To not understand the attraction of a spa day?

[Shufflebumnessie]

Help me understand....

A friend has organised a get-together that will be taking place at a spa that she is a member of. As such, she can take 4 guests in for a discounted day rate. We'll each be paying £60 for what I can see is the privilege of sitting by a nice pool with optional use of the sauna & hot-tub.
The price doesn't include any treatments (these can be booked on the day but looking at the price list I can't justify their prices!). Lunch will be extra and even the robes cost extra to hire.

I'm looking forward to seeing everyone but it just seems an excessive cost for a few hours of chatting and lounging around a pool.

AIBU to feel like this? I've never done anything like this before so perhaps I'm overlooking something. Please enlighten me!!

I hate the idea of a spa day.
Almost as much as I hate the use of 'girly'.
But each to their own.

Isn't it usually the case that if you book a treatment, you get use of the spa facilities for no extra cost (pool, sauna, etc)? That might be the way to go OP, if that's an option.

This is my idea of hell too.

Sounds hideous, I’d rather sit in bed with the fan on, watching Netflix. Having said that I quite enjoyed the centreparcs spa as there was so much to do (nice open air pool with jets and beds in the water, multiple rooms (different steams and scents), aromatherapy showers, oriental garden with loungers, relaxation rooms. If it was just a pool and jacuzzi I would be bored shitless. Plus sitting around in damp swimmers with a bunch of strangers- yuck.

Not sure why people would expect use of facilities, food and treatments for £60!
Apart from food and product costs, there is staff costs, overheads!
Look in a beauty salon price list and a massage will cost around £40-60 alone!

It may not be your idea of fun and if that was the case, I wouldn’t go but I do think there is a lot of ignorance over business costs!

Boffin I think most of us are aware of business costs. Sitting around a pool for sixty quid and being bored means I will never experience it. You do like to use exclamation marks don't you?

Not sure why people would expect use of facilities, food and treatments for £60!
Thats what i pay for Champneys which included breakfast and lunch, as well as classes. Sometimes I have treatments and sometimes i dont. Last week they were including treatments for 50% for loyalty customers but normally they are quite expensive.
I love it but go with good friends and we dont feel we have to stay all day together, one might swim while someone else has a treatment and the other 2 are in the sauna.

@Boffin90

I've been to a number of spas, including high end ones and not one would charge £60 just for using the facilities.

Another where it's my idea of hell too nevermind having to fork out £60 for it too

That's a lot of money just for a pool, hot tub and sauna. You would pay that for a whole month in many health clubs with the same facilities. A day trial would probably be free!

I had a week at a spa once. Wouldn't be bothered to do it again. It was good but I wouldn't do a spa day. If I wanted to relax, I'd just take the day off and have a 'duvet' day.

it became an exercise in yawning with my mouth closed.

Yeah, that's pretty much summed up what spas are like. Even if they are good, they are boring.

I went to a high end spa, best in Europe, apparently. It was good but jeez I can sit and read a magazine or a book on a Sunday afternoon at home. I don't have 'girlie' friends either. Sorry, I find that sort of thing quite juvenile.

(I remember one lady swimming in the swimming pool, looking like she had neck rictus as she didn't want to get her hair wet. The instructor at the gym was more interested in the members than guests. Also, 'get slim with Elvis' was one of the exercise classes. Christ the teacher just laboured and laboured this one Elvis Presley song for three quarters of an hour !!)

Spa Day ? No thanks, been there done that bought the t-shirt.

there's a separate thread running which does explain the attraction - peaceful time away from shrieking kids.

but for those of us without shrieking kids, who don't like mucky shared baths, stinking perfume, scammy 'treatments' and being stuck indoors on what may be a nice day - decline politely, 'it's not my thing' is a perfectly ok reason. You wouldn't have to do this if you were a bloke and it isn't compulsory for females.

Not my idea of fun either. Spa days have never appealed to me.
I'm with the poster who said they''d far rather be in a corner of the pub getting pissed instead.