Sometimes, the only thing that will do when you’re feeling tired and stressed is a session in a spa. But spa days and treatments are well reputed to be an expensive pleasure, so if you’re feeling a little short of cash as well as in need of some serious me-time, what’s the answer? Well, as with anything in this day and age, most of your answers to spa related affordability dilemmas lie in searching the Internet – as well as a little advance research.
Dedicated Spa Search Engines.
There are a few UK spa search engines springing up which offer great deals on spa breaks of all descriptions. Some of the spa sites such as spa seekers will even organise the day or break for you, so you can either browse a selection of local spas yourself and try and find one that suits your budget or location choice – or just hand the whole thing over to a trained advisor who will find you the spa break that suits you.
The benefit of this type of site is that they will have a working relationship with the spas featured on their sites and be able to get hold of exclusive deals and discounts that some of the other travel sites might not get their hands on until later – if at all. They often feature reviews of specific spas written by people who have visited them, advice on what to expect, and can be a great place to find out about spas in your area.
The downside of a dedicated spa search engine is that it will only feature deals from the spas that have joined its network, so you might not find the exact spa near you that you’re looking for unless they already work with the spa website.
Travel Websites
Some travel sites such as lastminute have a section devoted just to spa breaks and special deals. They are usually a first come, first served deal so you won’t get the variety of deals that perhaps you could get on a dedicated spa search engine. However, some of the discounts can be incredibly good, so if you’re flexible about dates and locations, it could be a great source of a cheap spa break.
In some cases, a travel site advertises special cut price spa days – for example in January 2011 lastminute was offering treatments for as little as £10, if you went onto the site on a specific day. It’s worth registering with money saving websites and discount travel sites so that if a day like this is in the offing you can be ready with your credit card in hand to bag a great spa deal. The availability may well be limited so it’s really a matter of getting in there as early as you can and bagging yourself a bargain.
Individual Spa websites
If there’s a spa close to you, find their website and register for the newsletter. Members get advance notice of deals and events, so it gives you the heads up on anything interesting that’s coming up in your area that might take your fancy. This type of deal isn’t always publicised so it’s well worth signing up to a spa email mailing list…even though you’ll get all the spam, you still find out about hot new spa treatments and special offers.
Local Gyms and Health Clubs
If you haven’t set foot inside a gym in years, you might be surprised to learn that a lot of the more upmarket health club style gyms now have a spa attached. Get yourself a free day pass to the gym, which most of them offer quite happily, and make the most of the facilities which in many cases are just as good as you might find in a spa.
Then, book yourself in for a facial or massage in the health club spa, which will no doubt be much less pricey than anything you can book through a day spa or destinations spa, and get a top quality, spa product treatment for less than you’d expect. If the gym also has a half decent cafe, you can really make a day of it at a fraction of the price of a spa day.
The Old Fashioned Way
Keep an eye on your favourite beauty and health magazines, and national and local newspapers, as they often have special offers for spa breaks. Sometimes women’s magazines offer quite hefty discounts on spa treatments and spa days, which you book using their discount code. Or you could take a chance and enter the competitions that pop up in magazines all the time for a luxury break to Champneys or Ragdale Hall.