Christmas is a joyous time of year, but braving the cold, spending hours shopping for presents and decorating the house all take their toll.
So it’s important that we take care of ourselves – whether that’s indulging in a luxury spa day, booking an appointment for a haircut, or treating ourselves (ladies and gents) to some products we can enjoy at home. Pamper yourself ready for the big day or New Year’s Eve. Alternatively, schedule some well deserved ‘me-time’ for January.
The luxury spa at the four-star Winchester Hotel & Spa, on Worthy Lane, offers a range of holistic therapies – including massage, manicure, and hot stone therapy; and features a small relaxation pool, hot tub, Swedish sauna, and aromatic steam room.
The Ana Spa at the Holiday Inn, on the outskirts of the city – and the newest spa in Winchester – has a Himalayan salt sauna, sensory shower, crystal steam room, a gym and treatment rooms; with memberships available too.
The multi-award winning Vita Skin Spa, on St Peter Street, provides treatments including for anti-ageing and skin rejuvenation; as well as suitable during cancer treatment. It also hosts pamper parties for older children and teenagers.
Winchester Health and Beauty, on Southgate Street, offers beauty treatments including gel nails, spray tans, and waxes; as well as acupuncture (to help treat a number of health conditions, the clinic also specialises in fertility acupuncture).
The stylists at Sarah Barrett, on Jewry Street, cut, style and colour hair; and offer straightening treatments. Customers can enjoy getting their make-up and nails done, or sign up for an individual make-up course. There are also ‘at home’ experiences available.
Hugo Barbers, also on Jewry Street, offers haircuts and shaves, beard shampooing and trims, as well as a hot towel facial. It also sells its own range of styling products to use at home.
For something extra special, visit Guy Kremer celebrity salon. Award-winning Kremer – who has a loyal celebrity following and styled hair for magazine editorials – mentors and trains his salon stylists and colour specialists.
Of course, Winchester and the surrounding market towns are packed with hairdressers, barbers and beauty salons to suit all budgets – so even if it’s just a simple cut to feel like new, treat yourself!
Or if you’d rather enjoy a little TLC at home, the visitor information centre stocks a number of locally made natural and organic wellbeing products. Bee Good transforms the owners’ bees’ honey, wax, and propolis (resin-like material made by bees) in to cleansers, body washes, lip balms, hand creams, and more. Cyril’s Soap Shed makes award-winning natural goat’s milk soap, suitable for sufferers of eczema, psoriasis, and dry skin problems; as well as shampoo bars, including for dogs (if you want to treat yours). Or discover Lavender Fields‘ body care range including bath and shower gel, soap, and lotion.
Unwind and de-stress with the help of Adore Your Outdoors‘ Outdoor Mindfulness Cards. The local, award-winning mental health organisation has produced a pack of cards with nature-based activities, which aim to quiet the mind to improve health and happiness. The organisation also hosts online courses to help with mindfulness; and forest bathing sessions.
Finally, get your little’ens to relax and sleep before Father Christmas arrives by preparing them a fun bath on Christmas Eve – shop for bath bombs, fun-shaped sponges, toys and ducks. Next, surprise them with a brand-new set of pyjamas, and tuck them in with a bedtime story inspired by local children’s goods business Pea’s award-winning space, treetop and enchanted forest bedding.
