Post updated 16/02/15: Congratulations to Carly Steltner for winning the family swim spa session at Giles Leisure Hydrotherapy Centre, hands-down the most entered competition on Little Lewes! Carly’s name was picked out of a hat by my youngest son, but I’m so pleased the prize is going to her as she mentioned in her entry that she and her father suffer with joint conditions and that the warm water would be very soothing for them. Enjoy it Carly!
OFFER: For those who didn’t win (and anyone else – you don’t have to have entered to qualify for this!) Tom at Giles Leisure is running an introductory offer of £20 (instead of £25) for two adults for a 45-minute session in the hot tub/swim spa. Accompanying children go free!
The amazing new hot tub (‘swim spa!’) in full bubbly flow at Giles Leisure Hydrotherapy Centre
I didn’t tell you this, but about a week after we got the bunk beds, my eldest fell from the top one and broke a limb. Badly. So we’re a cliché. He’s been in cast for 10 weeks and last Friday was the BIG removal. And what did he want to do first over all other formerly forbidden activities? Go swimming.
I had anticipated this in actual fact, and he’s been such a trooper about his break, I thought it worth organising something a bit special. So I asked Tom at Giles Leisure Hydrotherapy Centre if we could road test his latest venture: a large hot tub (known as a ‘swim spa’) in a serenely private room that’s available for people to hire for 30 minutes (45 including change time). He agreed to it in exchange for this blog post – and then decided to tack on a social media competition. If you share this post (see bottom for details) you can win a half-hour session in the swim spa for you and up to five others.
My children both have swimming lessons at Giles Leisure – as part of Wet Wet Wet Swim School and The Little Swim School, and its hydrotherapy pool there is a bit of a dream. Tom built in the back of his dad’s hot tub centre by Cliffe car park in Lewes a couple of years ago, and it’s very warm and of so diminutively manageable size that my two water-averse offspring feel safe. There’s a café with viewing windows, and my boys have a great affection for Tom and his mum and dad, who all kindly help me when it gets a bit hectic managing the two!
The new private hot-tub/swim spa can host up to five adults and five children at a time. There are jets that drum out bubbles at different levels and speeds (we managed to accidentally choose the most intense, and our kids loved it, although take care to hang on to smaller children so they don’t get whisked across the pool…). One end of the pool hosts sort of racing car bucket seats that cradle you as the bubbles gently pound your back; the other end is a deeper area where a jet sends out a stream of currents against which you can swim as if doing lengths.
The lights also change colour at the press of a button (your kids will want to play with this a lot and guess what? That’s OK!) and there are gentle arcs of water you can turn on that spill from the sides into the main pool.
This makes a brilliant activity for families and most especially if you’re swimming with a new baby – I mean, what a way to have your first family swim together? Quiet, warm (it’s 35 degrees so like a bath), relaxed and special, and with colours for added visual stimulation. And you can all change and shower right there, without having to get cold.
The (strict!) 45-minute time slots include change time, and you might think half an hour in the pool doesn’t sound long, but it really is. My two absolutely loved it – playing with the bubbles and the older one swimming happily in the quiet pool when we turned the jets off, but they were ready to get out at the half-hour point.
But my favourite thing about the private swim spa is that you can take your own bubbles with you – yes, if you draft in an extra pair of hands to take care of the kids, you can go have some prosecco-assisted quiet time together in a hot tub! Don’t mind if I do…
READER COMPETITION
This is a social media competition in which half an hour in the hot tub/swim spa is up for grabs for the winner and up to five people of their choice. The total session time is 45 minutes, to include showering and changing. The competition closes next Monday the 16th of February 2015 at midday.
