Choose and book your in:spa retreat or fitscape fitness holiday before 23 March and we will fly you there for free!  Up to the value of £200 per person.  But hurry, places on all our holidays are strictly limited – to ensure maximum care and attention for all our guests – so once a trip is fully booked, that’s it.  No more free flights.  Offer includes forthcoming Easter trips but excludes New Year holidays.

Luxury health, fitness and detox retreats with in:spa – choose from three sunny destinations and benefit from an inspiring, rejuvenating and energising 7 night retreat, returning home looking and feeling amazing.  That’s the in:spa promise.  All inclusive from £2,195 per person.  As Lucia van der Post said in the Financial Times: ‘It isn’t cheap, but it fantastic value for money.’

in:spa all inclusive health and fitness holidays combine energising outdoor fitness activities and yoga, massage and gourmet healthy cuisine in an atmosphere conducive to relaxation and reflection. The number of guests on every retreat is strictly limited, allowing everyone to enjoy personal nutritional consultations, yoga instruction in small ‘same level’ groups, fitness training, regular massages and individual care and attention. The one to one focus ensures that our luxury health holidays are suitable for absolute beginners as well as the more experienced, of all ages.  Just some of the reasons that so many of our guests return year after year.

For more information about in:spa retreats, please visit the in:spa website

Exceptional fitness holidays with fitscape - choose from fitscape’s superb venues in Italy, France and Spain and treat yourself to a tailor-made fitness holiday that will transform your fitness.  Every fitscape fitness holiday is unique. The schedule is packed full of different options every day so that with the help of our expert trainers you can design your own personal schedule for optimum results. You tell us what you want to get out of your holiday – anything from a gentle, motivating kick-start through to a serious competitive challenge.

Everyone will notice improvements in cardio fitness, stamina and strength – plus the additional benefit, if desired, of weight-loss.  For further details about fitscape please visit the fitscape website

Book before 23 March – whichever holiday suits you best, be sure to book before 23 March to be sure of being eligible for our free flights offer.

If you would like to talk to us for further information about all our holidays, please call 0845 458 0723

The age old tradition of cleansing and purifying has been adapted for London life at The Spa in Dolphin Square, London SW1. Enjoy a taste of Morocco, whilst cleansing and purify your skin.  After just a few hours you will all feel as if you have had a mini break in Marrakech!

Includes use of the  Salt Infused Steam Room,  Luxury Hammam (pictured) and Ghassoul Ritual 40 minutes – Moroccan Hammam followed by 15 min Rhassoul+Shea Butter Ghassoul (dried rose petals), your choice of a 25 minute massage or facial and pot of tea from the bespoke Spa Tea Menu.

Normally £103.50 but reduced for friends of in:spa and The Healthy Holiday Company to £69

T&C’s – Available Monday to Thursday only, subject to availability and the time of reservation, cannot be combined with any other offer. Offer may expire without notice.  Please be sure to call in advance to book your appointment, and mention the in:spa / Healthy Holiday Co

Email – thespa@dolphinsquare.co.uk

Phone – 020 7798 6767

Address – Dolphin Square, Chichester Street, London, SW1V 3LX

Spa facilities

Hammam
Rhassoul Chamber
Salt Infused Steam Room
Tepidarium
5 Spa Treatment Rooms
2 Studio Treatment Rooms
2 Relaxation Lounges
Walled Courtyard Garden
Retail
Private Parking
Free WiFi
Spa Days, Stays & Gift Vouchers

in:spa retreats to Marrakech

If you would rather actually go to Marrakech and enjoy a week long healthy rejuvenation and detox programme with in:spa at our luxury villa, we have weeks coming up in March (just one room currently available), November and New Year.  See full details.

in:spa has drawn together a dream team of nutritionists, chefs, yoga teachers and personal trainers to ensure maximum benefits, such as weight-loss, improved fitness, stress relief and a heightened sense of wellbeing. Every day at in:spa is inspiring and unique.  A week with in:spa is the perfect antidote to the harmful effects modern living has on our physical and mental wellbeing.

