Can you go to the spa or sauna as gyms reopen in England?
Spa-re a thought for anyone missing out on beauty treatments.
This weekend, indoor gyms, leisure centres and pools have reopened across England after over three months of closures due to the coronavirus lockdown.
Indoor gyms have also reopened in Northern Ireland, but they remain closed in Scotland and Wales, with no date yet given for when this might change.
With many eager to get back to their gyms – and some even queuing up for a midnight class – many will likely be missing their post-gym sit-down in the sauna. Here’s what we know about when saunas and steam rooms could be reopening.
Can saunas open as gyms reopen across England?
Saunas are still closed as many across England head out for their first gym session or dip in the pool in months.
Visit our live blog for the latest updates: Coronavirus news live
For many, a sit down in the sauna after a workout was part of their routine, but that won’t be allowed until they reopen again on 1 August.
The UK Spa Association (UKSA) told Spa Business that their trade body received written and verbal confirmation from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) that saunas and steamrooms can reopen from 1 August.
According to the UKSA: ‘This reopening is subject to social-distancing guidelines.
‘Operators of saunas and steamrooms must calculate how many people can be accommodated at one time… No face coverings are to be worn in the sauna or steamroom and these facilities must be regularly cleaned.’
When can spa treatments and beauticians reopen fully?
The reopening of saunas will coincide with the return of all beauty treatments.
When salons and hairdressers reopened, many were surprised to find that facials and other beauty treatments were still restricted.
In a press conference on 17 July, the government revealed new guidelines that would ‘enable all close contact services to resume, including any treatments on the face such as eyebrow threading or make-up application, working closely with the sector and public health experts to ensure this can be done as safely as possible and in line with COVID-19 Secure guidelines.’
PM Boris Johnson said: ‘From August 1, we will be reopening most remaining leisure settings and we will enable close-contact services [such as] beauticians to resume.’
In the meantime, you can still enjoy some TLC at home.
If you don’t feel comfortable going to a public sauna yet, don’t sweat it. You can enjoy a lot of the benefits of a sauna at home you can invest in an at-home infrared sauna, with products like MiHigh Infrared Sauna blanket.
Infrared heat from the sauna blanket is thought to help your body produce calming chemicals, the infrared heat can penetrate the skin up to seven times more efficiently than regular heat.
Healthline indicates that other possible benefits of infrared heat could include better sleep, stimulated collagen production, relief from aches and pains, quicker recovery after exercise, pain relief for those suffering with arthritis and detoxification.
You can customise the temperature yourself, choosing temperatures between 25 and 80 degrees.
Safe enough to use every day, you can enjoy many of the benefits of a sauna – which could include burning up to 600 calories a session as the infrared heat increases your blood flow and heart rate – all while practicing social distancing at home (and you can use it while watching TV or listening to a podcast).
As well as following tips for recreating a spa experience at home, including choosing the right scents and sounds, you can make a face mask with ingredients in your fridge with ingredients such as honey and sugar and egg white and lemon.
MORE: How beauty salons are preparing for reopening day
Follow Metro across our social channels, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Share your views in the comments below.