Life behind the SQUARES with Sarah Anderson
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Thermal Spas, what are they?
Have you ever been to a thermal spa?
We recently visited two different ones in Austria - not particularly because that's what we wanted to do, but because the weather forced us into it, being so severe it left little room for anything else.
Anyway, I digress.
In hindsight I'm quite pleased we ended up with no other options because the experiences were just amazing. Alfie absolutely loved being there, spending three hours in each one. We all really benefitted from it, and came out of them feeling so, so good... body, mind and soul. Being completely immersed in and surrounded by water, it was a given that our phones and technology was kept well away, so we really had the chance to switch off and be in the moment, enjoying it together.
What is a thermal spa?
Think outside of the British box with this one, where a "thermal spa" might describe some hot or cold treatments you receive as part of a spa experience, or a soak in an artificially heated chlorine-filled pool. A traditional thermal spa is a spring water pool, naturally heated to above 20°C
Where does the heat come from?
It actually comes from the Earth itself. Now, I'm no scientist so I'm not going to go into great detail here and speak way out of my scope, but the springs are heated by activity within the Earth... no heaters in sight.
The benefits of a thermal spa
Because of the higher temperature of the water, a thermal spa pool can hold more vitamins and minerals in the water in comparison to its cold counterparts - soaking in the water for such a prolonged period of time really gives your body the chance to soak up all that goodness. I don't think I've ever had skin so soft as it was when getting out of the pools there.
The heat of the water can also significantly help relax the muscles in the body - reducing stiffness and relieving those aches and pains.
Social aspect
One of the things that became really apparent to us when we were there was the way the pools are used for socialisation. There were people there on date nights, a group of a few female friends, mixed groups, groups of men ... some swimming, some relaxing, some just breathing it all in and taking a moment. Conversations being had by everyone, connecting. Nobody sat on their phones. It was so refreshing to see this way of living. That "getting together" means doing something to benefit your mental and physical health, and not drowning in alcohol, spending loads of money to regret it the day after.
It's a real shame there aren't more of these places accessible in this country though I imagine, like everything else, they'd end up becoming a massive profiteering money-making scheme ran by people with already deep pockets 🤦♀️
Sat talking to Michael now about how I wish I had millions in the bank to create one, free of charge for people to attend, just to relish in those benefits of being in one.
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Holidays when younger
For me those Butlins and Pontins holidays are like the pinnacle of British childhood, I think anyone who's never experienced one is missing out! It's almost like a rite of passage. There are more of these types of places popping up now - with options such as Haven, Parkdean Resorts, Hoseasons, and many more... each one seems to have something extra to offer and those traditional UK family park holidays have gone from standard seems and craft clubs to horse riding, rock climbing, paragliding, you name it, someone does it! All of the activities you would once only access elsewhere is now available on your doorstep. -
Afternoon Tea in Leigh on sea, Essex
There's nothing quite like sitting outside in the summer sun, enjoying an afternoon tea. Quintessentially British, it's a part of our culture and h... -
Age of Independence
My worry if we don't choose to give Alfie that freedom and flexibility to do his own thing and make his own mistakes is that he will do exactly what I did as a child/teen and rebel. The way I see it, having lived it, and I'm sure you have to, is that he's going to do it anyway! It's a part of human nature to take risks, to test boundaries, to live through experiences and learn from them. He's going to do it with or without our say so, so we'd rather have that open dialogue and him be able to tell us. E.g. if he decides to have a drink at a party at 16, I'd rather him be able to be honest about that with us so we know where he is, who he's with, and can pick him up when he's ready to come home so we know for certain he's safe. -
What's on locally in Essex
The six weeks summer holiday break can be so daunting for families, especially with an ever-increasing number of bills to pay that are being hiked higher than ever.
It can be difficult to find days out that fall within budget, or days out at all, with so many seeing closure over the last few years post-covid, Brexit, and bills.
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Visiting outdoor Lidos in U.K. - no 1 - Bathurst Pool
We visited here whilst on a mini holiday staying in nearby Bristol. The sun was shining and I literally found it on Google an hour before we arrived. We travelled 30 mins in total to visit Bathurst Pool. The best outdoor lido so far in the U.K. -
Stop the scroll
How about you join me on this challenge? Set yourself a goal specific to you based on your own life circumstances, and see if you can get to your goal before the year is up. Granted, life often gets in the way, but wouldn't it be nice if we could all give ourselves a little bit of grace and love by doing something just for us? -
Self Care
That alone time will vary from week to week. Some days I'll drive my car to the beach and sit and scroll, or read a book, with a coffee or tea in hand and maybe a sneaky choccy slice from our own selection. Some days it might be sitting in silence and just enjoying the peace in the breeze and listening to the waves crashing on the shore. Other days I plan to visit restaurants I used to love and sit and enjoy a meal on my own - something I used to really enjoy before everything got too busy. Maybe a swim at our local sports centre? Who knows. I'm looking forward to seeing what mini adventures I can enjoy in my own company. -
An all expenses paid holiday, where would you go
Seeing elephants drinking water from natural water pools where people are swimming, giraffes roaming around lodges and lions up close and personal to safari jeeps on TikTok has definitely fuelled this fire a little for sure, but it's somewhere I've always wanted to go for so much more than the animals. I think experiencing the diverse range of authentic African cultures is high up there on reasons why, it would be an amazing learning journey for both Alfie and us adults. -
More and more people are choosing to deregister their children from school to home ed, are you one of them?
Overall this has been a very positive experience for Alfie, Michael and I and we can't wait to see where this progresses and the memories we are able to make along the way. One extra park of all of this has been the time I craved so badly with him, and the reason for setting up my own business, has come back to me in spades and we now get all the time in the world together.
