The Wahanda Blog

Adding to our Wahanda wall of fame this month are six lucky ladies that came up trumps in October’s Sanctuary spa competition. With all of our competitions now receiving thousands of entries at a time, being announced as a Wahanda winner is no mean feat. Picked entirely at random, our latest Wahanda winners come from all over the UK, with one of the top prize winners residing in sunny Lancashire - but when there’s such a treat in store, show us someone who wouldn’t be willing to travel to the famous southern spa.

In case you missed what was on offer, we had two super-duper spa days up for grabs for two champs and their friends, whilst four runners-up received goodie bags overflowing with the coveted Sanctuary products. Already fans of the spa brand’s boutique range, they’re a welcome gift in winner Wilbur’s house, while Boonbetty is a lover of the Spa Essentials body lotion and foaming bath soak. IrisD (pictured) on the other hand has only heard of the product range in the past year so can’t wait to get her mitts on the goodies.

But Iris isn’t the only one that’s not had the chance to experience such spa delights, one of our first prize winners – LauraJ has never even been to a spa, or tried a treatment, so we’re hoping this will be the first of many. Treatments she’s keen to try out include a massage, facial and a session in a floatation tank, but most of all she’s hoping Wahanda will help her find a much-needed dose of relaxation. We couldn’t think of a better starting point than a spa day at The Sanctuary!

Someone else who could give her a few tips and pointers is runner-up Calliope who last visited Thermae Spa in Bath and The Hair Inn in Bangor, and is a sucker for a facial. Also no stranger to life in the spa lane is Wilbur who recently took a trip to Life Spa in Ealing, while Boonbetty even tries to get in a spot of spa-ing when she’s on her jollidays and last visited the Club Armonia Hotel in Turgutreis - all proof that Wahanda welcomes everyone from spa virgins to self-proclaimed wellness warriors.

If you want to be in with a chance of winning an indulgent Wahanda prize, make sure you keep checking back for our latest and greatest competitions. Right now we’ve got Champneys spa days and pamper packages up for the taking and you’ve got until the end of November to enter - miss it, miss out.

Well almost! Last month our fabulous Four Seasons competition had almost 3000 entrants, but there could only be one winner, and that lucky Wahanda citizen was Aj7722. Picked at random, our extremely excited winner – who’s never been to a Four Seasons resort before - has bagged herself a prize package worth £700, even we’re jealous! Including full use of the facilities, our Wahanda winner plus one will get treated to foot therapies, E’SPA scrubs and body rituals, as well as a bite to eat when they need to take a break from pampering. And if they fancy forty winks, they’ll have the option of heading to a relaxation area, or trotting on up to their Four Seasons bedroom because this prize lasts more than 24 hours. Oh yes, it’s a mini spa break, and what a perfect time to re-boot – just as the nights draw in, who doesn’t need a little TLC?

Already a lover of spas, Aj7722 last visited Spa 6 near Cirencester and top of her treatment list is a back, neck and head massage – we couldn’t agree more – is there a better way to unwind? But that’s not to say she wouldn’t like to try out a few new treatments and high up on her wishlist is laser hair removal or an eye treatment of some sort so she’s left bright eyed and bushy tailed (well maybe not that bushy tailed after all that hair removal)!

We can’t wait to see what our winner has to say about Four Seasons, but if you’re feeling blue that you’re not the champ, chin up - we have a super-duper spa competition every month. This month it’s packages and prizes from The Sanctuary whilst November will bring you tempting treats from health farm hero’s Champneys- watch this space…!

At Wahanda we not only know everything about UK spas, but you can grill us on our overseas knowledge too. Yes, we’ll show you exactly where you can indulge in wellness therapies the world over, which is why we’ve teamed up with British Airways and their brand new website – Metrotwin.com.

Showcasing the best of London and New York in one easy place, Metrotwin takes the idea of ‘town twinning’ to the next level, linking restaurants, bars, shops, neighbourhoods and of course spas and salons from two of the most buzzing cities known to man. And who better to give them the lowdown on said spas and salons than the experts – us of course.

Each week, Wahanda will be adding new content to Metrotwin, and we’ve already been squirreling away to provide a comprehensive list of five-star spas, contemporary salons and fabulous fitness centres, as well as the perfect yoga retreats, men’s spas and hotel hideaways. Twinning as we go, you can find Mandarin Oriental and Bliss spa’s in the Big Apple and the UK capital, alongside spas that mirror one another’s strengths and amenities, despite not being linked by name or brand – think roof-top swimming pools and A-list facials!

To see our recent recommendations in New York and London on Metrotwin, click here but keep checking back for our updated lists and top tips.

Everyone loves Elemis, so we weren’t surprised that entries kept flooding in for our fabulous SpaPod competition. All hopefuls had to do for a ticket in the draw was sign up to our monthly newsletter - featuring all the latest and greatest news and information and expert tips in health, beauty and wellness, delivered direct to your inbox each month, it was always a win-win situation.