We will inspire you, energise your body, invigorate your senses, detoxify your system, normalise your body weight and calm your mind – in essence, revive and restore a sense of total physical and mental wellness.

Our retreats to Marrakech are always extremely popular and tend to book up a long time in advance, so please enquire online or call us in the office on 0845 458 0723 to discuss further or to make your reservation.

We’re hosting our third ski, fitness and yoga holiday at the fabulous 5 star hotel Rosa Alpina in the Italian Dolomites from 24-31 March.  It’s the perfect Spring ski week, and suitable for all levels of experience.  The snow is fantastic – but we only have a few rooms left!  However, we’ll be back again just before Christmas from 9-16 December.

Luxury accommodation:   As you would expect at a 5 star Relais & Chateaux hotel, the bedrooms are all spacious and exceptionally comfortable.  We have a selection of deluxe rooms and suites available, for both single and double occupancy.  View pictures of the hotel and ski resort

Guided skiing:   All our guests are invited to join one of our expert ski guides in small, same level groups to explore the magical Dolomiti Superski and its 740 miles of piste. If you’ve never experienced the famous Sella Ronda, now’s your chance!  Find out more about guided skiing

Delicious, healthy diet:   Michael Arthur, one of our most popular chefs, will be overseeing preparations for delicious, healthy dinners at the end of the day. Those of you who have experienced his cooking before will know how much of a treat this is.

What’s a typical day? After breakfast and a good stretch, head up the mountain for a day of guided skiing, tea at the hotel, and optional fitness training classes and a wonderful restorative yoga class in the evening.  Or just relax in the award winning spa.  View outline daily programme

Sunday Times review:   Sean Newsom, intrepid Sunday Times reporter, experienced the first ever Fitscape ski and fitness holiday to the Dolomites.  His conclusion was:  shouldn’t more ski holidays be like this? If you would like to read his article, please click here

Guest comments:   We love getting so much positive feedback from guests after our Fitscape weeks, and if you would like to find out what our ski guests at Rosa Alpina thought about their ski, fitness and yoga holidays in the Italian Dolomites, please click here

Enquiries and reservations:  You are welcome to enquire online or to call us in the office on 0845 458 0723 for further information.  Only 5 rooms left, so please act swiftly to be sure of a place on this great week of ski, fitness and yoga.

Those of you who have been keeping an eye on our plans for launching a new tailor-made healthy holiday division for our travel company will be pleased to know that we are making excellent progress and expect to open for business in April 2012.  For those of you who are reading our blog for the first time, we hope that this will be of interest to you too!

The concept is to create bespoke luxury healthy holidays for the discernbing traveller who would prefer to return from their holiday looking and feeling amazing, rather than feeling like they need another holiday to recover from the one they’ve just been on.  Admittedly, our three current healthy holiday brands – in:spa retreats, fitscape fitness holidays and destination yoga – all provide guests with this opportunity, whether they’re after a healthy detox, a serious boost to their fitness or an inspiring yoga holiday.

Our new brand, which will be called The Healthy Holiday Company (now to be a public facing brand, rather than just the holding company for fitscape, in:spa and destination yoga) will offer a selection of the best spas and wellness programmes around the world, covering destinations like the Maldives, Vietnam, the Caribbean, Mauritius, Thailand, Bali, Mexico and, of course, Europe.  In addition, it will offer mountain biking, hiking, skiing and ski safaris, surfing, river rafting, sailing, road biking, golf, horse riding and numerous other activities – whether individually or as part of a tailor-made combination – at a selection of fabulous, hand-picked locations across the globe.  Guided hiking, for example, will be offered in the Italian Dolomites, the French Alps, the Atlas Mountains, on the islands of Ibiza and Majorca, and at various beautiful spots in South Africa.

For all our holidays, guests will be able to choose from fully serviced luxury villas (or self catering), or 4 or 5 star hotels.  Our local experts in each destination will include chefs, massage therapists, nannies and baby sitters, cultural guides, chauffeurs and, of course, a full range of activity experts covering biking, hiking, scuba diving, surfing etc. etc.