To enter to win just:
- Share this post on Facebook (But if you do, please let me know in the comments section below so that I can register your entry. Please include ‘Gilesleisure.Hydrotherapypool’ in any comment you make on Facebook)
- Share the post on Twitter, following @LittleLewes if you don’t already, as well as @gilesleisureltd with the hashtag #BubbleFun
- Share the post on Instagram – take a picture of your screen, or a screen grab from your phone of one that I post, follow @littlelewes and @gilesleisure, hashtagging #BubbleFun
- Share the post on Google+ (again, please let me know in comments, as I’m so new to it)
- Comment on this post in the section below, making sure to put your email address in the indicated field so I can reach you. If you subscribe to receive Little Lewes post notifications (in the side bar on computer, at the bottom on mobile), extra credit again… *smiley winky face*
THE ESSENTIALS
Address: North Court, Lewes, East Sussex, BN7 2AR
Tel. no: 01273 478 454
Website: glhydro.weebly.com
Hours: Mon-Fri, 9am-6pm (last booking taken 5.30pm); Sat, 9am-5pm; Sun 10am-2pm (variable, if it gets busy they’ll stay open longer)
Price: Private hot tub/swim spa: £12.50 per adult per 45 minutes, capped at £30 total (so if you go as say four or even five adults, it’ll still be £30 between you). Kids go free. Hydrotherapy pool: £8 per half hour per person, £27 per half hour privately hired for a group. Pool parties: Can be arranged for £100 – one hour of pool hire and two hours of café hire (starting at the same time), which you can decorate as you wish. Call for details as there are restrictions on numbers
Disclosure: I asked Tom if he would gift us a session in the hot tub/swim spa to celebrate my son’s limb healing and he agreed. The social media competition was an add-on to raise awareness of this fun and decadent family (or solo!) activity in Lewes. No other compensation, financial or otherwise, was offered or exchanged for the writing of this post.
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Little Lewes 
Oh my two would LOVE this. I get your posts via email, I will do the other social media thingies later. What a brilliant prize.
Bubbles and 35 degrees sounds like the best way to go for a family swim!
oh also I Google+ this competition too!
It really is the best way Kathryn and thank you for sharing it! Your entry has been logged. x
Tweeted, face booked, instagramed… Forgot the #bubblefun, back i go to edit it. This may be the answer to my daughters birthday, thanks Kate! Fab ideas as always x
This is definitely worth the hours drive for me and my little one! Can’t wait to have some warm fun again. I’m sure it won’t be hard to persuade our friends to join us too!
Thanks, Lisa
(Shared on Facebook)
Thanks for your comment Lisa! Your entry has been logged. Kate x
This looks fabulous, I live locally but didn’t know about this place, thanks for the introduction!
Hi Kate, no problem and thank you for your comment! Your entry into the comp has been logged. Kate x
Have socialed it. My son does swimming classes there too. Lovely people.
Nikki
…fb, twitter and G+ 🙂
Thanks Nikki! Your entry to the comp has been logged – best of luck! Kate x
I’ve seen it, it’s amazing my 3 children are desperate for a spell in the ‘wonder pool’ :-).Hope little ones arm is much better now too !!! (Sharing on FB and Instagram) Good luck everyone xxxx
Oooh I feel relaxed just thinking about it, and being able to relax rather than worry whilst my daughters have something fun to do is a rarity!!! Shared the comp on my Facebook 🙂
Thanks Rachel! It is very VERY relaxing (and fun too). Your entry has been logged, best of luck! Kate x
Wow, this looks amazing. My son and niece would absolutely love this. And I would too. X
Thanks Tina and yes you and your son and niece most definitely would! Your entry has been logged – good luck! Kate x
What a perfect family day this would be!
Gilesleisure.Hydrotherapypool…
Thanks Michaela for your entry – it’s been logged! Good luck!
This looks like a great weekend activity for the family or indeed some girls and a Bottle of fizz. (I shall share on FB) Love reading your blog, I’m always learning about new places to go.
