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You are here: Home / SELF LOVE & BODY IMAGE / A spa day with a difference at Beyond Escapes in Devon

A spa day with a difference at Beyond Escapes in Devon

November 26, 2018 by Molly Leave a Comment

Spa day Devon

There is something ridiculously indulgent about a spa day isn’t there? But I’d like to challenge this idea that we should only do it for a special occasion. Why should we limit the huge benefits of a spa day to a hen do, or a birthday treat? OK, so a spa day isn’t the cheapest pick-me-up, but if it helps to ward off burn-out and boosts productivity in the long run then surely it’s money well spent?!

I was invited along to Beyond Escapes in Devon to try out their BE Indulged afternoon spa package. At £75 per person it might seem like a lot to spend for a bit of self-care, but when you see the cost includes a treatment, a glass of fizz, an afternoon tea, full use of the thermal spa and £10 to spend on facial and body products, I’d say that’s a pretty good deal.

Nestled in the South Devon countryside between Paignton and Totnes, Beyond Escapes is a fairly new resort and spa (it opened in February earlier this year), set against stunning landscape and views down to the sea. With a range of accommodation including lodges complete with hot tubs and mansion apartment suites, it would make a brilliant mini-break getaway. Or, as in our case, you can just use the spa for an intense few hours’ relaxation. 

Spa in Devon Beyond Escapes

I’ve found the change in season harder to adjust to this year and was keen to see if a few hours in a spa could balance out the draining effects of darker days and colder weather (and rain – so much rain!) that I’ve been feeling recently. The answer? Yes! Within half an hour of being in the spa, I felt like a new woman. It was like magic. Which made me wonder, why don’t I do it more?

Beyond Escapes Devon

I haven’t been to a spa since a hen party eighteen months ago, although I’ve dreamed of heated loungers and saunas and the benefits of water jet massages in a delicious hot tub, often. The thermal spa at Beyond Escapes doesn’t disappoint. There’s an area with foot spas, a sauna, steam room and tropical shower, plus an outside vitality pool complete with massage jets and a very cosy 36 degree temperature, along with a relaxation room featuring heated loungers and as many magazines you could wish to read.

Devon Beyond Escapes

My friend Nat joined me for the afternoon, and we both chose the full body massage as our treatment. Now I don’t want to go over the top here but IT WAS THE BEST MASSAGE I’VE EVER HAD. Seriously. It trumped the Ayurvedic massage I had while travelling in India, and the dreamy massage I had on a beach in Thailand. It even beat the hot oil head massage I had in Sri Lanka and the vigorous massage and exfoliation I had in a Turkish baths on holiday a few years ago. It was incredible.

The freestyle deep tissue massage used Elemis body oils (I chose the de-stress option scented with rosemary, lavender, geranium and marjoram) – to work away tension and release toxins. Stephanie, the magician who did my massage, told me she’s training in Reiki, and incorporated some of the healing techniques into my massage. I’m not sure what the technical term is but at the end she did this thing where she placed her hands either side of my head and it felt like she was literally oozing calmness into my brain. Honestly, after the massage it felt like I’d woken up from an eight hour sleep!

spa package devon

After a delicious afternoon tea, another stint with the foot spas and sauna and a little lie down with a magazine, it was time to go home. I expected to feel so blissed out I’d crawl straight into bed, but I found the afternoon had the opposite effect on me. Instead, I felt refreshed and rejuvenated – so much so that I hit my computer and worked until gone midnight, then woke up at 5am to get a couple more hours of work in the following day. This is definitely not my regular routine!

beyond escapes afternoon tea devon

We left convinced of the benefits of a spa package and promised ourselves we wouldn’t leave it another eighteen months before we went again. Consider this woman well and truly converted.

 

 

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Thanks to Beyond Escapes Devon for inviting me along. All views and content are my own. To find out more about the resort check out their website here. For more information about how I work with brands head over to my Work With Me page or get in touch via email – mollyjforbes@gmail.com.

 

Filed Under: SELF LOVE & BODY IMAGE Tagged With: Devon, pampering, self care, self-love, spa break

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Hello and welcome! I'm Molly Forbes - podcaster, presenter and blogger with a passion for positivity, confidence and body image chat. Regularly writing and vlogging about empowering female issues from a motherhood angle, I also cover lifestyle and fashion topics for like-minded mums who want to rediscover themselves after having children. Thanks for stopping by! Read More…