This has been over 2 years in the making, although we have been building and developing our contacts and expertise ever since the launch of in:spa retreats back in 2003.  For the last two years, our team have been researching, travelling, interviewing, hiring and contracting the very best destinations and experts.  And now, it’s just a few more weeks until everything will be ready for our launch in April.  We are very excited about this and hope you are too!

So, if you are interested in individually tailored holidays for both adults and families that are both fun and healthy and you would like to be notified when our new website goes live, please register here

We have special offers currently available on a fitscape fitness week and a destination yoga holiday, both in March.  Join us on a fitscape week to sunny southern Spain from 1 – 8 March and we will pay for your flights (up to the value of £200) per person.  Alternatively, if yoga is your preference, we’re offering £100 discount on our destination yoga week, also to Spain, from 18 – 25 March.

fitscape: this week is hosted at our charming and very comfortable boutique hotel, 20 minutes in land from the coast at Sotogrande.  Your schedule is packed full of different options every day so that with the help of our expert trainers you can design your own personal schedule for optimum results. You tell us what you want to get out of your holiday – anything from a gentle, motivating kick-start through to a serious competitive challenge.  The holiday is suitable for all ages and levels of fitness, and our friendly trainers make sure that all guests achieve maximum benefits and, very importantly, have a great time doing so.  Afterall, it’s a holiday!  For full details, please see fitscape Spain or enquire now

destination yoga: the retreat is hosted at the wonderful Shanti Som, 20 minutes in land from Marbella.  Shanti Som is a delightful and very luxurious slice of south east Asia in the hills 20 minutes north of Marbella. It sounds bizarre, but works beautifully. Why fly long haul to Asia when you can nip down to sunny southern Spain instead?

Once you step through the doors of this boutique 14 bedroom residence, you enter another world. Its stylish and elegant design, high beamed ceilings, thatched roof-tops, tinkling water and liberal sprinkling of giant Buddhas all create the sense of being on another continent. It’s delightfully welcoming and instantly calming. The perfect haven for a 7 night yoga retreat, allowing you to return refreshed and energised and ready to face the world with a smile.  For further information, please see destination yoga Spain or enquire now

Note:  please note that places on both holidays are strictly limited and that the discounts and free flights are therefore offered on a first come first served basis.  If you’d prefer to call us to discuss matters further, we would be delighted to hear from you.  Please call 0845 458 0723

Amelia Freer, long standing and highly regarded in:spa nutritionist, wrote an article for The Market magazine in January entitled: Turn your Diet Inside Out.  If your waistline and energy levels are not as you would wish them to be, you may need a detox.  Amelia explains what that means and how to do it.

Sometimes, our food selections and lifestyles are less than ideal, particularly over the festive season. But in fact, we are all exposed to a wide range of toxins every day. Some are a natural part of our diet and environment and some are man-made. Our liver is the hero here: working tirelessly on our behalf to eliminate and neutralise unwanted substances such as excess hormones, fats, drugs, environmental chemicals, food additives and pharmaceuticals and yet this is the organ that we often take for granted.

If the liver gets overburdened, its ability to detoxify can become impaired and health problems can follow. I like to
describe it as our body’s post office – everything that we eat, drink, inhale and absorb gets sent here to be sorted and re-packed before being forwarded on – it’s our internal filter. The liver also turns excess sugar into fat as well as producing bile, which helps to digest the fats we eat. And of course, healthy digestive function is crucial in supporting the elimination process that the liver starts.

According to the British Liver Trust, more than 16,000 people in the UK died from liver disease in 2008, and that number keeps on rising. Liver disease is the fifth biggest killer in England and Wales after heart disease, cancer, stroke and respiratory disease. Excess alcohol is the number one cause of liver failure and excess sugar is the second.

