Wrap a healthier gift this Christmas
It costs €199 on pixmania.ieand can be adapted to drape over most kinds of chair.
Once in place it will give you either a shiatsu or a kneading massage while soothing heat is released to untangle muscle knots and tension.
HMMM CHOCOLATE
If you’re sitting in the chair and start to feel peckish, you could reach for some chocolate – but it will have to be dark.
Chocolate that has a cocoa percentage of more than 70 per cent is chock-a-block with chemicals that help the body repair itself. Valrhona is one of the finest such chocolates in the world. Gift sets are selling in Brown Thomas and other high-end stores with price tags of about €30.
WORK OUT
Gym membership was one of the first things to be knocked on the head by many people after the recession really took hold four years ago. But prices have fallen in many clubs and some are offering special deals in the run-up to Christmas.
Rather than going from gym to gym in search of the best value, you’d be better off visiting gyms.iewhich has a comprehensive list of gyms around the country, as well as details of the special offers running at the moment.
CHILL OUT
The Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin, pictured, has taken pampering to a new level with its new spa which promises three floors of wall-to-wall relaxation, all manner of treatments and a gorgeous chandelier-lit relaxation room with panoramic views of St Stephen’s Green.
Among the treatments on offer are the high-end Pevonia line and the award-winning Elemis range, which combines naturally active ingredients with cutting-edge technology.
It has Christmas gift vouchers from €50 up to €1,000 and some impressive sounding spa treatments.
Of course, it is not the only spa in the country hoping to capture a chunk of the Christmas market and hundreds of relaxation specialists all over the country have deals of their own. The website pamperme.ieis a good first stop to find out what is on offer in your area.
GET SWEATY
Madonna loves it, Gwyneth Paltrow swears by it and growing numbers of us mere mortals have also discovered the hot and sweaty joys of Bikram yoga.
It is not cheap. A single 90-minute class spent dripping in sweat and contorting yourself into 20 unlikely positions in a room heated to 41 degrees can cost €20. Month-long vouchers are much more cost effective. A one-month beginners all-you-can sweat voucher for the Bikram centre in Dublin’s Harold’s Cross costs €49. See bikramyoga.ie.
