundaries at all times.

What to wear

Considering that you’ll likely be spending most of your spa visit in a bath robe, something that is comfortable and easy to change in and out of is recommended.

If you intend to use saunas, hot tubs, baths or similar then a swimsuit is also advisable (just make sure to shower off before any other treatments).

Additionally while it’s better for you to undress for full body treatments such as massages, you don’t have to; your comfort is key.

We would normally club together to buy a gift for whoever’s birthday it was on that particular month, but this year we’ve decided to each treat ourselves with a spa day gift in London and have a day of pampering all together.

We all took the day off work on a Friday last month and headed to the Sanctuary’s Covent Garden Spa to have our chosen treatments.  It was a fantastic day, finished off with a few drinks and some dinner at a nearby restaurant.

Five of us had facials, with the Oxygen & Collagen treatment being most popular and the Tailored Prescription Facial coming in a close second.  I don’t think any of us managed to stay awake, peacefully drifting off to sleep for some much needed R&R while the therapists worked their magic on us!

I often use the Therapist’s Secret Facial Oil at home and thought to myself during my treatment that I must try to apply it more like a therapist would and less hurried!

Massages

One of our group was pregnant and so chose a massage specifically tailored to the mum-to-be.  She commented this was possibly one of the best gifts for pregnant women.  As with many women, the pregnancy was making her feel particularly tired, so a day of pampering was just what the doctor ordered.

Sleep Retreat

We are planning on getting a spa day gift for next year too and have our sights set on a ground-breaking treatment that encourages deep, meditative relaxation. The therapist informed us that during the treatment you lie on a special bed which has low frequency sound waves (this causing a gentle vibration) running through it in order to gently relax both mind and body.

It is claimed this treatment, along with the accompanying meditation journey, will leave us feeling refreshed and tension free – sounds good to me!

Roll on next year!

Spa days for pregnant women are one of the best ways to achieve this. Great for both during and after pregnancy, I’ve listed some of our top treatments and products to help mums and mums-to-be enjoy some “me time!”

Full body pregnancy massage

Massages are great for soothing away those pregnancy aches and pains, especially when performed by one of our expert therapists.

However, if you can’t make it to the spa for a full body pregnancy massage, I’d highly recommend our Mum to Be Stretch Mark Oil to use at home. This is one of our most popular products for use both before and after pregnancy – it’s also free from parabens and is midwife approved.

Pedicures

Swollen, uncomfortable legs and feet are a really common pregnancy complaint, which explains why foot treatments are so sought after with mums to be.

It’s a nice idea to give the pregnant lady in your life a foot rub or even a full-on pedicure if you’re feeling adventurous! If not, we can take care of that for you in one of our spas!

The dreaded stretch marks!

The “gold dust” beauty treatments for pregnant women are those that focus on the prevention and reduction of stretch marks.

As well as the aforementioned stretch mark oil, we’d also recommend the Mum to Be Bounce Back Firming Cream. This helps to rejuvenate the skin, improve elasticity, and reduce the appearance of stretch marks.

Quick to apply and quick to dry – a must when you only have a small window to work with during baby’s nap time!

So if you’re stuck for gift ideas this Christmas you can’t go far wrong with a spa day gift– trust me. Whether it’s for your mum, sister, wife or any other special lady in your life, a day spent at one of our Sanctuary Spas is bound to be appreciated.

In case you’re wondering what you get for your buck, I’ve put together a brief overview of the type of treatments you could enjoy with our spa gift experiences so you know what you – or the lucky recipient – could look forward to!

Facials

The Sanctuary offers a number of unique facial treatments geared towards dealing with everything from dull, dry skin to wrinkles.

Our expert therapists can assess exactly what your skin needs before treating it with a prescription facial or deliver a more focused treatment of your choosing.

• Tip: For a facial pick-me-up in between professional treatments, try one of our facial products. I love the 5 Minute Thermal Detox Mask.

Massages

A personal favourite of mine, The Sanctuary Spa has massage treatments to suit everyone.

Arguably the most anticipated part of many pamper days our skilled massage therapists excel at making you leave the spa with a spring in your step.

Just a few of the massages on offer include:

• A relaxing aromatherapy massage
• A soothing muscle melt
• A calming cocooning body wrap.

Manicures & Pedicures

A classic beauty treatment, you can get anything from an express polish to a luxury pedicure complete with leg and foot massage. Great for a treat in December in preparation for the Christmas parties that are starting to fill our diaries!