In 2009/10, there were over a million alcohol-related admissions to hospital according to the NHS Information Centre. This is an increase of 12% on the 2008/09 figure and more than twice as many as in 2002/03. And, as the liver converts sugar into fat, a high-alcohol, high-sugar diet is a fast track to a fatty liver, one of the first indicators of
liver problems.

Abdominal weight is a sign that your diet may be too high in sugar (rather than fat as is often thought), and a word of warning – turning to paracetamol to relieve the symptoms of a hangover only places a heavier burden on the liver, so while it may remove the short-term pain, it won’t help your long-term health.

Here are some of the symptoms that a gentle detox may help relieve:

• Lack of energy, foggy head, sluggish metabolism
• Headaches, migraines
• Nausea
• Constipation, indigestion, bloating
• Dark circles under eyes
• Acne, skin rashes, hives
• Itchy, watery or sticky eyes
• Itchy ears, ear infections, stuffy nose or sinus problems
• Excessive sweating or strong body odour
• Joint aches, muscle aches and pains

The liver works in two phases and is dependant on specific nutrients to function effectively. As a nutritional therapist I often work with clients to sensibly look at what might be removed and what might be introduced into their diets and lifestyle to improve the efficiency of the liver. Antioxidants such as selenium, glutamine, glutathione, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin A and the B vitamins are just a few of the essential nutrients that aid detoxification.

However, when removing some of the common culprits that cause us to feel sluggish, we can sometimes feel worse before feeling better. Detox symptoms include headaches, fatigue, nausea and flu-like aches and pains. These are caused by a combination of the body’s withdrawal effects (usually from caffeine but also alcohol if this features highly in your diet) and from the liver releasing stored-up toxins into the blood stream that it hasn’t been able to cope with. If you do get these symptoms they only last for a day or two, so try to avoid over the counter medications as this defeats the purpose. However, if you’re detoxing from excessive alcohol or drugs, please seek the help of a professional first.

In Patrick Holford’s book The Holford 9-Day Liver Detox he suggests five habits to make and five habits to break

Five things to EXCLUDE:

• Alcohol
• Caffeine
• Gluten
• Dairy
• Refined sugar

Five things to INCLUDE:

• Eight large glasses of water per day
• Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, brussel sprouts, kale, cauliflower)
• Sulphur-rich foods (red onions, garlic, eggs)
• Nuts and seeds every day
• Orange and red coloured foods

If this kind of detox feels too extreme for you then just consider what you can remove and what can you include in your diet each day, as being conscious of what and how you are eating is the first step. If you’re unsure about anything, seek the support of a qualified nutritional therapist who can also suggest nutritional supplements to aid
the process. Liver functions tests are available through your GP or you can buy home pin prick blood kits.

The Healthy Holiday Company offers week-long detox holidays called in:spa. A chef and nutritionist prepares the
food, and they offer yoga, exercise and massage, so if you don’t think you can avoid the temptations at home then this could be a good way to get started.

Wishing you good health.

By Amelia Freer FdSc, Dip ION

www.inspa-retreats.com

Fitness camp in northern Italy.

Six hours of intensive workouts – followed by a sumptuous meal and wine. This is a fitness boot camp, Italian-style. Katherine Viner, Friday 27 January

I’ve never been so relieved as when Dan, one of the muscle-bound personal trainers on the Fitscape week-long holiday in northern Italy, said I could bunk off on the first day.

Arriving catatonically knackered, barely able to utter a syllable, I was in terror at the sight of the programme:  dawn runs, at least five hours’ cardio a day, an alarming amount of  “burpees” (squat thrusts). So when Dan said I should “listen to my body”, I did just that and slept for 17 hours.

After that, though, on Fitscape there’s no escape. Fitscape is sister company to the better-known In:spa (inspa-retreats.com) – but here the focus is on fitness, cardio and strength rather than detoxing and yoga. It is sort of like a boot camp, but without the deprivation – I was going to say without the unpleasantness, but that’s not exactly right. You stay in gorgeous hotels. I was at the Rosa Alpina, in the Dolomites, with large rooms, plump cushions, thick duvets, good toiletries, nice view. The food is delicious – big breakfast buffet, vast lunch, afternoon snacks (fruit, nuts and seeds) and tasty, gigantic, three-course dinners. That’s three courses including dessert. With bread, if you want it. And wine, if you’ll pay for it.

