The Bristol Lido - Nourish the soul...










Over the Christmas period I suffered with a heavy head cold, making an appearance on Christmas Eve, and stayed like an unwanted guest for days.  Booo!  I felt tired, sluggish and in need of some serious me time.

So the day after Boxing Day, my parents thankfully took the boys, so that Dan and I could spend the day at Bristol Lido.  YAY!  The best present ever, a chance to fully relax and unwind after the stress and overindulgence of the Festive period.

We arrived in the middle of a hail storm, windswept and battered.  Greeted with a smile and a promise to make us better again.  We were shown the upstairs changing rooms, where we removed our clothes and donned thick soft robes and flip flops before taking a seat to wait for our treatment.

Both Dan and I opted for a back, neck, head & facial (although I don't quite know how a facial is done on Dan with all that hair?).  I went into a beautiful, dimly lit and warm room with the sound of the rain lashing down outside.  I was treated to a foot scrub and then a full hour of massage.  Knots were untangled, face was oiled and then washed smooth with warm towels.  I felt new, me, whole again.  I even managed to drift off to sleep for a little while.

After our hour, we taken downstairs to the tea room. Colonial in style, part of the original Lido building before the renovation.  I was settled into a large armchair, and rugged up to keep warm, with a cup of Jasmine Tea to keep me company.  And there I sat, for a good half an hour, with a ridiculously blissed out smile on my face.  Content to lay back and dream.

Fully restored, I put on my bathers and faced the winter weather for a swim.  Heated to a balmy(!?) 25c the water instantly made me intake a sharp breath, but soon I was swimming up and down in the rain, which felt perfectly wild in the middle of the city in the middle of winter.

Several trips to the steam room and hot tub and back in the pool before my stomach started to rumble.  Dan sat in the poolside cafe watching (not brave enough to join me).  I could see he was drinking a coffee, I needed one after my pool excursions!

I showered using the Spa's own shampoo and shower gel, smelling divine, I wandered down to the cafe.  We ate well on tapas followed by several coffees, neither of us wanting to leave such a special place.

The Bristol Lido is the perfect place to find yourself again.  Leave your kids and your worry's at home.  Treat yourself to a spa day.  Take time to be you.  

We will be back....

Labels: , , ,