Best wishes
Michelle
That’s good to know Michelle! I never really know whether people read and enjoy it and often think about shutting it down so I will carry on for now on the basis of your comment! Best of luck in the competition, Kate x
Have tweeted and shared please enter me
My little girl is 8 and we want to do something special for her and 5 friends
thanks
Hi Samantha, thank you for sharing and best of luck for you and your daughter! Your entry has been logged. Kate x
Oh my that looks like heaven. I suffer with a few joint conditions and so does my father. Heat and water are always a great pain soother so half hour in here with my mum and hyper mobile son would be a dream x
May have to book up for birthday treats x
It really is Carly, it sounds like you all need that warm bubbly water. Your entry has been logged, best of luck in the competition! Kate x
Looks like bliss! Another gem form Little Lewes 🙂
Awwww thanks Mary! That’s nice to read – I’m never sure if everyone reading is going ‘yeah, I did that five years ago’, so it’s good to know that this one’s new for a few people! Best of luck in the competition, your entry is logged. Kate x
Oh my goodness this sounds so amazing!!! I’d love to visit with my children. Neither are major fans of swimming so it would be great to change their minds 😉
It’s definitely a fun yet calm way to experience water Gemma. My two aren’t mad on swimming either and both were very happy in there. We mistakenly put the jets on full pelt thinking it was the weakest setting and my 2-year-old thought it was funny, which was a real result. Best of luck in the competition, your entry has been logged. Kate x
Btw I have shared on Facebook. Gemma
Looks amazing
Would definitely love to have a go
(Shared on Facebook)
It is amazing Anna! I can’t wait to go back. Your entry has been logged, thank you for sharing it and best of luck. Kate x
Such a lovely pool! We really look forward to our weekly swimming lesson and Sunday swim. Shared this on Facebook! X
Hello not sure if my comment has worked as I havn’t been entered in the competition x
HI Sarah, yes your entry has been logged. So sorry for not replying – this competition has gone wild and it’s been a bit of a job keeping on top of replying to everyone. I don’t work on Thursday and Friday and am with my children, so I just hit ‘approve’ so your comment would go live, with the intention of replying properly this evening. Thank you for reminding me! You’re definitely in the comp, don’t worry. And good luck! Kate x
I’m not surprised a great blog and prize!! X
Forget the kids, I want this prize all to myself!! Posted on Facebook too xx
Only if you’ll take me too Alice! Definitely need to do a champagne hot tub session soon! Your entry has been logged! kx
Shared on Facebook too! What a fabulous prize, would love it to help celebrate my daughters first birthday!! Xx
It’s so nice and yes it’d be a lovely prize for a celebration! Your entry has been logged Sarah, Kate x
Ooh, I’d love to win. We’re thinking of doing some swimming lessons there for my daughter so would be great to try it out.
oh and I shared this on facebook too. Great to discover you by the way!
Thanks for your comment and entry Julie. Great to have you with us! Kate x
I have shared it on facebook Twitter and IG. Thanks again for such a brilliant competition.
Hi Kelly. Thanks for sharing and yes it’s a brilliant comp! Good luck, your entry has been logged! x
hello! felt blissed and bubbled out just reading about this brilliant place…..tweeted ( but didn’t have enough space to hashtag it???) and f-booked it..will be visiting even if we are not lucky this time!!!!!
You’d totally love it Julie, seriously seriously lovely thing to do as a family (or better: bunch of girls with bubbles of the getting pissed kind!). Your entry has been logged my dear! x
Hi Kate,
I run Tiny Tiddlers Swim School. I used the pool after you for a private lesson, on the Saturday you tried out the new swim spa. The twins (3 months old) loved the pool and their first lesson but the parents found the changing difficult with young babies. The twins now come to me on a Tuesday evening in the main hydrotherapy pool and prefer the space of f both the pool and the changing rooms. I was hoping to offer lessons there as an alternative to the hydrotherapy pool but for me I prefer the hydrotherapy pool for lessons.
I run lessons at Giles Leisure Monday to Friday afternoons and Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday after school.
I think I’ll stick to using the spa pool for an adult relaxing session with a bottle of bubbly!!!