Chilling out: the lounging area at Inchydoney Island
Aqua, Stillorgan, Co Dublin
Aqua - the Art of Beauty has an atmosphere of reassuring serenity and cleanliness. Michelle Casey, proprietor and therapist, greets me with a calming drink containing kava-kava and hawthorn berry.
The Executive Stress Recovery Day actually lasts just three-and-a-half hours (two-and-a-half when two therapists work simultaneously), thus enabling busy people to enjoy intense, lasting relaxation normally available only in a spa, without having to lose more than half-a-day's work. After stripping down to a pair of paper panties and slippers and donning a luxurious, white Terry-cloth robe (all provided), I am again undressed and assisted, naked, into a gorgeous Jacuzzi bath filled with essential oils designed to relax the body and break down cellulite.
Next comes the Thalgo Body-Therm Wrap, containing marine algae and intended to break down cellulite by "detoxifying". A hot paste spread on the torso contains cinnamon and red peppers. A cold paste spread on the arms and lower limbs contains mint, lavender, menthol, kaolin and Cyprus essence and is intended to improve circulation. Wrapped in hot blankets, I sweated it out while receiving a lovely head massage, acupressure and cold mineral water compresses, and emerged feeling instantly trimmer, with smoother, softer skin. After showering off and cosying up into the robe, I lay down for a deep-cleanse facial, which combined gorgeous massage with painful sebum extraction - although by this time I was nearly asleep and could have been skewered and wouldn't have noticed. An eyebrow tweeze and manicure completed the pampering experience.
Cost £105. Aqua - the Art of Beauty, the Hill, Stillorgan, Co Dublin, 01-2781616
- Kathryn Holmquist
Temple Country House, Moate, Co Westmeath
Stressed-out people in big cars rattle down the lane to Temple Country House & Health Spa, mobile phones to their ears, and emerge a day (or ideally a few days) later feeling relaxed and invigorated. "To relax the mind, first relax the body" is Temple's philosophy and its stated aim is for inner transformation, rather than just beauty treatments. In this it magically succeeds, thanks to its warm yet fastidious owners, Bernadette and Declan Fagan (both brilliant cooks) who live at Temple and run it like a welcoming family home.
The day starts at 10 a.m. with a yoga class to induce a receptive physical state. Next, an invigorating hydrotherapy bath with Yon-Ka Phyto Bain (containing essential oils) was divine, as water jets pummelled the body area by area according to a programme designed to encourage lymphatic drainage. An intensive, informative hour-long reflexology session (to a background of ocean sounds and candlelight) prepared me for the bliss of the Yon-Ka seaweed body contour treatment, a full body wrap which made me smell like a mermaid and transported me - for an hour anyway - to heaven.
Perhaps the best endorsement came from an American couple who visit several spas annually. Over an excellent low-fat lunch of celery and bean casserole and salads, they likened Temple to California's Golden Door, ranked the number one spa in the US.
The Stress Reliever Day 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. costs £150 (includes lunch, tea/coffee and snacks of fruit and home-made biscuits; robes and slippers provided). Temple Country House & Health Spa, Horseleap, Moate, Co Westmeath, 0506-35118;
e-mail: templespa@spiders.ie website: www.spiders.ie/templespa
- Kathryn Holmquist
Galway Bay Health Farm
Margaret and Gerry McNulty returned from Australia to establish and co-run Galway Bay Health Farm at Loughaunrone House, Oranmore, which is open year-round. Their day programme (£99) runs from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., which includes a light lunch and supper. "All the health farms in Ireland offer something different," says Margaret McNulty. "We're offering a kick-start to a healthy lifestyle."
On arrival for a day programme, guests are given a medical briefing, to assess some details of medical history, along with a weight and blood-pressure check. The day programme varies, since day guests integrate with residential guests, but they all involve exercise and classes.
On my visit, an exercise and aerobics class is followed by a walk in the nearby woods. There is usually one workshop-type class in the afternoon; either from a dietician, an image consultant, or a psychotherapist. The emphasis is on a holistic approach to health.
You can choose one of the following: a one-hour massage, either aromatherapy or Swedish; or an hour of reflexology. There is also a yoga session later. The premises has a steam room and a sauna, as well as a tennis court and bikes. Arrangements can be made for swimming and riding. There is a no-smoking and no-alcohol rule, but coffee is available.
More information from: 091-790606 or www.galwaybayhealthfarm.ie
- Rosita Boland
Lodge and Spa, Inchydoney Island, Clonakilty, Co Cork
Anyone taking just one lungful of the fresh air billowing around Inchydoney Island would think that there's no need for any other kind of therapy. A quick canter round the thalassotherapy centre here banishes that idea, with the sea-water on tap in the pool, in misty treatment rooms, in showers and jets and sprays.
The Lodge and Spa combine operations as a first-class seaside hotel and a mildly clinical health centre. Algotherapy, massage, gym, cryotherapy, steam room, Vichy showers, electrolysis, reflexology, underwater massage seats and a choice of beauty treatments are all on offer. It is all medically designed and supervised but in some important way it is also a lot of fun - the kind of thing ideally experienced with a friend.
As explained by Hazel Knox-Johnson who runs the hotel with her husband Michael (late of Mount Juliet), this is not a health farm. It's run less on the Spartan European model and more on indulgent American lines. A day-long programme, devised as a taster menu, provides an alluring glimpse of what's on offer: an introductory dip in the pool, a treatment session of one's choice, a spell of relaxation (with magazines, fruit and juices) followed by another treatment, then lunch in the seafront residents' lounge followed by more treatment, more pool, more relaxation. The daylong programme costs £95 including lunch; it will be terrifically good for you and doesn't hurt at all.
The Lodge and Spa at Inchydoney Island, Clonakilty, Co Cork, 02333143; fax: 023-35229; e-mail: reservationsinchydoneyisland.com
- Mary Leland
