I went to the spa this week.
My friend and I have been promising each other we will go for over 3 years.
For the first 2 of those, we couldn’t go because of Covid. The whole world had come to a grinding stop.
But the last year we haven’t gone just because of life.
It’s been busy.
My friend has been juggling her own mental health as well as a couple of health scares, keeping motivated their autistic son, and navigating 2 sets of parents who have reached their twilight years. Including downsizing and moving to a warden-assisted building.
And me, I don’t know what I’ve been up to, but genuinely it’s been non-stop exhausting, and before I knew it another 12 months has passed.
But finally, we made it!
We got to Woburn Centre Parcs Aqua Sauna.
Have you ever been to a Centre Parcs Sauna?
They’re bloody amazing.
We have tested a few different well-known spa locations and have yet to find one that has equaled the variation of ways to relax.
As always our time together started with a cup of tea and a catchup.
We ranted and raved for a full hour getting all of our venting out before starting “the experience”.
You don’t want to be dealing with the stressy subjects when you’re trying to relax.
And then we took full advantage of every experience going.
Our last Spa day together had been before Covid.
It was still at a Centre Parcs, but this one had felt different. There were a number of hen parties attending, And young couples. The volume was loud and the clientele had been a little bit brassy.
Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not a snob by any means, but they just didn’t uphold the etiquette of the spa. They were sneaking in bottles of bubbles, shrieking with laughter and there was definitely a little bit of groping going on in the darkened and steamy rooms. It had left us both feeling a bit icky.
But This week’s visit was just what the dr ordered.
The whispered silence, the soothing music and the peace we had both been craving for so long.
The hours melted away as did the tension in our shoulders.
And as always the conversation flowed.
And that’s the mark of a good friend.
It doesn’t matter how long it’s been since you last got together, you just carry on chatting from where you left off. We put the whole world to rights as we bubbled in jacuzzi’s, lounged in saunas and deeply inhaled in steam rooms.
And as the day drew to a close we stopped off for one last rest in the salt room relaxation lounge.
And that’s when we saw it.
A man walked past.
His tackle at eye level.
Wearing just his Kelvin Klein underpants.
There was no mistaking these for proper budgie smuggling speedos as the elastic had gone, the jersey worn thin, leaving nothing to the imagination.
For the first time in our lives, we left each other’s company speechless.
I know the world is a little more relaxed and chilled since the pandemic but come on man!! No need!!!