Choosing the right Christmas present for the woman in your life can be stressful. Women vary on tastes, preferences and ideas, but one thing we have in common is a desire to be pampered and to feel special… beautiful. In amidst the busy schedules of life it’s hard to find “me-time” which is something most women need and value immensely but don’t get enough of!

Here are some great women’s present ideas for Christmas:

• Spa Gift Vouchers are a great Christmas gift, offering a chance for your mum, sister, or partner (or all together!) to spend a day or half-day of pure unadulterated luxury and pampering at one of our world class spas. There are many options to choose from, and better still, we’re now offering 15% off!
• Scented Candles are a lovely option for a bit of luxury and relaxation at home – something you can even enjoy with her (if she’ll let you). Options include bath candles, relaxing aromatherapy, and night-time stress relieving.



• Treatment and Spa Sets look great, and contain many exciting, delectable samples for the woman who hasn’t tried many spa products yet, or who may be interested in trying something new.

The choice is yours; these are just some of our very popular Christmas present ideas for women.

If the woman in your life is expecting, we have a choice of fantastic Christmas presents ideas for pregnant women too. Our “Mum to Be” range features a range of products specifically for your yummy mummy to be.

Why not try a day spa treatment? Day spas combine traditional nail treatments such manicures and pedicures with a series of luxurious skin, facial and body treatments. There are also massages to help our skin stay healthy and bright, lifting our spirits and helping us to get through the long dark days of winter which always creep up on us faster than we’d like.

Our Covent Garden spa has been rated Favourite Day Spa by 2011 SpaFinder Readers’ Choice Awards.

Our range of treatments are some of the best in the industry; designed to help you feel and look great while working to improve your overall health and wellbeing.

Facials and skin treatments are our most popular, with a range of choices from anti-ageing facials to active vitamin treatments, hydradermabrasion, microdermabrasion and more. These treatments are great to help rejuvenate both your skin and your spirit.

Our many fantastic body treatments are a wonderful way to relax and unwind, as well as renewing your body, mind and soul. We have a series of treatments including exfoliating salt scrubs, aroma steam, holistic body experiences and therapeutic water massages in our hydro baths. Our popular wrap treatments also help to improve circulation as well as your metabolism, helping to increase energy and aid weight loss.

Our Covent Garden Spa is very popular, but we also have some luxurious pampering spas near London, Richmond, Cambridge and Bristol. Spa package gift vouchers are a great way to treat a special someone. They also make great Christmas presents!

For great spa days, London is the place to be. An afternoon spent at our Covent Garden Day Spa is sure to bring a smile and a happy sigh to any visitors who are lucky enough to spend time there.

Before the wedding, there is of course the hen party, traditionally the route of L-plates, bars and nightclubs has been the number one choice but many women are now opting for a more sophisticated and relaxing experience of a spa day.

With pampering treatments, lounging in bathrobes and lots of girly chat on the menu it’s easy to see why this option is proving to be so popular.

Booking a spa day is a great way of sharing some time with your friends and family, whether it’s an intimate group of one or two friends or a group of ten or more, a spa environment allows you to relax, unwind and gossip the day away.

With sumptuous surroundings, dribble–inducing treatments and naughty but nice nibbles all under roof, The Sanctuary Spa is a tardis of facilities waiting to be explored by you and your hens. We want you to enjoy your time at The Sanctuary, we’re all about pampering yourself for a day, a moment in time when you can just sit back, relax and do what you want to do, be that reading in one of our lounges, taking a dip in one of our pools, or just gossiping with friends over some bubbly, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. Our group bookings team can even organise a Champagne reception, personalised cakes and gifts on arrival if you wish to go the extra mile and make your day a truly unique experience.

We understand organising an event such as a hen party is not everyone’s forte so why not take advantage of our expertise and leave the organising to us? We’ll make sure each and every one of your hen’s leaves feeling like a princess, whether they’re Royalty or not!
 

Writing on The Spa Finder website, she quotes ‘Anyone who’s been there will know that The Sanctuary is a perfect place for a girlie get-together – whether it’s a big bash in the evening for a hen party, a low-key mum-daughter spa day or just a few friends looking to chill out.’

You can’t get much better than the opinion of a Spa Expert, especially one who is already planning her next visit! 

Even more of an excuse to get booking…we are currently offering a complementary glass of Pink Prosecco to all Groups who pre-book any 50 or 85 minute treatments.

So why not take a look at our brilliant Spa offers and arrange your very own ‘girly’ get together?!

We invited a member of The Good Spa Guide team to a pampering day at our Covent Garden Spa, with which we were rewarded a brilliant score of four out of five bubbles!

Once you’ve finished reading what they had to say, the only thing you will be thinking is where do I book?!

Just follow the link…