Latest news with #relaxation
The Sun
3 days ago
- Health
- The Sun
I stayed at the super relaxing Greek resort with hidden beaches, laid-back DJ tunes and private pools
ALL I can hear is the rustling of the tamarisk trees, splashing water and the occasional scrape of a patio chair. My inability to relax on holiday is certainly being tested. I could get used to this. 5 5 That's the ethos of the Numo Ierapetra Beach Resort tucked into the southern curve of Crete — slow and easy living. Having joined the Hilton's Curio Collection last year, the adults-only 5H resort still feels sparklingly new, despite having opened its doors in 2021. I spent the next few days in utter bliss. Barely an hour after checking in, my first stop was the spa for the hotel's complimentary 15-minute massage. I was surprised at how such a short session was one of the best I've ever had. The stubborn knots lining my shoulder blades were easily unkinked within a few minutes. The relaxation continued at the hotel swimming pools, with two to choose from. The main, bigger pool is the most popular, lined with sun loungers covered in squishy striped covers you sink into as you sunbathe, or snooze. Live DJ sets and even saxophone players sprang up throughout the day, but they did not feel overwhelming. There is just a laid-back, beach club vibe. I became a frequent visitor to the pool bar too, making it my mission to try all the signature cocktails. The Numo Tequila Sunrise was a firm favourite. The TUI guide to Crete from best beaches to passport rules The smaller, tucked-away swimming pool is the place for a quiet escape, with no music and just serene, bright-blue water overlooked by the mountains. While Crete doesn't have private beaches, the dark sandy one behind Numo feels secluded enough when swimming in the Mediterranean Sea. Fish tacos But the star of the show was my grandly named King Evergreen Absolute Suite, which was surrounded by a huge outdoor deck with its own plunge pool. While Crete doesn't have private beaches, the dark sandy one behind Numo feels secluded enough when swimming in the Mediterranean Sea When I craved some privacy in the evenings, I relaxed on private loungers while dipping my toes into the water. Rooms are inspired by the tamarisk trees that line the coastline, with muted green, grey and brown decor. Even the entry-level rooms come with this modern palette and a balcony or terrace. My suite was definitely a step up, though, with a cosy lounge area, spacious bedroom and huge open-plan bathroom complete with a roll-top bath. A day of drinking wine on the patio meant I needed to line my stomach, and stays at the Numo Ierapetra Beach Resort can include breakfast or half-board with dinner. The buffet restaurant Tamarisk has some of the best views of the house, with the pool to one side and the beach to the other. But what the buffet lacks in size, it makes up for in taste. One evening, my rich lamb was accompanied by spinach orzo, and a cabbage and kimchee salad. The next day, I gorged on creamy pasta with barbecued chicken and a variety of Greek salads. The spread at breakfast includes fresh hot pastries, bread, fruit and cooked options. There is also a speciality restaurant called Menoa, serving Peruvian cuisine such as fresh fish tacos, and you will get a discount if staying half-board. Guests can head to Kafené, the onsite cafe and gift shop, for an authentic Greek coffee made by heating it in sand. I was amazed by how quiet the resort felt, despite being at full capacity. And there is more than enough to keep you busy. A highlight was the outdoor cinema, screening films such as Mamma Mia! and Barbie every evening. You can spend the afternoon browsing the hotel's clothes shop before a personal training session at the gym. While the resort does its best to stop you from wanting to leave, we took a day trip to nearby Kristas. One of the oldest villages on the island, it has pretty, winding alleyways and hundreds of plants surrounding doorways. 5 5 It is also the best place for a souvenir, with locally made jewellery and clothing stores alongside more touristy trinket spots, selling magnets and pottery. It is only as the midday heat started getting to me that I was tempted back to the hotel for a dip in the ocean before yet another delicious dinner. I had certainly never felt so zen. Who needs yoga when you can head to Numo instead?
