The Spa at Club Towers – All you need to know!

The Spa is a great area to relax and unwind or perhaps sooth some aching muscles after a hard exercise class or game of tennis. Understandably, it is a very popular area of the Club and we wanted to share some information that will help you to enjoy it to its full extent!

General Information about the Spa

Our spa area is open throughout the full opening hours of the Club and is an over-16 area only. It is designed to be a fairly quiet and tranquil area and we ask our members to respect this and be mindful of the volume and content of conversations in this area.

You will see some safety signage on the walls in the spa area and we do strongly recommend that you stick to the guidance in terms of time spent in each area and do not stay longer than 20 minutes. There are health risks associated with being exposed to the heat for too long. In addition, during peak times please be courteous to other members and limit your time in the sauna, steam room or Hydropool when others are waiting.

There are some key rules for the spa area that we expect all members to follow:

• You must shower before entering any of the Spa facilities. Our maintenance team ensure that the water quality is kept to a first-class level but showering really helps reduce the amount of chemicals we have to use and the downtime needed for maintenance.
• No shaving is allowed at any time in the spa, and under no circumstances can razors be taken out of the changing rooms.
• Please do not take mobile phones into the spa area. Please leave them in your locker in the changing room.
• We have four sunbeds in the spa area for you to enjoy and relax and unwind on but please do not try to reserve the sunbeds by leaving towels or other personal items on them.
• If you find either the sauna, steam room or Hydropool full then please do not enter and make the area overcrowded and unpleasant for other users. Please wait or use one of the other facilities until someone exits.
• If you have children with you and are going into the swimming pool then you may use the shower in the spa area with them. Please do not leave any children under the age of 16 in the pool unattended whilst you go into the spa area.

The Sauna

Our sauna is a traditional one, heated by an electric stove. The sauna gives off a dry heat and has a number of benefits: for example, it can reduce blood pressure, increase blood flow, reduce muscle soreness after a hard workout by increasing blood flow to the muscles, improve heart health and also help with skin irritations by helping to open up your pores. Alongside all the physical benefits there can also be benefits for your mental health. Relaxing after a hard day is a sure way to de-stress. The temperature in our sauna is kept towards the higher end of the industry recommended range and is around 85 degrees Celsius.

If you really want to maximise the benefits of the sauna and are feeling brave why not grab a cold shower straight after you come out of it? This is a well-used technique that can boost the positive effects on the body. Combining the exposure to heat from the sauna with the chilly embrace of a cold shower can bring further improvements to circulation, muscle relaxation & recovery, reduction in inflammation, hypertension, and arthritic symptoms. Not forgetting an increase in alertness from the sudden change of temperature.

As with the spa area, there are some specific rules that we do ask you to follow for everyone’s benefit:

• Please do not attempt to create more steam by pouring water on the stove. This will have the effect of reducing the lifespan of the elements and lead to possible downtime and maintenance.
• Please do not take your own essence into the sauna. It is a shared space.  
• Please do not leave towels or any other clothing to dry in the sauna or to reserve your seat.
• Do not take newspapers or books into the sauna as they present a fire hazard risk if left.

Steam Room

The steam room gives off a wet heat and offers great benefits such as: improving skin health by allowing the skin pores to open up and remove any toxins via sweating; improving breathing as it helps to open up the airway which in turn can help improve lung health plus, as mentioned for the sauna, it can be a great help to your mental wellbeing via a calming, soothing environment, with lighting that helps you to relax.  We pump a mild Eucalyptus essence into the steam room to help create a pleasant smell, and this also helps you to relax completely, and creates an environment where you can unwind.

As with the sauna, there are certain rules that we ask all members to follow:

• Do not pour water on the sensor. The system is designed to produce the steam required, and pouring water on the sensor harms this process and can cause other issues.
• Do not close the air vent. Without a supply of colder air, the steam room will remain at its temperature set-point and, as a consequence, no steam will be generated.
• Please respect other members using the steam room. If you are lying down and people are wanting to sit, we do ask you to be conscious of this and sit.
• Please do not take your own essence into the steam room. It is a shared-space.

Hydropool

The Hydropool is a great place for you to relax with the warming temperature of the Hydropool and the relaxing feeling of water jets helping you to unwind after a hard workout or day at work. The Hydropool has many similar benefits to the sauna and steam room, with the added benefit of the water jets, which can help to massage your muscles and increase blood flow to these areas. Hydropools are also a wonderful tool for rehabilitation from injuries, or for anyone who suffers from joint or mobility issues.

We do ask the following when using the Hydropool:

• Ensure you shower before entering the Hydropool. This helps to maintain the cleanliness of the pool, improves water quality and reduces chemical use.
• If all the seats are taken, we do ask you wait. If others are waiting, please be courteous and limit your time using the pool.
• Please do not take mobile phone or any other electrical devices into the Hydropool.
• Please ensure you keep all belongings out of the Hydropool.

Please note that during Aqua classes on Monday, Wednesday & Friday Mornings, and Wednesday evenings, we turn the water Jets off to reduce the noise transfer into the swimming pool. With the jets turned on, Aqua class goers were struggling to hear the pool-side instructor due to the echoing atmosphere in the pool hall. The Jets are reinstated immediately once the Aqua class is finished.

Finally with regard to the opening hours, we do ask members to leave the spa area with enough time to shower and get changed ready for the Club to close at 10.30pm.

We hope this blog has given you an insight into the benefits of our Spa area and the key rules to help ensure the experience for yourself and other members is one of relaxation, enjoyment and pleasure.

Thank you for reading and if you have any questions about our spa or ever find an issue with cleanliness or rules not being adhered to please do let us know immediately.