The New Breed of Spas

Spas were once the domian of rich housewives, galavanting around in their white dressing gowns all day, quaffing chablis and spending every waking hour preening themselves in an attempt to reach an Aphrodite-like perfection. This stereotype is famously parodied in Little Britain with the ‘bubbles’ character. The fact is that Spa’s are becoming more and more popular these days and are starting to shed their bourgeois, exclusively middle-class stigma. Many holiday resorts are now installing spas as part of their overall service to the holiday maker. One resort which as implemented the mass-appeal health spa with great success is Club La Santa in Lazarote.
Club La Santa is an affordable family resort that is also very niche in that it caters for top level athletes. Along with the usual swimming pool surrounded by sun loungers, numerous restaurants and a disco, the resort houses a full sized football pitch, an Olympic pool, indoor and outdoor gyms and a large sports hall. This makes it the perfect winter training camp getaway for athletes wanting to get away from it all. The ‘Wellness Centre’, installed in the resort a couple of years ago offers a sauna, steam room, heated pool, Jacuzzi, plunge pool and flotation chambers allowing anyone from the serious athlete to the rehular holiday maker to enjoy the rejuvenating, invigorating benefits of a spa.
The difference is that The Wellness Centre does not conform to a traditional ‘spa day‘ format. Instead, vouchers can be obtained for around fifteen Euros which allow a single use of the spa for an unlimited amount of time. This veers away from spa days simply being seen as gifts for women and treats it more an express or drive-thru facility where punters can relax after a day of activity (or sunbathing!) before venturing out for the evening meal. This is re-defining the spa, making it relevant and accessible for all. Who knows, with an increasing focus on health and fitness, the UK may soon follow suit with it’s own express spas.