Gizmodo
4 days ago
- Business
- Gizmodo
Amazon Offers Govee LED Smart Touch Table Lamp at a Record Low to Clear Out Inventory
Set this lamp to display all your favorite colors and have some well-deserved relaxation time at home. Lighting has a bigger impact on your day than you might think. Setting the mood, creating a safe and warm space, and even boosting focus or winding down is all important. Whether you're curling up with a book, setting the scene for a dinner party, or just trying to get through your inbox in peace, the right light makes a difference. That's why, if you can, you should try a smart light to see how it can change up your home. Check out Amazon to get the Govee RGBIC Smart Table Lamp 2 for just $64, down from its usual price of $80. That's $16 off and a discount of 20%. It's a reliable brand that you've probably heard of before when it comes to strip lighting, and it's well worth adding to your home or wealth of smart products because it can change the way you move through your day, as well as the way you feel while doing it. See at Amazon A light for everywhere in your home This Govee lamp is vibrant, colorful, and easy to control. It's not just another white light or dimmable desk lamp. You can customize the color, brightness, and lighting effects to suit your mood or whatever you're doing. Want a soft warm glow for reading? Done. Something bold and dynamic to match your playlist? That's easily done too. And you can even sync the lights to the music if you like that effect. The lamp itself is a part of your decor once you've gotten it set up. It looks sleek and modern, with a minimalist design that blends into most spaces. That includes bedside tables, work desks, bookshelves, and even kitchen counters. And when it's all good to go, you can control the lamp through your phone, set timers or schedules, or use voice commands if you have a smart assistant. Its lighting is made possible by its RGBIC technology, which lets different colors to appear on the lamp at the same time. The result? Gradients, waves, and animations that actually make the lamp feel alive. There's even a music sync mode that reacts to sound, perfect for parties or just dancing around your apartment alone on a Tuesday night. It's time to go ahead and dive in if you've been looking for a reason to get a smart lamp. This one will do you well, it's at its lowest price now, and it comes from a brand that cares about giving you quality performance. You'll wonder why you didn't have one sooner. See at Amazon
Forbes
4 days ago
- Health
- Forbes
The Mayflower Inn: Your Visa To A Vivacious Face And Stronger Spirituality.
The beautiful Mayflower Inn in Connecticut is a posh property offering a wealth of wellness services and spa treatments for rest, relaxation and rejuvenation. As I write this story, I'm reminded of Dorothy and her companions in The Wizard of Oz. As I mentioned in my book, The Globetrotter's Get-Gorgeous Guide, this fantastic foursome stopped at a spa, on their way to The Emerald City, to experience total transformation! Do you remember? Dorothy had her hair done, The Tinman got oiled up, The Scarecrow got brand new straws, and The Cowardly Lion had his mane curled and his claws clipped. The adorable music still delights me – and I'm sure – millions and millions of other people. I felt pretty much the same way on my recent visit to The Mayflower Inn – not somewhere over the rainbow — but an award-winning property in Connecticut. I was there as part of their ongoing Visiting Masters series. The award-winning Mayflower Inn, Auberge Resorts Collection, is an exquisite country retreat and an antidote to urban stress. Nestled in 58 acres of beautifully designed gardens and woodlands in the idyllic town of Washington, Connecticut, it is situated less than a two-hour drive from New York City and is the quintessential country estate that's perfect for a restorative spa experience. As stated, it is part of Auberge Resorts Collection, a portfolio of 30 extraordinary hotels, resorts, residences and private clubs. Guestrooms at The Mayflower Inn are beautifully decorated to offer lavish luxury. The Mayflower Inn features a full-service 20, spa (called The Retreat), delightful dining and breathtaking grounds noted for stately specimen trees, formal gardens and acres of tranquil woodlands. It really is New England in a nutshell! The grounds are a large component of the Mayflower experience: Hiking, fly-fishing, archery, tennis and nature walks are also available on property, while biking and kayaking can also be arranged nearby. The verdant gardens and labyrinth are also used for meditation, outdoor yoga and guided afternoon walks. There is also a private Pilates studio, Technogym fitness equipment plus daily fitness instruction that includes yoga, Pilates, strength training, pool conditioning, Barre, HIIT, body sculpting classes, and more. It is a wonderful world of well-being (and also, very good gourmet cuisine). The Visiting Masters weekend is a posh program that brings top wellness practitioners in different areas here to the Connecticut countryside, for top-notch retreats, exclusive sessions, and deep healing. Each Visiting Master program is designed to help guests feel nurtured, grounded, and inspired to reach their full potential. The spa pool is a decadent delight at The award-winning Mayflower Inn. It was here that I experienced the marvelousness of Dr. Nigma Talib, a pioneering Naturopathic Doctor, and her exquisite Time Lift Facial. Dr. Nigma – as she likes to be called — is a renowned (and world-famous) Naturopathic Doctor (and author) based in Beverly Hills, who brought her 20+ years of experience and knowledge to the countryside for a retreat committed to empowering patients by addressing the root causes of health issues through personalized dietary advice, themed around enhancing gut health, supporting skin rejuvenation, and balancing hormones. In a lengthy interview, she explained to me how she has been able to combine stomach/gut issues, with her love of aesthetics and skincare. Dr. Nigma Talib is a world-famous and pioneering Naturopath who has created one of the most cutting-edge, state-of-the-art facials, with her unique TimeLift Facial Machine, which just debuted at The Mayflower Inn in Connecticut. Among other things, she has created science-backed beauty supplements including her optimally-absorbed, drinkable Super Vitamin C Cocktail sticks/packets that contain, among other things, a VitaBerry superfruit antioxidant blend containing 6,000 ORAC units per gram. (This is Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity, a test-tube analysis that measures the percentage of antioxidant capability in food. Broccoli, for example, she told me, only has an ORAC of 900-1000. 