Our Health Is Our Wealth - So Pamper Yourself!

Making time for a little pampering can have an enormous positive impact on our physical, emotional and mental health. So why don’t we do more of it?

Luxuriating in the bath with candles and diffusers can feel deliciously decadent and provide a much-needed boost. Exercises such as yoga and meditation are also great for setting off endorphins, our ‘happy hormones’ which give us that feelgood factor.

A bit further away from home, our Time for Life trio – correspondent Sharon, photographer Steve and golden retriever Bracken have been learning about the benefits of calcium rich hot springs - and the benefits they bring.

Health Boosting Traditions

The English translation of Pamukkale in southwestern Turkey is ‘Cotton Castle’ due to its brilliant white landscape. At first it looks like mountains of snow, which seems impossible in the country’s hot climate.

The UNESCO World Heritage Site is among the world’s healthiest locations where those in need of a ‘pick me up’ flock to its calcium rich hot springs and outdoor pools where the Romans recharged their batteries.

Rich in antiquity and healing qualities, carbonate mineral formed dramatic travertine terraces of white-water pools thousands of years ago in this unearthly landscape.


Sacred Springs

The restorative experience is enriched by a soak in Cleopatra’s Pool where the calcium water’s healing qualities help with skin problems, stomach problems, rheumatism, and heart diseases.

The pool and its opulent marble columns was created for the wise and beautiful Egyptian queen when she toured Turkey with her powerful Roman General, Mark Antony.
Legend says she was seeking a very special bath to soothe her travel worn skin and Cleopatra’s Pool was the most famous of all the gifts that Marc Antony lavished on her.

Bird’s Eye View



Having, just a few month earlier, overcome a fear of heights during an electrifying balloon ride over the lunar landscape of Cappadocia, I passed up on a paragliding experience over the pools and terraces which takes place at sunrise and sunset.

Watching the paragliders soar effortlessly above this incredible backdrop as dusk descended was breathtaking. From the air they experienced the scale of Cotton City which adjoins the ancient and holy ruins of the Roman city of Hierapolis including its astounding amphitheatre dating from the second century AD.


Mind and Body

If a dip in Pamukkale’s hot springs isn’t feasible, there are many other ways to ensure our daily intake of calcium. Adults are recommended to take at minimum of 1,300 mg of calcium per day, increasing the dose as we get older.

Vital in helping us to function properly, our heart, muscles, and nerves need calcium to function properly and to build and maintain strong bones and teeth.

Calcium rich foods include dairy products like milk, cheese, and yogurt along with foods including tinned sardines and salmon, almonds and rhubarb.

As winter beckons and the life-giving summer sunshine dissipates, self-care takes on a greater importance. which takes place across 13-19 November is Mind & Body - more information can be found here.

Every day is precious, so let’s do everything we can to live happier, healthier, and longer lives.