Creacon Wellness Retreat: Day 1

Today’s post comes to you from the restful surroundings of the Creacon Wellness Retreat in New Ross, County Wexford.

Myself and a friend arrived here today (Saturday) at about 3pm after a busy morning and a long, slightly stressful drive from Dublin. We are here for a one night/two day stay to discover what the Creacon Wellness experience feels like so that we can share it with you here on Happy Magazine.

After a warm welcome at the reception after our arrival, we were shown to our beautiful twin room where we settled in just briefly and enjoyed a fresh carrot, orange and ginger juice.

A breathtaking pair of angel wings in our room was the first thing I saw when our door was opened and it set the tone for our stay – a home away from home, with hotel-style comfort and quality but warm, comforting surroundings of a different level to most hotels.

After our juice, we were brought up to the treatment rooms on the first floor of the lodge, where we met our specialists. I had chosen a Reflexology session and my friend a Swedish Deep Tissue Massage.

My Reflexology session was lovely – I completed a printed questionnaire on a clipboard first and expected the usual questions about all the many ticked boxes I had marked, but my specialist didn’t remark on it at all. For my treatment, I lay on a very comfortable, heated therapy bed under a cosy blanket. My specialist dimmed the lights, put some very peaceful music on low, and began her work on my feet. This was only the second time I have ever had reflexology done, and, as with the first time I had it, I really enjoyed it. My specialist started with a light foot massage, then got into a very comprehensive, rhythmic pattern of reflexology on first one foot, then the other, and back again, before ending with another more general foot massage of both feet. I love the full body sensations you get from a good reflexology session – it’s not just about your feet, but about the wonderful sensations that travel from your feet to other parts of your body, including right up to your head. If you enjoy a foot massage, you will love a reflexology session. At the end, I asked my specialist what product she had used on my feet and was surprised to hear it was just rapeseed oil.

My friend really enjoyed her Swedish Deep Tissue Massage too – she loved the comfortable therapy bed and really enjoyed the hot stones used as part of her treatment. It is important to note though that a Swedish Deep Tissue Massage may not be suitable for you if you are going through cancer treatment or even after treatment has ended. Please check with your medical team first. This would be a good option for a partner or friend who has not had cancer who may come with you to Creacon.

After our treatments, we were shown to a quiet relaxation room with lovely views over the surrounding countryside, comfortable couches and blankets, books and magazines and a steaming hot herbal tea infusion of camomile, mint and lavender. What a way to get started at Creacon – we were feeling wonderful already.

Dinner was a relaxed affair in a communal-type, rustic dining room. Food was tasty and fully customisable for all preferences/intolerances/allergies, etc. To give you an idea of what we ate – our starter was giant couscous and vegetables with a curry sauce, our main courses were, for me, a coconut milk chicken curry served with naan bread and for my friend, chargrilled salmon with a sweet potato mash. There was an extensive organic and vegan wine list and a selection of desserts. I had a beetroot brownie which was quite remarkable – I really enjoyed it – and my friend had an affogato with hot chocolate which she loved.

After dinner, we returned to our room to quickly change into more comfortable clothes before making our way to the main hall for a meditation session. The main hall at Creacon is a truly special place – very warm and welcoming in atmosphere and homely as a setting. We lay down on air mats, covered ourselves in blankets, got comfortable with just the right amount of pillows and lay back to enjoy a combination of music and spoken meditation/visualisations. I loved the supreme comfort of the air mat, the spoken meditations and the wonderfulness of just doing nothing – nowhere to be, nothing to do, just rest, just stillness, just quiet.

We retired to our room after the meditation session and have just been relaxing since then. I’ve been typing away quietly here, writing these words, enjoying the quiet of this place. Feeling wonderfully calm. Really looking forward to a full day of activities here tomorrow. I hope you’ll join us again to find out how our Day 2 experience goes.