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If you feel bad about your body you’re less like If you feel bad about your body you’re less likely to do nice things for it, including moving in a way that feels good and eating in a way that feels good. (FYI health is about more than just exercise and nutrition, but let’s get deeper into the exercise thing for a second...)
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Research shows kids who have low body image are less likely to get involved with sports and more likely to skip PE. 
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Want kids to move more? Stop teaching them that one type of body is better than another - because if their body doesn’t look like your version of a healthy / beautiful / successful body not only will they be more likely to feel shame over their body, they’ll be less likely to engage with the very behaviours you want them to do more of (or be more likely to engage with them in an UNhealthy way - compulsive exercise is dangerous).
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Instead:
💕Try talking about the intrinsic benefits of exercise over the extrinsic ones (ie. how it makes you FEEL instead of how it makes you LOOK).
✨Create opportunities for movement where ALL children feel welcome. 
💕Show children diverse representation so they can see sporting heroes with a range of body types and know that movement is for EVERYbody. 
✨Take a zero tolerance approach to appearance based bullying, body shaming and comments that perpetuate weight stigma (including even the hint that fat = bad). 
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(If you’re a teacher or youth leader interested in knowing more about this topic, a #BodyHappyKids workshop will help - follow the link in my bio 🥰❤️)
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[Image description: A multicoloured slide with an overlaid screenshot of tweet by Molly which reads ‘If your intention is to “get kids healthy” then you need to be aware of how weight bias, weight stigma and poor body image are active barriers to health. The end.]
Sharing this outfit pic with you because it’s a Sharing this outfit pic with you because it’s a crying shame only the piles of laundry got to see it, quite frankly. Finally, a pair of pre-loved jeans bought online that are true to size, consistent with the rest of the brand’s sizing and actually fit! 🎉 
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PS heads up - I’ll be doing a Q&A about body image and kids in my Stories on Friday. The Q sticker is up in my Stories now if you’d like to submit a Q! 💕 #BodyHappyKids
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[Image description: Molly is standing in front of the mirror looking very pleased with the fact her new jeans bought from Depop fit her. She is wearing pink patterned jeans with cherubs on them, a pink check jumper and pink trainers. There are piles of laundry on the bed behind her.]
Another photo of us on a walk, because it’s been Another photo of us on a walk, because it’s been our main form of entertainment this year. Anyone else? 
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I honestly now get excited about putting my boots on and being outdoors, even in the rain. I’m going to start hugging trees next and going on wild camping weekends that involve doing a poo behind a tree and making my own fire. Joke.... maybe. 
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Just another reminder that all movement is valid, exercise doesn’t need to have to be about burning calories or even tracking steps in order for it to be “worth it”. Hope everyone’s had a great weekend ❤️
#BodyHappyMum #JoyfulMovement
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Image description: Molly and her two daughters stand on a bridge in the countryside. They are all wearing hiking boots and outdoor clothes and smiling.
My body is good and excellent and my body only bel My body is good and excellent and my body only belongs to me ✨ (Words by Effie May, age 6 💕) #BodyHappyMum
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Image description: A close up of Molly’s bare skin as she hugs herself. It’s dark and part of her body is illuminated by light. She has her eyes closed and is smiling.
“Mummy I wrote a letter to myself,” she said. “Mummy I wrote a letter to myself,” she said. And my heart swelled. Maybe I’m doing an OK job after all 🤞❤️💕 #BodyHappyKids 
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I could leave this caption here but I need to make something clear: if you think it’s great that my daughter - a thin, white, nondisabled, cisgender kid - feels good in her body but you’re not here for the self-love of any kid who doesn’t look like her.... then you’ve missed the point.
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ALL bodies are good bodies, and without this important piece of the puzzle ALL children will be at risk of doubting their body. And what happens when they doubt their body? Well... hating our body doesn’t make us treat it with love, and the same is true of kids. 
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Great, now we’ve cleared that up, can we take a moment to appreciate the incredible phonetic spelling on show here?! 
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Image description: Effie, age 6, stands against a white wardrobe holding up a letter she has written to herself. It is spelled phonetically and reads “My body is good and excellent and my body only belongs to me.”
I used to struggle to buy stuff for myself if I ha I used to struggle to buy stuff for myself if I had any spare cash - not just treats, but basics like pants and tights that fit properly. I’d tell myself I didn’t need it, didn’t deserve it, couldn’t justify the expense. There’s still that little voice (the habit of putting everyone else’s needs first and my own last dies hard it seems) but I’m leaning into exploring why it still sometimes rears its head, instead of always listening to it. 
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I’m trying to buy as much as I can from pre-loved places or small businesses these days, which is why I’m very happy to share with you some of my latest finds: a star dress from Depop (£5), earrings from @kelzojewellery by @ourtransitionallife (£12) and the comfiest tights I’ve ever owned in Raspberry Pie by @snagtights (£6.99) 💕💕💕
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Have you found any great small brands lately? Shout them out in the comments so we can all support in the run up to Christmas. ⬇️⚡️
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Image description: Molly is smiling and sticking out her tongue to the camera. Her hair is freshly dyed a light shade of pink. She’s wearing a pink t’shirt underneath a black and white star patterned slip dress, with bright pink tights and black and pink earrings decorated with a boob design.
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