HAVE YOU EVER FOUND YOURSELF SITTING ON THE SOFA WITH THE TV ON, YOUR ‘PHONE OUT AND A BOOK OPEN BESIDE YOU AS YOUR MIND CYCLES THROUGH ALL THE THINGS YOU COULD BE DOING, SHOULD BE DOING OR WILL, IN FACT BE DOING THE FOLLOWING DAY?

This is how my sofa time tends to play out. Although I’ll often dream of curling up on the sofa at the end of a long day, it’s a little like those times when I walk past a chip shop and the smell of chips is the best smell in the world. I’ve yet to actually eat a chip that quite lives up to that early promise, and I rarely reach the level of sofa-based relaxation that years of Galaxy ads have convinced me is my due.

So, while I’m trying to master the art of doing nothing (in an enjoyable way, rather than in a stress-fuelled spiral of procrastination) and am on a mission to find the perfect chips, I’ve started putting stuff that I find relaxing in my diary.

One of those things is yoga. Another is the occasional massage (because it’s becoming increasingly clear over the years that these shoulders are not unknotting themselves – quite the opposite if anything).

So when the team at Think Publicity suggested road-testing a treatment at the Maya Blue Wellness spa at the Titanic Hotel, I sensed an opportunity to potentially unwind and attempt to ease my shoulders down from around my ears under the vague guise of His & Hers ‘research’.

The Think team recommended a deluxe Voya facial which started with an excellent back massage followed by a facial using natural, organic ingredients and a mask of Laminaria seaweed leaves. The massage element was genuinely relaxing, and eased out a few knots in a gentle, pain-free manner, and the facial left my skin feeling properly hydrated, while my open pores seemed to have been temporarily magiced away. It was the facial equivalent of getting a great blow dry in that it’ll leave you wondering why no amount of double cleansing and face mask wearing at home will give you the same results.

My complexion felt smoother and more hydrated for about a week after the treatment and even without the skincare benefits, I would’ve been happy just to have spent an hour genuinely relaxing away from a ‘phone (plus I get disproportionately excited by anything that calls for the wearing of a fluffy robe, be it a visit to a spa, a stay at a fancy hotel or just the seasons of autumn and winter).

Also, Maya Blue Wellness is genuinely beautiful. In fact when I first saw the spa in the basement of the Titanic while it was still under construction, I was temporarily silenced while my inner interior design geek did a little happy dance, it’s that good looking.

Now that it’s been fully operational and helping people to relax for years, it’s hands down one of the best looking spas you’ll find anywhere, and if you like your skincare and body products chemical-free, you’ll appreciate that they use (and stock) the full Voya range these days.

Basically, if you’re craving more than just sofa time to unwind, I’d highly recommend trying out one of the Voya Treatments at Maya Blue Wellness. Take a friend or family member and get ready to don a robe, switch off your mobile with gusto and unwind for a while, because multi-tasking can wait!

Websites: www.titanichotelliverpool.com/mayabluewellness

www.voya.ie

You may also enjoy: Another blog about how to relax if you’re not terribly good at relaxing.