Russian Spas

Last Sunday was our favourite red panda, Arcais's birthday and we opted to go into Harrogate to enjoy their traditional Roman-style Turkish baths and spa. The only issue was the having to get up at 7.30am on a Sunday part to be there for 9am but it was a lovely sunny day and a fun day ahead was enough motivation.

We met up with Draken, Arc and Wally outside the emporium just before 9am, headed into the special tiled area, stripped off and enjoyed two and a half hours of pampering. The surroundings are very Romanesque, with tiled walls, mosaic floors and pretty flower-based murals above the arched doorways. These led to a variety of rooms all set at different temperatures while there was also a separate steam room which was not dissimilar to those you get at gay saunas or fitness centres.

After spending a while cooking and sweating, as well as enjoying convivial conversation of course, we then took a dip in the ice-cold plunge pool which added an invigorating dynamic to the morning. It was torture, the sudden reduction in temperature shocking the body, and I could only manage about 15 seconds in the pool before I had to leave (Arc could do whole minutes). However, afterwards, when lying on the beds in the rest area, the change in temperature made the body feel all light and floaty, as if the soul was trying to escape. It was a bit like the transcendental mediation I used to do (which I really should do again) and when closing your eyes it was exceptionally relaxing. The whole morning was exactly what I needed and I think we have agreed to visit more frequently so we can take advantage of the facilities and get the relaxation we desperately need (although in promoting relaxation, I'm not sure why they had a copy of the Daily Mail in the waiting area a could be the literature equivalent of heating you up so much before going in the plunge pool I guess).

Harrogate has a range of fantastic unique restaurants and we opted to go to one for lunch. It was standard pub fayre with a twist and I enjoyed my Indonesian burger, smothered in satay sauce with a range of local vegetables. It was very much a taste of Indonesia and reminded me of my travels there back in 2009 (see posts passim) while the craft beer revolution had reached here too, which is always nice to see.

After this, we walked around town a while looking in the shops, I dissed Paperchase, bought a hardback copy of The Animals of Farthing Wood in Waterstones and saw a dog toy playset in Toymaster called Le Bark D'Triomphe. I also bought some dog scone mix so I can now make scones for dogs (although the ingredients are human grade so really it's just scone mix). I only bought it for the paw-shaped cookie cutter anyway (which isn't that paw-shaped on closer inspection). We also saw a gangster rapper dude trying to get the well-heeled inhabitants of Harrogate singing, which was quite hilarious, while a child started singing a rap song but didn't know the words. There is a God.

We had to head home soon after but decided to meet up later, with Taneli, Skavi and Avon, to go to the Russian Restaurant, which is now in Wakefield following the arson attack on their previous premises in Bradford in October. We were early so opted to call in at The Hop, owned by the Ossett Brewery, beforehand for a nice pint and the noise of an indie band through the floorboards. Everyone else was about an hour and a half later than us so we ended up going to the Russian Restaurant early and talking over a couple of strong Baltika beers with the owner Vlad about a range of topics from business to Crimea to the EU.

The premises are smaller but more modern than the one in Bradford, with a downstairs bar and waiting area and the restaurant bit upstairs. When everyone arrived, we gave Arc her present (a Leapfrog Violet puppy toy, programmed specifically for her) and we went upstairs to enjoy some delicious food. I had Ukrainian borscht, Valenike and deep fried ice cream, all of which was delicious. It was the first time we had been back to the Russian Restaurant since its move and we really should go more often - the portions are small but the food is of great quality. They even gave Arc a complimentary shot and a slice of cake - they really do take care of us.