Unique Day Spa, Ireland’s first and only private day spa, has just opened in Dublin. My wife Audrey and I were lucky enough to be asked to review their services last week, for what would turn out to be one of the best afternoons I’ve had in a very long time.
We managed to organise babysitting for the girls, and headed off to Ballymount, where the spa is located. It’s a short drive from the city centre and easily accessible from the m50 if you are travelling in from another part of the country.
What makes this spa really unique is the fact that you literally do not see any other clients in the building. Everything is timed so that you never meet another person, except for the staff providing the services. This is a really lovely concept anyways, but especially in these times we are living in. It gives huge peace of mind.
We were met in the reception by Carmen, the owner, who is one of the loveliest people you could meet. She is clearly passionate about what she does and is exceptionally good at it. The interior of the spa is 5 star luxury, no doubt about it. There is not a single thing I would criticise, and every little detail has been thought out. We had a little tour of the facilities before beginning our treatments.
“Unique Day Spa offers a relaxing, calming atmosphere with private Spa rooms for singles, couples and small groups, where you can enjoy Jacuzzi, steam room, sauna, shower; all in the comfort of your own private Spa room. You can add to your Unique Day Spa experience by enjoying a bottle of wine or bubbly while you soak away your worries and your stress. You can make your Unique Day Spa experience even more relaxing by adding a massage, spending some time in our uniquely designed Salt Room, having a session in our Presso Therapy Room or have a ‘’zero gravity’’ sleep in our Dry Floatation Room.”
We did a couples massage which was out of this world. Seriously neither of us wanted it to ever end. And Audrey isn't usually the biggest fan of massage (the opposite of me!) so thats really saying something. Then Audrey did the presso therapy- which looks pretty bizarre, but she really enjoyed it- describing it as the feeling of a blood pressure cuff, but for your entire body- it squeezes and releases different sections of your body, improving blood flow and circulation.
While Audrey did her treatment, I did the dry floatation therapy- apparently 30 minutes of sleep while in dry floatation leaves you feeling as rested as 6 hours of deep sleep. The night before we went to the spa, we'd had a particularly rough night with our two kids, so this was especially appreciated. I didn’t quite fall asleep in there, but I definitely drifted off and went into a deep relaxation.
After that we both went into the salt room where we sipped on cold water and relaxed for 30 minutes. And then onto our private spa room where we had 45 minutes to enjoy the hot tub, sauna, steam room and shower. We each had a glass of champagne while soaking in the tub with a lavender bath bomb. The steam room in particular was amazing and we used a eucalyptus 'shower steamer'. We opted to wear suits as we were taking photos, but you don't have to wear suits in the private rooms which is really nice if you are just enjoying a romantic getaway with your partner.
There’s a lovely feature in all the spa rooms that gives you 10 minutes notice before your time is up, so you aren't watching the clock or scrambling to get dressed. We were in one of the couples spa rooms, but they also have a room that can cater for up to 8 people if you have some family that you would like to celebrate with.
That also reminds me, they can cater for any special occasion and also work with a printing company and can have special banners printed up for you- anniversaries, engagements, proposals etc. Clink here for a link to the packages they offer.
2020 has been a really hard year for most of us. Self care and taking time to relax has been probably one of the last things on the ‘to do’ list. So if you can get here for a few hours, I really could not recommend it more. You will not regret spending some time on YOU.
**Our visit to the spa was complimentary for the purpose of this review. But as always, all opinions are entirely my own.