What’s the difference between relaxing and recovering? Why do spas know it, and why does it matter?
Most people believe they know how to relax. They have a good idea of how to switch off: a wine on the sofa in front of a TV show; a couple of days off work with no real plans, a weekend that feels empty rather than busy; perhaps some travel with some time to yourselves. All these things can be nice, but they are not the same as recovering.
Relaxation is about reducing immediate tension. It’s great, but it doesn’t necessarily replenish the batteries or restore energy or relax the nervous system or address the psychological aspects of stress. You can do all that stuff on your sofa and still feel pretty crap the next day.
Relaxation does not always mean recovery, and most of us believe that relaxing is pretty much the same as recovering, which is why we tend to get it wrong. A decent spa knows better, and they know how to design it. They understand that recovery requires a set of conditions that are much harder to come by than you might think.
It requires silence, and genuine heat, and the ability to keep still. They’ll strip the environment of all the little stresses of modern life – the mobile phone, the newspaper, the task list, the constant reminders. They’ll then structure treatments to work on the nervous system and provide enough space and time to recover properly. For Spa Breaks Tewkesbury, contact hatherleymanor.com/the-spa/spa-breaks-cotswolds/tewkesbury/
A weekend in a good spa, followed by a clear-headed and refreshed return to work, is one thing. On the sofa with a box set and a takeaway is quite another.