So there are no former soldiers screaming at you to work harder, and no starvation rations, and no chores. You can even choose not to take part in sessions.

But the schedule is intense, and you’re encouraged to join in: a run first thing, boxing classes, circuits every day, lessons on running technique, core stability workouts, endless mountain hikes (admittedly through mountains and forests; the area is used for skiing in the winter, when Fitscape also runs skiing-training holidays). From day three to day five I was so stiff I found walking downstairs almost physically impossible, despite the stretching sessions at the end of each day.

It was, though, a lot of fun; especially the dance classes, which were a special request of the group since one of the trainers had spent time being a dancer in the West End show Stomp. His routines, from hip‑hop to 70s disco, were a highlight, if not the hardest workout of the week. In fact all three experienced trainers were excellent, and gave lots of attention to each guest; they worked hard with us on our programme and our motivation. The well-heeled, mostly female guests got on well, and there was much encouraging of each other alongside the racing each other. The last-night celebration was a delight, and all that exercise lent a sort of pheromone-heady euphoria to the whole experience. I loved it.

Some of my fellow guests felt, in fact, that it was too much fun – there is a conflict between all those puddings and all that working out, and the people who enjoyed it most were those who came to exercise, and to get out of their heads, rather than with specific ideas about losing weight. (No one is going to force you to do the classes, and no one is going to tell you not to eat.) Over such an intense week you get a real sense of your fitness improving quite dramatically, and Fitscape is excellent if you want to get your fitness regime back on track: when you’ve been doing five or six hours’ hardcore exercise each day, then squeezing the odd hour in when you get home really doesn’t feel like much at all. Do it!

• Fitscape fitness retreats (020-8968 0501, fitscape.co.uk) cost £1,695 per week, including accommodation, all meals, fitness sessions, personal fitness consultation and airport transfers. Locations for 2012 include the Italian Dolomites, Andalucía and Provence. As a special offer, anyone who books before 31 January will receive a free flight to any Fitscape destination

The free flights offer on 2012 in:spa retreats and fitscape fitness holidays has been extended to 31 January.  Give yourself something wonderful to look forward to in the year ahead and benefit from our free flight offer – saving up to £200 per person.  An in:spa retreat to Marrakech, South of France or southern Spain is the perfect antidote to the stresses and strains of modern living, and combines gourmet cleansing cuisine (lovingly prepared by our chefs and nutritionists) with healthy, fun exercise (hiking, circuit training and personal training) and relaxation (yoga and massages).  All, with the added benefit, of some warm sunshine.

A fitscape fitness holiday is, as it sounds, fitness focused.  Choose from the Italian Dolomites (both winter ski and summer adventures), Andalusia or the South of France.  Our team of expert trainers will devise the ideal fitness programme for each guest so, whatever your age or fitness level, everyone can derive maximum benefit and return home much, much fitter.

Whether you choose an in:spa retreat or a fitscape fitness holiday, we guarantee that you will return home looking and feeling amazing!  For terms and conditions about our free flight offers for both types of healthy holiday, please click on the appropriate link below:

in:spa retreats free flights offer

fitscape fitness holidays free flights offer

Of course, if you are not sure which option would suit you best, please don’t hesitate to give us a call and we will very happily chat things through with you and help you decide:  020 8968 0501 But, please hurry, the free flights offer most definitely ends on Tuesday 31 January.

Great little piece on destination yoga in yesterday’s Sunday Observer in their Great Escapes section. “Marbella may not seem an obvious destination to go in search of enlightenment and the ancient healing therapies of the Far East, but a new health resort is bringing a flavour of Bali to Spain – without the jet lag. Just a 40 minute drive from the Coast del Sol, Shanti Som takes its inspiration from Asian destination spas with Buddha statues, tropical gardens, Asian-Med fusion cuisine, eastern therapies and a programme of detox, meditation and yoga. Destination Yoga will be running its next retreat here in March. A 7 night yoga retreat from £945.”