'It's like eating barrels of berries without the sugar and all the antioxidants in Vitamin C.') This particular posh Vitamin C product (which should probably accompany you on every single plane trip, to combat fatigue and stress), is one of the biggest sellers at Erewhon (along with other products and supplements in her Dr. Nigma line) in Los Angeles, and has been touted on the Poosh website of Kourtney (no last name needed). If you can't get to Erewhon, they can also be found at Dr. Nigma's website. Her cleanser contains volcanic ash from Mt. Etna, 'to pull out toxins,' she explained. And her award-winning Biocellulose Sheet Mask was curated with a scientist in Switzerland and made in France 'to keep your skin 's microbiome optimal,' she told me. 'Many of the top makeup artists in LA use this on their celebrity clients before events,' she told me proudly. After using it, 'You'll be hydrated for days,' she said. It is a prebiotic-infused sheet mask with marine collagen, plus edelweiss and seaweed extracts that act as second skin and deliver potent actives for long-lasting hydration. My lengthy 2.5-hour interview with her wasn't just a conversation – it was a fact-filled, fun and fascinating science lesson that taught me how beauty, food, facials, vitamins, gut health and skincare all intersect, for an enhanced appearance and more energy. Her dedication to state-of-the-art skincare is evidenced by her Time Lift Facial, which uses a special machine that she had meticulously developed for her in Milan, Italy. The Time Lift Facial (a marvelous mini facelift) if I can describe it in a few sentences, is a cutting-edge treatment that utilizes advanced technology created especially for Dr. Nigma which deeply exfoliates, cleanses pores, reduces puffiness, and enhances the appearance of fine lines, uneven skin tone, and dark circles. She told me that her Time Lift Facial stimulates collagen production and tightens loose skin. A very cold pressurized air system facilitates the infusion of Dr. Nigma's curated serums—plant stem cells, peptides, hyaluronic acid, B vitamins, Vitamin C, and Glycolic acid—into microdroplets for deeper penetration into the facial skin. The session concludes with a radio-frequency application that lifts and tightens the skin, improving serum absorption, using an algae as a conductive agent to tighten, lift and firm the skin- providing instant results. There are no needles and no downtime. You know what I say? Glow for it! You just might be brightened and tightened for days. Celebrities such as Chelsea Handler are huge fans (here is Dr. Nigma's Instagram post about how Chelsea Handler had the facial before hosting the Critics Choice Awards) but mere mortals can also experience this facial for themselves. When and where? Dr. Nigma plans to open her own Longevity Clinic in Beverly Hills in Summer of 2025. After September 20, 2025, you can book your own Time Lift Facial. 'I wanted to bring the whole person, from the inside out, working together as a team,' she explained to me. Dr. Nigma is also the author of Younger Skin Starts in the Gut and Reverse The Signs of Ageing. At the Mayflower Inn, I also experienced a Mini Mindset Coaching Session with Megan Monahan, who wrote what I believe is one of the best books I've ever read about Meditation – It's called Don't Hate, Meditate. (For me, it really explained how to meditate, and the benefits of it, in a very user-friendly and informative way.) Since learning to meditate in 2009 with Deepak Chopra and becoming a Chopra-certified instructor, Ms. Monahan has taught thousands to meditate through her platform. She works with brands like Lululemon, Unplug Meditation, Netflix, Facebook and Wanderlust. This terrific session gave me some great reflection-and-renewal tools to shift some of my personal perspectives, overcome obstacles, and make empowered decisions moving forward. So, here is where I channeled my inner Dorothy, found more spiritual power, and like The Cowardly Lion, found more courage in myself, and also experienced a life-enhancing, beautifying, First-Class facial. Who doesn't love that? Let me paraphrase Dorothy here, what she repeated three times, as she clicked her heels together — as this is what I also discovered: 'There's no place like om.' Now, if you would like to read on, and you are a beauty-and-skincare junkie like me, you may enjoy this poem that I wrote for my book, encapsulating my ever-present and ongoing obsession with all-things-beauty. Let me tell you – when I travel? I Brake For Beauty Products. I swear, it should be my bumper sticker! Besotted With Beauty © By Debbi Kickham I've always wanted to be a beauty – Like you. Or why not just a real cutie? At the sweet, tender young age of seven Nail polish and lipgloss were Seventh Heaven. There I was, with pink bow in my blonde hair Plus Evening in Paris scenting the air. And thus began my own beauty saga Before Madonna and Lady Gaga. I went on to Tinkerbell, then Tussy (When I was much too young to be fussy). Then I met my bestest friend L'Oreal Which clearly has been