Is there a Routine for the Spa Facilities?
Q.I'm visiting a health spa this weekend with a gym, sauna, steam room, pool, jacuzzi etc. I am looking to use all of these facilities as much as possible over the 2 days i am there and was wondering what the best routine would be for the best possible benefit. Can you help?
A.
Whether you prefer to conduct your routine workout in the gym or in the pool, there is nothing like a little relaxation afterwards in order to allow both mind and body to ease off the gas. Both the sauna and the steam room offer the perfect environment in which to do this, although individuals tend to favour one above the other. (A sauna uses dry heat, whereas a steam room provides a humid atmosphere.)
Not only will your muscles be able to wind down but you should feel the tension of your workout easing away from your shoulders, down your arms and out of your fingers. If you suffer from any minor respiratory complaint, you will find the steam room allows you to breathe more easily because the moist air clears the airways.
Muscular tension
Releasing muscular tension is also the job of the Jacuzzi, which has the added benefit of massage through the jets built into the sides of the unit – perfect for those who don’t want the attentions and the accompanying fee of a trained masseuse. Some people enjoy this hydrotherapeutic experience over the enclosed nature of both the sauna and the steam room.
While the latter tend to be more sombre places of relaxation in which to drift away into your mind and let go physically and mentally, you may find the Jacuzzi a more social environment where the post-exercise feel good factor means tub companions lose their natural shyness and enjoy the chit-chat i.e. the perfect place to strike up some relaxing conversation and find pleasant companions for dinner.
Post-workout routine
If your spa break is all about relaxation, thereby taking a break from your gym- or pool-work, take the opportunity to try all the facilities in order to discover which one most meets your requirements so that you can build one into your post-workout routine when you return to your regular schedule.
To make the most of your spa break, try to let go as much as possible, even to the extent of leaving your business mobile phone in the office drawer and resisting the temptation to leave a contact number. Otherwise, you’ll find you never completely switch off, in anticipation of that call from a colleague, and the opportunity will be wasted for what is a temporary but highly enjoyable great escape from the realities of modern life.