During the course of 2012, destination yoga will be hosting 4 retreats to Shanti Som with a selection of outstanding teachers, including Sophie Coats, Emma Henry and Laura Gilmore.  And, after the success of the New Year retreat this year, destination yoga will be hosting another at the end of this year.  Dates to be announced shortly.  To be sure of receiving notification when the date is announced, please register for the destination yoga newsletter

Click here for further details about our holidays to Shanti Som

Time is running out on our New Year free flights offer!  Book a 2012 in:spa retreat or a fitscape fitness holiday before 24 January and we will fly you there for free.  Terms and conditions apply.  If you’re interested in a luxury health, fitness and detox holiday with in:spa retreats, please see special offer.  If your preference is for an exceptional fitness holiday with fitscape, pleasse see fitcape special offer.

What’s the difference between an in:spa retreat and a fitscape holiday?

Physical Exercise
An in:spa retreat will offer guests 2 or 3 exercise sessions each day, lead by one or more of our expert fitness instructors. On a fitscape week, guests will have a choice of 6 to 8 exercise sessions each day. All exercise classes are designed to be helpful and rewarding for all ages and levels of ability. A fitscape fitness holiday focuses on fitness. An in:spa holiday takes a more rounded, holistic approach and provides guests with other classes and more time to relax.

Hiking
Both fitscape and in:spa trips offer hiking, as this is a fun variation on the important aspect of fitness training that underpins both types of holiday.

Diet
in:spa chefs serve gourmet cleansing cuisine that excludes wheat, dairy, salt, sugar, red meat, caffeine and alcohol. All meals consist of light, innovative food that makes use of the highest quality fresh local fruits, vegetables, fish, poultry and other ingredients, all organic when possible. The food programme, carefully designed by the UK’s top nutritionists, offers the perfect blend of nutritious and delicious cuisine. Alongside targeted exercise, it is a formula that encourages deep cellular cleansing.

Whilst the meals on a fitscape week are both delicious and healthy, it is not designed to be so deeply cleansing. Our chefs will include some red meat and more carbohydrates than would be served on an in:spa week. This is because of the substantial amount of physical exercise taken on a fitscape week. However, most people would tell you that the most obvious differences regarding diet are that, on a fitscape week, guests can enjoy coffee and alcohol if they wish.

Nutritional consultations
Every guest on an in:spa holiday will benefit from a one to one nutritional consultation with one of our highly regarded nutritionists. Furthermore, the nutritionists are on hand throughout the holiday to talk to guests about all aspects of diet and nutrition.

There are no nutritionists on fitscape weeks.

Cooking Class
On in:spa holidays, the chef and nutritionist host a cookery class for guests to discover exactly how food that is devoid of all the naughty bits (wheat, dairy, salt, sugar, alcohol) can taste so good! These classes are not held on fitscape holidays.

Yoga
Yoga classes are only offered on in:spa retreats. Morning classes are dynamic, whilst evening classes are more relaxing and restorative.

Massage
Guests on in:spa retreats have two massages included as part of the cost of their holiday. Fitscape guests may book and pay for massages at an extra charge, if desired.

Exclusivity
in:spa retreats are to exclusive, private properties where only in:spa guests will be staying at that time. This helps give the feeling of a ‘retreat’ and allows our guests to avoid the distractions of others, for example, drinking coffee at breakfast or enjoying a glass of wine in the evening. Fitscape weeks, whilst mostly at private properties, are not always so.

Similarities
Both holidays are for 7 nights to beautiful sunny destinations with guests staying in comfortable, stylish accommodation. Both are priced on an all inclusive basis, but an in:spa retreat comprises many more elements than a fitscape fitness week.

Lastly, on both types of holiday, all guests can be sure of individual care and attention, and confident that you are in the hands of some of the UK’s leading experts.

Call us on 0845 458 0723 to discuss matters further or to make a booking.