We're all seeking autonomy over our wellbeing, and spas are here to help

A world of wellbeing discovery

One of the many things that the spa world has given me over the course of more than 20 years in the industry, is the gift of continuous discovery. At each stage of my life so far, it has not only been a space for professional growth, but personal healing as well.

When I had my children, I found places of sanctuary, and was surprised to discover places that not only helped me to experience restful wellbeing, but where my children could start learning about self-care in a positive way as well. When I've had surgery, courtesy of trouble with my back, and recently with my neck, I found environments where I could recover away from the medical sphere, and start to feel more like myself again. When I started experiencing perimenopause symptoms, and worried I was losing my mind, I met people who were already leagues ahead of the rest of the world when it came to delivering caring, holistic touch therapies, nutritional advice, and understanding, that helped me settle into my changing body, and helped me realise I was not alone.

I would never tell anyone that spa experiences are the answer to everything, but what I have found is that they create space to better understand yourself, listen to your own body, discover different things, and, most of all, give you the chance to decide what's best for you at different stages of health and wellbeing.

How spas alter the menopause experience

That opportunity is highlighted for me as we enter Menopause Awareness Month, because while I am delighted that menopause is now a subject that's no longer taboo, it is still something that's very confusing and isolating for a lot of women.

Speaking as an individual rather than a clinical expert, I wanted to take this chance to tell you how I think spas can help. I think it boils down to one thing - the chance to slow down, calm the panic and the worry, and explore, ultimately giving you a bit more autonomy over how you choose to address your own menopause experiences.

Spas have worked hard in recent years to offer women experiencing menopausal symptoms different therapies and opportunities designed to help. Brands have created product lines and treatments specifically designed to target some of the common side effects of hormone change, from dry skin to pigmentation, as well as hot flushes and anxiety. There are also research projects in place that look at the efficacy of everything from acupressure to phytohormones (plant hormones) when it comes to holistic support.

Choosing your own path

For many women the medical route (namely HRT or antidepressants) proves to be the best thing for them, for some nutrition changes work well, supplements, yoga, meditation, exercise, and so forth. For most people, it seems that a combination of things helps them to find mental, physical, and emotional harmony - as is the case with all areas of health, as far as I can see.

However, I think we live in a world where it often seems like we face binary options - if you go down the medical route then you can't go down the holistic route and vice versa. In reality, it's so much more personal than that, and this is what I have always found spas come back to. They give us the licence to dial down the madness, get out of our heads and into our bodies so we can be really, truly ourselves for a moment.

On a personal note, I cannot stress enough the physical and emotional power of kind touch, and the impact that can have when you're going through something. As someone experiencing menopause symptoms quite aggressively, it still never fails to amaze me how healing therapeutic touch can be. When everything else feels a little alien, the power of touch through massage, or reiki, truly does ground you again.

I am not telling you that spas will put an end to all menopause symptoms - of course they won't. However, I do firmly believe that they give you the breathing space to remember who you are away from all the noise. In that moment you become open to a world of opportunity, experience, and reclaiming a piece of yourself, so you can make choices about your own journey - and maybe even enjoy the process.

Whatever stage of life and wellbeing you are at, I hope you also find spaces that give you a sense of peace, self-knowledge, and, of course, self-care.