Getting Oxygenated at The Urban Escape Spa - The Prologue

On Saturday morning myself and himself decided to take ourselves off for a bit of R&R. Off we trotted to Hueston and boarded a train to the People's Republic of Cork - train-ing it was mandatory as nothing relaxing ever came out of two 3+ hour drives in one weekend, eh? I read mags, he played his PS3, and in general we had a lovely auld trip down, ignoring each other - ah, but in a good way! We smiled companionably at each other when the man in the next aisle began to snore for Ireland, and I nudged him every time I came across a page with a picture of a kitten, or a pair of shoes I particularly liked. Sure he knows my little ways well.

Upon arrival, our friendly cab driver deposited us at the city's new Jury's Hotel, a brand-spanking-new 4 star built on the site of the old Jury's Cork, a 10 minute stroll from Patrick Street. Perfect. Our choice wasn't merely made on location though - nope, the reason we stayed there was because it boasts the Urban Escape Day Spa, a 5-room oasis of relaxation using ace product ranges like YonKa, Lu'Lur and Mama Mio. But that treat was reserved for Sunday...

So Saturday afternoon was spent wandering through Cork's pretty streets, checking out the English Market, having lunch, browsing in the shops and then happily wandering some more. We were also lucky enough to get a booking in the acclaimed Liberty Grill for dinner, especially as Tom Doorley had raved about it in that day's Irish Times.

Happy and well fed, we strolled back to our comfortable hotel room - 6 foot bed, free wi-fi, bathroom with separate shower and bath and comfy chairs all featured - and I fell asleep happily anticipating my treatment to come...