relax Archives - SAHARASPLASH

saharasplash12 September, 2016

Couples Retreat to Thai Square Spa

Once more I find myself back at the ever popular Thai Square Spa near Charing Cross. I am putting a new spin on things this time however and writing up a couples retreat to Thai Square Spa! It’s just 67 days to the big day (the wedding for my newer readers) and so I really wanted to do something with my husband to be to take us out of the busy schedule we are both dealing with at the moment.

I think it’s really important that you never lose sight of your relationship. Just because you are engaged to be married does not mean that you can’t date anymore and do the things you used to do. I also think that it can be really easy to get caught up in all the planning, it’s a great idea to take a day out to forget about the planning and have a nice relaxing time, just the two of you.

Thai Square Spa offers so much for all couples looking to destress from any situation, especially wedding- related ones!

I had a signature hand massage which was just heavenly. It’s an hour treatment which involves a delightful pampering all the way from your fingertips and up your arm. The scrub created a great sensation as it was rubbed into my hands and arms. The masseuse then washed the breads off and painted on a cooling paste before wrapping my hands and forearms up and sealed them in those wonderful bags which helps to lock in the heat and minerals. My treatment also involved the most fantastic head massage at the end too!

The facilities are just so relaxing, I could sit with a magazine and the signature Thai Square tea for hours. It also gave Paul and I the chance to just enjoy each other’s company side by side, just a little chit chat, no complexities.

Our couples retreat to Thai Square Spa was just what we needed and this is easily my favourite spa in London. I’d really advise you to take a trip there with your special someone and just let Thai square do its magic! Go explore, get pampered, have fun!

Bikini: To Dive For

Saharasplash x

saharasplash13 June, 2016

Thai Square Spa London

I don’t really attend spas all that much- between working, blogging and balancing a social life I find that there isn’t much down time left for me to take a break and relax. That all changed recently upon my visit to the newly relocated Thai Square Spa London, and I’m so excited to tell you all about my visit there…

I booked a day off work and so on Friday morning I packed my bikini in my oversized handbag and set off for Charing Cross from Canning Town. Thai Square Spa is about a 5 minute walk from the station and sits on the very corner of the block- it’s easy to spot as there are huge flags outside the building!

As I went in, I was immediately greeted by reception, and I confirmed that I was booked in for a signature wrap and use of the facilities after my treatment. The reception area was decorated so nicely and had a lovely relaxed feel as soon as I was inside.

The iMantara range of products affiliated with the spa was on show and available to purchase if you liked. I have tried the Siamese Sole foot scrub and lotion which are absolutely divine. The scents are so unique with hints of tea tree, orange and jasmine, and the brand is against animal testing which is something I always look out for.

So onto my treatment!

I had a Thai Square Spa Signature Wrap, which I was quite intrigued about when I saw it on the website. I had only ever had massages before and so was up for trying something new for a change. The treatment started with a lovely foot soak from my therapist. She used salts and warm water to cleanse my feet while I enjoyed the signature blend of herbal tea from Thai Square Spa. After that, I got onto the massage table face down, and I had the cool algae painted on me from my feet all the way up to my shoulders with a brush. It was really soothing and the massage bed was heated too so that it started to dry and harden on my skin. I turned over and the process was repeated on my front half. Not going to lie, the belly felt the cold more than the rest of my body, but it wasn’t unpleasant at all. After this, I was wrapped up like a china doll in loads of towels, and left for 15 minutes for the wrap to soak in. It was lovely and toasty, any more than 15 minutes and I would have definitely fallen into a deep sleep!

After this, I showered to remove the wrap and my skin was super silky. Once finished, it was time to venture round the rest of the Thai Square Spa facilities.

I pretty much had the spa to myself, so it was the perfect time to take some shots!

Here is the central point of the spa. There are plenty of chairs to lie back in and remove yourself from the busy London city, I was completely blissful as I sipped my tea and enjoyed my lazy afternoon.

The jacuzzi and steam/sauna rooms are in a separate chamber just past the lounge area. It was so nice to feel the warm bubbles of the jacuzzi, I felt like I was back in Dubai again!

