There were three reasons why we went to Harrogate.
1) Husb had a voucher for Afternoon Tea at Bettys. Woop!
2) Aerobics was cancelled as the hall was being used for voting.
3) We liked the look of the Turkish Baths.
So we set the alarm, got to Harrogate before ten, and joined the mixed session in the Turkish Baths.
In its heyday, Harrogate was known as ‘the English spa’ and a leading destination for European high society.
The Turkish Baths interiors were given a Moorish style with great Islamic arches and screens, walls of vibrant glazed brickwork, arabesque painted ceilings and terrazzo floors, laid by the very best Italian experts.
Members of every European Royal Family have visited Harrogate to take the waters.
Only seven Turkish Baths remain which date back to the 19th century, three of which are in the UK.
The most historically complete and in full working order is the Turkish Baths Harrogate.
The unique Royal Turkish Baths Harrogate building first opened in 1896.In 2004 a £1 million restoration fund restored this special place to its former splendid glory.
We went from plush velvet curtained cubicles through to the Tepidarium (warm room) and on to the Calidarium (hot room) and up the stairs to the Laconium (hottest area 68-70 degrees) This was followed by a hot shower rinse and then whooosh -a refreshing, spine-tingling plunge in the fabulous COLD plunge pool.....several times. SEVERAL TIMES - to open and close the pores and to stimulate circulation. It was relaxing, exhilarating and fun and we felt ridiculously good when we came out. I sometimes have 10 minutes in the sauna after aqua at Rowton Hall but a cold shower can't compare to a leap into a cold plunge pool. That definitely made all the difference.
We LOVED it. Would thoroughly recommend a visit.
But it had made us feel hungry.
Or was that because we knew we had Bettys vouchers in our bag?!
There was no point in delaying any longer...we would have an early lunch at Bettys.
There was nobody about when we got there. It is only round the corner from the Turkish Baths.
But in the time it took for me to say "Ooooh shall I do a plank outside...look there is no one watching" and for Husb to walk off pretending he hadn't heard such a ridiculous request, several people arrived and we had to queue. Bizarre really.
We hadn't realised how many actual tea rooms there were in that building. What I thought was an Afternoon Tea place was actually a coffee shop. Afternoon Tea was served at the back in the restaurant and there was another floor of sandwich, scone and cake eaters downstairs as well.
There were teapots on shelves.
And there was a teapot each for us.
The tea itself didn't last long.
It was delightful.
How many Bettys ARE there in Harrogate??
You have to pay to look through the window at Sweatys.
It'll cost you if you breathe inside the shop.
Top quality stuff but oh so dear.
A plank would have been ideal here as it IS a fitness shop but strangely enough Husb didn't hear that request either. Planking in Harrogate was a apparently a NO but a good excuse to return.
I'd be more than happy to sweaty, then Betty and then Sweaty Betty..... again.
It had been a great day.
Just a small matter of leaping about when I got home at my 7pm Hi Energy class.
I've just gone through this deleting all the apostrophes in Bettys.
Surely there should be an apostrophe in Betty's?
No comments:
Post a Comment