my own special pal. I rarely leave home without eyelashes curled And pouty lips from my friend Cover Girl. But – it's funny how some men also know Ultimate secrets, to offer a glow. Men like Charles Revson and Charles of The Ritz Had their particular, great beauty hits: Classic Lipsticks like Cherries In The Snow And special serums that go with the flow. Make no mistake, though; I often am seen With Nivea, Pareva and Maybelline. My little face always wants more, more, more, Of Chanel, Guerlain and 'J'adore Dior.' Avon calling is also just the thing With which to have a fine cosmetic fling. By heaps of freshener, toner and lotion You get a 'natural' look – I've an ocean. With a dusting of powder, gloss and rouge I can create my unique subterfuge. I look in the mirror and with a glance Capture myself in my own special trance. Take it from me – you can always look great, On every journey. You'll travel first-rate And make every part of trips you travel A beautiful trek where you won't unravel. Just follow my advice, and try the creams That will fulfill your best cosmetic dreams. Pack gorgeous goodies, with skirts, shoes and pants And you won't be sorry on Swiss or Air France. You'll eat, sleep, exercise and look your best In transit, on Emirates or just Northwest. This book is written to show and unfurl Travel and Beauty – the best of both worlds. For more about my Wanderlust and Wellness travels, please Follow me on Instagram at @DebbiKickham or check out
BBC News
5 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
An immersive therapy that can improve your sleep
In need of a good night's sleep or releasing tension, stress, and anxiety buildup? Then try immersing yourself in the resonant vibrations of a sound bath. Health Correspondent Melissa Hogenboom, spoke to sound therapy practitioner Veronika Pongracz about how it works, and immersed herself in the calming vibrations of her very first sound bath. Presenter: Melissa Hogenboom Producer, Director & Editor: Griesham Taan Cinematographer: Tom Heyden
Cosmopolitan ME
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Cosmopolitan ME
Number Artist: The art kit that's totally worth the time
Ever thought about how much time you waste scrolling mindlessly? Maybe it's time to make your downtime work for you with Number Artist. In a world where time seems to slip away with endless to-do lists and digital distractions, Number Artist offers the perfect antidote: a creative wellness escape that doesn't require hours or special skills. Forget the typical wellness trends that demand endless commitment. Number Artist is here to redefine how we spend our free time, offering a simple, luxurious, and satisfying way to relax and create something beautiful. 'I didn't expect much, but now I can't stop painting. It's like therapy in a box,' says one user. The kind of therapeutic break you've been longing for is finally here. Number Artist offers you a creative escape that gives you mental clarity and artistic satisfaction, all while taking less than an hour of your time. A New Way to Escape the Chaos In today's world, where every moment is filled with hustle and distraction, there's something special about the mindful simplicity that Number Artist's custom paint by number kits offer. It's not just another way to kill time—it's a luxury wellness ritual that allows you to unwind and find peace, all while creating something meaningful. Whether you're painting a picture of your pet, a favourite vacation spot, or a loved one, this creative process is about more than just the result; it's about finding calm. 'I painted a picture of my dog for my mom. It wasn't just about the painting—it was a way to remember her. It was healing,' shares another Number Artist user. These kits provide the opportunity to relive memories while engaging in a creative process that promotes mental wellness. What makes Number Artist unique? It's not just the high-quality paints or the professional-grade canvas. It's the experience – the joy of creating something from nothing, while finding calm and mental clarity. The simplicity of these kits is their brilliance. Whether you're creating a custom portrait, a serene landscape, or a pet portrait, you don't need to be an artist to experience the therapeutic release that comes with it. 'The process is relaxing. I love how my kit turned out. It's definitely been a rewarding experience,' says another customer, summing up what so many find with Number Artist: creative satisfaction without the stress. More Than Just Painting—It's a Wellness Ritual We all know the pressure of chasing the next 'wellness trend.' But what if self-care could be as easy as picking up a brush and watching your stress melt away? That's the power of Number Artist. It's not just about painting; it's about experiencing the calming effects of creativity, one brushstroke at a time. 'I've gifted these to friends, and they're obsessed with how therapeutic and fun they are,' says another user. 'It's the perfect self-care gift. Highly recommend it.' Whether you're using it to unwind after a chaotic day or just looking for a creative escape, these kits offer a luxurious, personalized way to unwind. So why is Number Artist totally worth your time? Because it's not just another fleeting trend. It's a wellness ritual that delivers real relaxation and creative fulfilment without the commitment or overwhelm of other options. 'It's relaxing and fun. I'm not an artist, but these kits make me feel like one. It's a great way to unwind and get in touch with my creative side,' says another satisfied customer. Whether you're a busy professional, a parent, or just someone looking to reclaim a little peace, Number Artist gives you the time and space to focus on something that's all about you. Just creative freedom and the luxury of relaxation. ITP Media Group newsroom and editorial staff were not involved in the creation of this content.