Thai Square Spa London is the perfect place to get away from everyday life and have some luxury pampering. I went by myself, but I can definitely see myself going back with Paul or maybe some girlfriends too for a great time. Thank you to Thai Square Spa for having me, and I will be seeing you again soon!

Saharasplash x

If you liked this, go and see some awesome recipe ideas from my latest post here

saharasplash6 June, 2016

Getting the Greek Treatment with Oykos

It’s really important that we all have a good pamper once in a while. It can be quite expensive to go out in London to do so, so why not bring the spa to you? In this post I am working with Danone’s brand new Oykos Whip n Mix yoghurts and my friend and blogger Merrell to bring you all the fun we had at mine when I hosted a spa night in for the two of us! Getting the Greek Treatment with Oykos was so much fun, and here’s what we got up to:

Oikos in Greek literally means hearth and home, so there wasn’t a better way to enjoy these tasty treats while in the comfort of my own living room. We had some gorgeous spa packs between us to get us into the relaxed spirit

We lit some candles, and I brought out my foot spa to help us start to forget about our day at work. Getting the Greek treatment with Oykos was working out well so far!

After a soak we used the Sanctuary Spa body souffle from our spa packs and I got into my comfy slippers from The White Company, pure bliss! I also gave Merrell a mini pedi too:

Feeling nice and chilled, I went to go get the Oykos Whip and Mix yoghurts from an equally chiled fridge. We just had one tiny snag in our plans, which was that Merrell couldn’t eat the yoghurt as she is lactose intolerant. But I didn’t invite her over by mistake, I had a plan to make sure that we both got to enjoy getting the Greek treatment with Oykos that evening…

So I got the Oykos packs and some spoons, and we opened them up…

I ate some of mine as it would be a crime not to, the whipped yoghurt and fruity compote is just amazingly good!

I then got some yoghurt, and told Merrell to sit still… as it was going on her face!

As well as being a tasty snack, I decided to put the Oykos packs to a very good secondary use, and of course I then had my face done too…

We had such a fabulous evening and really enjoyed using all the goodies from our spa packs as well as eating/wearing the yoghurts! Getting the Greek Treatment with Oykos was just what we needed to help us unwind and have a great night in 🙂

Saharasplash x

If you enjoyed this, take a look at some more tasty treats in my post about Cadbury’s here

PR samples included

saharasplash23 February, 2016

Let’s do lifestyle with Essence of Arcadia

For me, a blog has to be whatever you want it to be. Some bloggers like to stick to one route such as travel or beauty. But I like to change it up depending on the companies that I reach out to, or who reach out to me. A few weeks ago I was contacted by a lovely company- Essence of Arcadia. They wanted me to try out one of their diffuser sets with essential oils. I have never done anything like this before, but after reading up on their website I found that I just had to review their products! So, let’s do lifestyle with Essence of Arcadia!

I live with my partner Paul in an East London flat. It’s great for us with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, but the living room is always something which has been lacking in the space department. It is a joined kitchen and living room so we just have a dining room table, a sofa and the TV. About a year ago, we took a trip to Ikea and bought some fabulous shelves to go up on the TV wall with sleek glass doors, but due to life and other stuff we have only just got round to putting them up! Needless to say this was the perfect time to get a diffuser now we have a brand new feel to our living area.

A bit about the Essence of Arcadia products. You have the option to buy 2 diffusers on their website- a lovely crystal effect diffuser which is golden and looks like this:

Or a round flat pebble design which has a smooth wood effect, this is the one I went for and is pictured below:

The diffuser comes with a set of three different oils- I got eucalyptus, tea tree and lavender in my box, though if you want to go oil crazy you can also buy the oils separately from the site. These can be used not just with the diffuser, but you can add a few drops to your bath to create a similar environment.

I put the diffuser on our newly-built shelves, and am so happy with how great it looks! I am now on the hunt for some more wooden features to put on the opposite side!

The diffuser is super easy to use, all you need is water and your essential oil of choice and you’re set! I also love how the diffuser has a lighting option too so you can have a lovely scent and a warm glow to go with it.

The mist slowly escapes from the top of the pebble, and we have tried out all 3 oils now. My favourite is the lavender with its relaxing properties; it’s just perfect after a hard day at work to put on and unwind.