Bristol Health club and spa | Bannatyne Spa Bristol Review

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I recently treated my best friend and I to a day at a Bristol health club and spa, Bannatyne’s.

Like many people, I have learnt the value of a good spa and how needed a day relaxing does for both my body and mind. My usual spa of choice is the Nirvana Spa near Wokingham that I have visited a few times now.

My best friend recently had a significant birthday (one I’ll be having next year myself), and so I treated us both to a spa day at Bannatyne Spa Bristol.

Bannatyne spa bristol

Treatments

As part of an offer on Groupon, I booked a full body massage for my friend and I, in addition to having full use of the pool, jacuzzi, sauna, gym and classes at this Bristol health club and spa.

If you take nothing else from the rest of this post, or even this blog, take this: full body massages are worth Every. Single. Penny! The massages we had at Bannatyne’s were incredible. Afterwards, both of us could hardly move for being so sleepy and relaxed, and our bodies were busy soaking up all of the oils that had been used.

Bristol health club and spa

Body massage oils

Refreshments 

Massages are thirsty work so after our dreamy session, we needed some refreshments before hitting the pool. Inside Bannatyne Spa, there’s an area just beyond the entrance for people to sit, relax and order food and drink; providing you don’t come in dripping wet from the pool, you’re welcome to use this part of the facility dressed in your robes.

In an ideal world, rather than a smoothie I would have been able to have had a coffee or some hot chocolate, but unfortunately hot drinks could only be made via a Costa Coffee machine and non-dairy milk wasn’t on offer; for a health club I found this incredibly poor.

Bristol health club and spa

Delicious healthy falafel wrap

Bristol health club and spa

Bristol health club and spa: summary

I think for a spa, there’s not quite enough there for a full experience, but for a health club I think Bannatyne Spa Bristol is perfectly reasonable. Had our massages not been moved from 2pm to 11:15am, Kate and I would have done a class or two before getting changed to use the spa facilities. That being said, all the two of us really wanted to do was have uninterupted conversation while relaxing and to be fair, that’s exactly what we got.

What are your favourite ways to relax?

Until next time x

The Time Out Experience at Nirvana Spa

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From time to time, I definitely think it’s important to take some time for yourself to relax, and I mean properly relax. This of course can be achieved in a number of ways and many of which from home –a good book and softly scented candles anyone?

When I left my old job earlier in the year, I was very generously given some lovely leaving gifts, one of which being a voucher for the Time Out Experience at the Nirvana Spa in Wokingham, Berkshire. The Time out Experience involved use of the spa and facilities for three hours. Fortunately the voucher was valid for a year on purchase so I didn’t have to rush to use it. As it was my Mum’s birthday in November, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to buy an additional experience so we could both go the spa together, which we did yesterday.

Nirvana Spa

The Time Out Experience

Upon arrival to the Nirvana Spa, we were warmly greeted and as we hadn’t been before, we were talked through all the areas of the spa and the facilities. We were also each given a card that we were told to use to make any purchases such as any refreshments or products so we didn’t have to carry around cash. We were also given a robe and towel each.

After showering, the first area you come to is the Surf Pool, a 53 jet hydrotherapy pool set at a temperature of 35C. Around the pool are multi positioned jets to massage the body. From here we then went to the Roman Pool for a snack and to use the loungers for a while, before using the aromatherapy sauna and on into the Nirvana pool for a swim. The Tepidarium Ceramic Heated Loungers were probably overall our favourite area! For 20 minutes we lay quietly on heated stone beds in a dully lit room, fair to say we both drifted off. Before we knew it our three hours were up and we both felt totally chilled out and relaxed.

Both Mum and I really thoroughly enjoyed ourselves at the Nirvana Spa and we’re now putting plans together to go again –maybe with a couple of added treatments- for a pre wedding trip with Ian’s mum.

What do you guys love doing to relax?

Until next time x

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