But, there could only be one winner. Actually, who made up that rule? Wahanda said let there be two winners! And so there was, along with a couple of runners-up. We’re too generous for our own good here. Wahanda’s first prize winners won an unbelievable Elemis SpaPod experience in the location of their choice whilst the two runners-up bagged themselves an Elemis goodie bag each,  bursting with indulgent products.

First prize winner Lucie and runner-up Rockettine are already avid Elemis fans. Lucie uses their skin and body care range and Rockettine’s love stems from a birthday gift. “I was given the Elemis Maximum Moisture Day Cream for my birthday and I absolutely love it. It is the perfect finish for my facial procedure in the morning and it feels like getting a beauty treatment every day.”

You may have seen that last month our two Rose Ritual winners had a common link – they both had a penchant for headwear, and this month we’ve also noticed a common thread that links our winners – when asked what their ‘can’t-live-without’ beauty product was- ‘mascara and lipgloss’ came out on top!

With no plans to skimp on the pampering, these girls have the right idea and it seems the Elemis SpaPod is just the start of their relaxation rituals…

“My sister and I will be taking our mum to Spa 6 in the Cotswolds for a girly day out in October. We’ve booked the full package including an aroma massage, a facial treatment, manicure and pedicure.” Says Rockettine, whilst runner-up CazzaC is now planning a spa day with her best friend.

As for our first prize winners – once her SpaPod treatment is over, next on the list is full body massage, and as for poor SarahS – she’s currently studying for lots of exams, so next on her list is a nice relaxing massage to ‘de-stress’ her. We have a feeling our Elemis SpaPod giveaway may be able to help. It’s good to give.

To find your nearest Elemis destination,  click here.

And so they should. If you thought an indulgent Rose Ritual of body scrubs, wraps, massages and champagne at The Dorchester Spa was too good to be true, it looks like you missed out on July’s competition. Instead, the prizes were snapped up by Wahanda citizens - Faith and Achooww, who did as they were told and started penning their reviews so they could be in with a shot of winning our fantastic prize, and it looks like all their hard work paid off.

Seeing as these two lucky ladies are our first Wahanda winners EVER, we thought we’d introduce you to them so you can guide your green-eyed gazes directly at them.

Faith (left), a once-a-month treatment goer, submitted reviews on Gianni and Claudie , Pacifica Day Spa , earthspa and Ajune to win, with the latter coming out on top, while Achooww (right), a pain-before-gain believer, kept it this side of the Atlantic, and rated Middlethorpe Hall and Alquimia Spa , filling the Wahanda community in on her experiences. But we couldn’t let them get away with just writing a few reviews, so we decided to grill them a little more before we handed over their prize package…

How often do you have a treatment?

Faith: On average, once a month.

Achooww: If it’s a nice treatment that I enjoy, probably once every 6 months, but for a nasty waxing treatment, once every six weeks (although I don’t enjoy that as much)!

What’s the best spa you’ve ever been to?

Faith: Ajune in NYC, hands down.

Achooww: Middlethorpe Hall in York is pretty wicked, but I’m partial to a bit of abuse, so any of the spas in Thailand where the massages really hurt - you always feel better afterwards!

What’s the treatment you’d most like to try?

Faith: A pilates class. I don’t know if that technically counts as a treatment, but lots of spas offer them…

Achooww: One day I’ll pluck up the courage to have a colonic, but otherwise it’d be some sort of clingfilm bodywrap inch-loss, exfoliating-type treatment!

So there you have it, our winners in a nutshell. One surprising observation we made whilst we were writing this blog is that both our champs are wearing headgear in their profile shots. We’re wondering if there’s a link? Answers on the back of a postcard please…

If this spa prize has had you screaming for more, make sure you enter the current competition on our homepage. What are you waiting for?

Welcome to the wonderful world of Wahanda. We’ve been squirreling away behind the scenes for months, and now we’re able to share it with you, we can hardly contain our excitement. You see, we have an unconditional love for everything health, beauty and wellness, and we know we’re not alone, so we put two and two together and came up with Wahanda.

Put simply, its need-to-know knowledge at your fingertips. How many times have you been looking for your nearest yoga centre but your search only comes up with yoga retreats abroad? Or what about when you’ve had a treatment you really want to shout about, but no-one wants to listen? That’s where we come in. We want to show you every yoga class within a 3 mile radius of your front door, give you information on treatments to try, and lend you our soapbox so you can share your experiences with other like-minded yoga bunnies.

With a humungous network of spas, salons, fitness centres and therapists, when you’re not working out offline, you can read up on therapies and remedies online. And because Wahanda is so super keen that you spend more time doing the things you like most, every time you see something that tickles your fancy, instead of making a mental note, you can create a virtual scrapbook full of all your favourites or pen reviews to share your tips with others in the community.

Last but not least is this blog where you’ll find all the backstage gossip; from what’s going on behind the scenes at spas and salons, to new one-off treatments. We’ll also be posting interviews with thought leaders in the wellness industry, dishing the dirt on the Wahanda warriors (that’s us in the office), as well as featuring top tips both for and from spas and therapists.

And that’s it; Wahanda in a nutshell. It’s been a long time coming, but it’s been worth every second!