Get ready for summer

Summer is coming! As the weather warms up, I’m not alone in discarding chunky winter clothes in favour of linen layers and T-shirts. There’s a positively Mediterranean atmosphere taking over the city. Cafes overspill onto the pavement, street musicians’ music mingles with the cries of seagulls and generally life seems good when the sun is shining.

Champneys is tapping into the laid back summer vibe with a new range of treatments named Mediterranean Bliss. Never one to ignore a chance for a bit of pampering, I hot footed it over to the Brighton Spa in East Street to see what is on offer.
Champneys has seven town and city spas in the South East and Brighton is the busiest. Not that the there’s any sense of rush, the staff are composed and there is an air of calm. I began to feel relaxed before getting any further than the front desk!

Therapist Nicole introduced herself and explained I would experience a condensed version of the full on Mediterranean Bliss Massage. The complete treatment lasts almost an hour and includes a body exfoliation and hot stone back massage (if you're tempted, it costs £55). I was given a shorter version as a taster session, this skipped the stones and featured a more traditional massage after exfoliation.

The treatments are all based around the new products in the Mediterranean Bliss range. Nicole used the body glow scrub for the exfoliation. To give the flavour of the Med, green tomatoes, figs and olive leaf have been used in the mix. The aim is to smooth over skin ready for the sun after being hidden away during the winter months. It certainly did the trick! Very pleasant indeed.
Next Nicole worked on kneading the nasty knots in my shoulders (caused by too much cycling and hunching over a computer screen). She advised hot stone treatments might be worth a try as the stones are very good for aching backs. She added lava shell massages are tipped to be the next big thing in hot massage - one to watch out for.

In recent years I’ve become a bit of a spa fan and have tried out treatments at many venues around the city. I enjoyed a brilliant hot stone massage at Lansdowne Place Hotel spa earlier in the year. And I love lounging about at the Hilton Brighton Metropole gym and spa facility, with fabulous pool and steam room. But Champneys central location is a total hit for me as I can pop in during a lunch break! So all I have to do now is decide what to try next…

Laters

Alix