Jay's weekend of wellness for the body and mind

Do you ever feel the need to stop and take a moment for yourself? To treat yourself to rest, relaxation and to realign? We need to talk about Canberras best kept secret. Heaven on Earth exists my friends and it’s called Hale Spa and you can locate it in The Brassey Hotel in Barton. Canberra’s most luxurious wellness destination is a sanctuary for the body and mind. I recently took part in a two day wellness retreat hosted by Sydney based Yoga & Wellness coach and National Treasure Heidi Horne. The retreat was focussed on healthy living and achieving less stress. You can imagine, for someone co-planning an international destination wedding taking place in less than year the whole de-stress thing was right on the top of my list for the weekend. Structured over four sessions of yoga during our breaks we had full access to Hale’s state of the art facilities that boast an infrared sauna, steam room and cave like plunge pool. As well as Hale’s gym which was so 3008 I could her Fergie in my head telling me I’m so two-thousand and late.

After I put my belongings in a locker and changed into my lush robe I ventured down to the scandi-style Members lounge stocked with Edible Beauty teas and the latest issue of Vogue and I took a seat in front of the modern fireplace and enjoyed what felt like the first time I’d stopped in weeks. Moments later I was greeted by the General Manager, Kathryn Carling whose customer service and kindness was only out matched by her attention to detail – the woman didn’t miss a beat the entire weekend. Kathryn escorted me down the halls to Hale’s treatment rooms. The Rooms smell like Amber and Orchids and the temperature was perfectly warm. Kathryn introduced me to Anne my Massage Therapist and here’s where I completely zoned out for the first time and got lost in pure relaxation. If there’s one thing you do before you die, you need to get one of these massages. Thank me later.

If you had of asked me a month ago about a yoga I would have told you I don’t have the time and I can’t do it, It’s not for me, though I’d honestly never tried it before. Before our first session with Heidi began we all congregated in the Hale Spa Members lounge. The realisation I was a first time yogi in a room full of people who had assumedly taken part in the retreat for the yoga aspect and no the relaxation aspect was very daunting. How am I going to do this? I am going to fall flat on my face in front of these people, Heidi is a pro who won’t have time for my lack of experience. I couldn’t have been more off base. Heidi structured her sessions in levels with each pose so I wasn’t left behind, everyone in the class was able to move through each routine together though in various stages. To my own surprise I was able to keep the entire time and have developed a real love for yoga. Starting and ending each session just focusing on breathing and taking time to be grateful for things in life is a real game changer. I’ve found my attitude when dealing with stress has completely changed. Thoroughly recommend looking into it if you’re dealing with a lot of stress. Heidi also gave talks on the importance of rest and sleep, wellness and healthy eating and intention setting and positive affirmations.

Those of you who follow my Instagram stories would have seen the perks of the weekend which in addition to my massage, full access to Hale’s gym and spa areas also included dinner at Buvette (located in Hotel Realm) an overnight stay at Little National Hotel which boasts the world’s most comfortable beds and pillows. I don’t know if it was all the relaxation or the beds at Little National Hotel or a combination of too many good things but I slept like the angel I am. Eden from LNH hotel was kind enough to send me their bedding information so I can recreate the experience at home. I will take this moment to thank the Doma Hotels staff across The Brassey, LNH and Hotel Realm for their outstanding level of customer service. While we all deserve rest, relaxation and to treat ourselves to the finer things in life; it’s a warm smile and exceptional customer service that really makes checking into Hale Spa worth every cent.