I’m not an outdoors type. Never have been.
Give me a centrally-heated house, a roaring fire, cuddled up under a blanket
and I’m happy. So when the Lido invited me for a spa day in December, I wasn’t
quite sure what I was letting myself in for. As Mark Thwaites, Lido Manager,
says himself: ‘the Lido isn’t like other spas. People come here expecting a warm,
indoor pool, loungers around the edge, and they get this’.
Yes. ‘This’ - the outdoor pool thing. I’ve
done swimming in the rain, but what about frost? I’ve always looked at those pictures of
Icelandic hot springs and thought they look so pretty but I couldn’t imagine it
being a particularly pleasant experience – all icy shores and steamy
water. The day we spent at the Lido at
the beginning of December measured a brisk 5 degrees. The pool is solar-heated,
but without much sun about at this time of year, the water temperature was a
chilly 19 degrees.
So we sat in the warm, cozy café-bar and
ate breakfast – sourdough toast and homemade jam for him, fruit toast and maple
butter for me, coffee times two. Life these days means we’re always running
late, always hectic, always a whirlwind - after dropping the kids with my
parents for the day, we needed to decompress. Sitting in tranquil silence with
your loved one, a perfect breakfast, the sound of the lapping water outside. I
could get used to this.
I’ve had massages for years but never a
Lomi Lomi – the traditional massage of Hawaii, no less, which “brings together
the warm spirit of these incredible tropical islands with a deep massage that
feels ‘to the bone’’’, according to the treatment description. I’d woken up the
day before with an ache in my lower back, and therapist Claire’s expertise
sorted it out in an hour in what is one of the best massages I’ve ever had. The
oils used in the treatment are part of the Lido’s new range of spa products,
years in the making and completely bespoke. We came out red-cheeked, smoothed,
fragrant and relaxed, and were directed to the tea room – comfy chairs, blankets,
complimentary tea, and magazines – where we came back to reality at our own
pace.
Post-massage, we met up with Mark for a
tour and a chat about the ethos of the Lido. He explained that the water
contains minimal amounts of chlorine, but to maintain these levels bathers must
be scrupulously clean before entering the water. What better way to encourage
extensive scrubbing than to provide top quality spa products free of charge? Mark
and his team went to a Somerset apothecary to develop their own bespoke range
along the same lines as the Lido kitchen, which meant knowing the provenance of
each ingredient that goes into the final product. Alongside the Purifying body
wash (containing cleansing cypress, lime and grapefruit to ensure squeaky-clean
swimmers), another body wash is supplied for the post-pool shower: Rose
Geranium body wash, with clary sage and chamomile to hydrate the skin. And to
top it off, a Refreshing shampoo completes the trilogy, incorporating
chamomile, lemon and lavender. The products contain no animal products or
chemical nasties, and I was impressed by the quality of the ingredients, the
blend of the essential oils which permeate the whole building, even
recognisable from the street if the wind blows in the right direction. I struggled
with the pumps in a couple of the showers, making it tricky to get enough
product for my hair, but this was a minor niggle.
We followed Mark’s suggestion to bathe in
the Nordic fashion (Mark’s mother is Finnish and the Lido’s owner is Swedish,
so this is authentic advice) – shower, swim, steam room, swim, steam room,
swim, sauna, swim, sauna, one last swim, then the hot tub. Oh, and I forgot the
cold water bucket. Post steam/sauna, pre swim. Each time, literally a bucket of
cold water tipped over your head from a height. Brrrr….
But, actually, it was fantastic.
Invigorating. Refreshing. When I first entered the pool it felt shockingly
cold, and to save face I decided I would do two lengths before getting out. But
the chill of the pool subsided before those two lengths were up, and I stayed
in for many more. The transfer from pool to steam room was pretty parky but the
warmth of the steam room felt even more welcome to my goose-pimpled skin. Our
final plunge into the hot tub was delicious – bath-water warm, bubbly and
relaxing. We felt exhilarated and a huge sense of achievement.
After one final shower, squeaky clean and
weary, we got dressed and headed for the restaurant for a late lunch. To start,
we chose deep-fried aubergine with goats curd, oregano, chilli and honey. This
was one of the lightest dishes I’ve ever eaten, and, despite not being a huge
fan of aubergine, it was soft and delicious, enhanced by the earthiness of the
honey and the zip of chilli. To follow, we ate butternut squash manti with sweet
tomato sauce, pine nuts, yoghurt, brown butter and confit egg yolk. Manti is a
kind of middle-eastern stuffed pasta, and the little parcels were full of
flavor, contrasting well with the rich sauce, soft egg and crunchy nuts. We
finished with dessert – Ben ate salted caramel chocolate tart and I chose
chocolate and stout ice-cream. The meal was spectacular, faultless, and the
contrast between warming Mediterranean flavours followed by cold ice cream was
thoroughly amazing. Chilli meets chilly - extremes of temperature - much like
the day itself.
……………………………..
Lido Spa products are currently available
to buy from the Lido in Bristol and will be available online in 2013. The range
includes three types of body wash products, hand wash, hand lotion, hair care
and scented candles. Lido Spa has its own Facebook page.
Lido spa bottle shots: Lido Bristol
All other shots: Lottie Storey/Oyster & Pearl
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