| Healthy Hibernia By Malcolm
Rogers
Malcolm Rogers looks at some healthy options in Ireland.
I have always felt that yoga could leave you in a very difficult position,
which is probably why the whole movement of pilates — which is described
as a cross between yoga and ballet — more or less passed me by. But then
a chance meeting with Emma O’Reilly, who runs pilates courses throughout
Europe including Ireland, put me in the picture. “Pilates is a body conditioning
system,” she explained, “and is all about controlled, precise movements.
The results can be astonishing. Not only do you walk taller after one of
these courses, but you feel more relaxed, and aches and pains can be banished.”
It sounded just the thing for my weary old body, worn out by hours spent
in front of my computer. It sounded particularly enticing when I heard that
I could sign up for a course in Glengarriff, near Bantry Bay in Co. Cork.
Even the name of the place sounds good for you. The country house where
the pilates takes place is set on an established old estate, fully equipped
with incredible sea views.
Glengarriff House can accommodate up to 22 people, but Emma O’Reilly’s
sessions only take a maximum of 16, so that everyone can spread out a little.
The design of the house inside is contemporary, with lots of warm wood and
slate floors (with underfloor heating). The living areas have log fires
and comfy sofas to sink into — it’s the sort of place you hope it might
rain so you don’t have to bother stirring out. OK, I know that’s not the
right spirit — but there is a sauna and games room inside, plus kitchens
where you can make yourself a snack or a drink in between meals.
Although the course is intended to improve your health, there is a big
emphasis on pampering. All the breaks include massage and meditation, and
a top notch chef conjures up mouth-watering, healthy (but not calorie counted!)
food. The house party environment helps relaxation, you can enjoy a glass
of wine with new friends or slip off to a quiet corner to read a book. It’s
up to you.
The actual pilates sessions are done in closely supervised small groups
so that they can be tailored to your specific needs. Famous bodies who’ve
benefited from the exercise regime include Madonna, Julia Roberts, Sharon
Stone, Courtney Cox and Minnie Driver. It’s certainly fashionable these
days, but pilates has been around for years. It was created over 80 years
ago by Joseph H Pilates, a German citizen, he was interned in England during
World War I. Whilst working as a nurse at that time he developed an innovative
and safe method of helping to mobilise patients in his care. Years later,
after the war ended, he opened a studio in New York. His method particularly
appealed to dancers, as it helped them to develop the perfect physique.
The next courses at Glengarriff are September 3-6, or September 7-10.
Courses run for three nights, and prices are for shared twin or double room
are £450 per person, or twin or double for one person £575. Prices include:
return mini bus transfer from Cork Airport, daily brunch and three course
evening meal with wine, pilates instruction, one massage, one meditation
session.
Contact (in Britain) 01580 292304 or e-mail
info@pilatesplustravel.com.
The Celtic Seaweed Baths, Strandhill, Co. Sligo
“Until you have one, you won’t know what you’re missing,” is the motto
of the Celtic Seaweed Baths. And right enough, it seems an odd thing to
want to do — lie in a bath full of gooey seaweed and hot seawater. But once
you’ve done it the sensation is so energising you’ll wonder why you haven’t
even thought about it before. The theory is simple enough — the heat releases
all the seaweed’s “rich, silky essential oils so your body feels smooth,
buoyant and luxurious”, and funnily enough, it does.
The baths are located on the esplanade at Strandhill, looking out over
the Atlantic Ocean and are run by the laid back Neil Walton and his family.
He’ll explain to you that seaweed baths are an old tradition in Co. Sligo;
the original bathhouse on this site was built early in the last century
and was widely used by people from all around the area.
That bathhouse was destroyed by Hurricane Debbie in 1962 and the present
building was developed in 2000. The baths are in individual, private rooms,
each with a steam unit. Hot seawater and fresh seaweed are used for each
bath, and you can control the temperature of their bathwater.
The Celtic Baths also offer aromatherapy massage, Swedish massage, Scalp
massage, lymphatic drainage massage. 00 353 71 9168686.
www.celticseaweedbaths.com.
Powerscourt Springs Health Farm & Spa is one of Ireland’s most popular
health farms, just 30 minutes drive from Dublin. If you’re lucky. If you’re
unlucky it could take you a couple of hours as the traffic backs up along
the M50. Then you’ll need all the de-stressing techniques the Spa is famous
for.
Nestling in the foothills of the Wicklow mountains, surrounded by the
beauty of the Sugar Loaf, Powerscourt Waterfall, and the Wicklow Way — this
is ideal relaxation country. Having been suitably impressed by the surroundings
you can then investigate the pampering which is on offer — beauty treatments,
wellbeing therapies and fitness activities. Powerscourt Springs even offers
spa soirees for an evening for those with little time to spare — which in
a way sounds almost a contradiction in terms, like the sergeant major who
screams at you, “RELAX!”
You can enjoy a choice of two 25-minute beauty treatments, relax in the
steam room or work out, and then undo it all by having a four-course gourmet
dinner. Beauty treatments — which I didn’t indulge in, included body polish
with marine salts, a concentrated algae serum and red chalky seaweed. Seaweed
is evidently a big thing in Irish health treatments.
The Sensory Garden at Powerscourt Springs is loosely based on the Celtic
Cross “which symbolises eternity; the union of heaven and earth, the reflection
of sun and the moon”. Whether any of that appeals is up to you — but the
garden is an amazingly tranquil place to sit of an evening.
Tel 00 353 1 276 1000 or
info@powerscourtsprings.ie.
Claureen Health Spa, Ennis, Co. Clare
Claureen Health Spa is definitely at the very healthy end of health spas.
No full Irish breakfasts here — you have fruit for breakfast. In fact you
have fruit for most meals. And forget about a wine list, there’s no alcohol
— there is a choice of herbal teas instead.
Claureen is a place for those serious about losing weight, as well as
toning up pecs, lats, glutes, biceps and triceps. The menu, which makes
your average Cistercian monk look positively extravagant, is not only about
losing weight — it’s also designed to rid your body of toxins. To that end
a typical day’s feeding is distinctly on the frugal, if healthy, side. The
exercise regime is similarly rigorous. Now the problem for me with yoga
or aerobics is that I find them so ineffably boring. I’d far rather have
a long walk — regular readers will know I’ve been rambling for years (in
more ways than one) — and fortunately Claureen is in one of Ireland’s best
hiking counties. As far as the one-and-a-half hours daily aerobic exercises
— well, I just took a deep breath and got on with it.
It’s not an easy week — but then the owners don’t pretend it is. You
can go to plenty of sham health farms which have bars, restaurants and tuck
shops. But in Claureen they aim to detox your body and send you back home
in (literally) better shape.
And there are compensations. There’s a jacuzzi which seems to cleanse
your soul as well as your body, a sauna, a sunbed studio etc, and all rooms
are comfortably furnished with their own television. Which in a way is another
organic pastime — by the end of long day all you’re fit to do is vegetate
in front of the box with another bit of fruit.
There are other distractions, like Indian head massages, leg waxings
and reflexology, and a full massage is included in the price — a place that
won’t rub you up the wrong way; and neither will the masseurs.
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