Now let’s make one thing clear. There’s nothing wrong with staggering around your local nightclub, complete with the obligatory ‘L’ plate and inflatable member. Just make sure you plan the drunken debauchery well in advance of the wedding and give yourself enough time to recover from both the excess alcohol and the inevitable humiliation of having a Chippendale reject swinging his tool within the inner limits of your comfort zone.

If the typical hen night antics just don’t appeal, or perhaps you want to combine the female frolics with something a little different, help is at hand. At your service, WED has investigated some risqué, relaxing and utterly ravishing ways to spend your female down time.
 
RURAL RETREAT
Fancy a weekend of chilling out in tranquil surrounds, indulging in holistic therapies and tucking into a series of hearty feasts washed down with a few bottles of wine? Lower Barn is a super stylish sanctuary set amidst picturesque countryside near The Lost Gardens of Heligan. With its utterly secluded location and distinctively designed interiors, it is a serene setting to unwind and spend quality time with the girls.



A range of therapies, including Indian Head Massage and Reflexology, and treatments such as facials and manicures, are available in the garden tipi. And, as if there weren’t enough endorphins charging around your system already, you can also work up a sweat in the gym. If you want to explore the local area, the fishing village of Mevagissey and some stunning coastal walks are a few minutes drive away.



The friendly owner, Janie, serves up sumptuous candlelit dinners either on the terrace on warm summer’s evenings or in ‘The Shack’, a cosy and atmospheric setting to toast your impending nuptials. Don’t forget to sink into the hot tub and watch the stars. It beats a gyrating stripper any day.
01726 844881 www.bosue.co.uk



GLAMOUR GIRLS
Looking for something sassy and slightly saucy for your hen celebration? Release your inner Dita Von Teese with a private burlesque class for your gaggle of girls. Not only will it give you the chance to embrace your feminine wiles and have a laugh, you may also pick up some useful tips for the wedding night.

Burlesque Baby supplies a professional burlesque dancer to teach you the art of the classic and utterly classy striptease. The class may take place at a private venue of your choice, or you could combine the experience with a trip to London and a class at their Burlesque studio.

Whatever your age or size, you’ll be connecting with your inner vixen as you quaff some champers, shimmy and shake your bod, and throw that boa seductively over your shoulder. With the motto ‘no nudity, just fun’, expect a thoroughly entertaining and potentially liberating experience – and emerge a sassier version of yourself for the nuptials.
07843 063288 www.burlesquebaby.com



GROUP THERAPY
If you want to dump that pre-wedding tension and zone out in the comfort of your own home, invite your female contingent around for an afternoon of pure pampering courtesy of mobile therapist Therese Farnham. Not only is it a great way to relieve the mothers of any wedding stress, it offers a chilled out environment for everyone to bond.

Therese offers Therapeutic Massage and LaStone Therapy: both deeply relaxing treatments which offer positive health benefits. Without getting too bogged down in the science, LaStone Therapy combines the principles of Geo-Thermo-Therapy with the traditional healing practices of the Native American Indians to bring relief to tired and sore muscles, cleanse the tissues, assist the body’s self-healing process – and suspend the chatter of the mind for a blissful period of time out.

Utilising the energy of heated black basalt stones and frozen white marble stones, Therese places the stones on key chakra points to balance your physical, mental and emotional energy. She then works oiled stones up and down your body for a deep massage. As a beneficiary of Therese’s magical treatment, I can vouch she delivers one of the most utterly calming experiences life is ever likely to offer – a sophisticated and serene way to chill with the girls is guaranteed.
07748 901724
theresefarnham@hotmail.com

SPA HEAVEN
You’re getting married – so what better excuse could you possibly need to treat yourself with a day at a spa? Not only can you expect a ravishingly relaxing experience, you can bag yourself a gorgeous bridal glow just in time for the nuptials. Grab a group of your hens and drift off into seventh heaven at Fistral Spa.

Overlooking one of Cornwall’s iconic beaches, the vibe of Fistral Spa is lusciously laidback. The distinctively designed complex offers a choice of ESPA therapies, a fitness suite, heated vitality pool, Jacuzzi, steam room and sauna. Whether you want to beautify your nails or taste that elusive sense of peace and wellbeing, a personalised package can be arranged to suit the budget and requirements of your group.

Some of the most popular packages might just whet your appetite…

Fistral Ocean Dreams - £80 per person
A unique programme to combine the exhilaration of the ocean with the pure relaxation of the spa:
A professional surfing lesson at Fistral Beach
Welcome foot ritual and consultation
Quiksilver or Roxy Surfer’s treatment

Ladies champagne and chocolate treat - £75 per person
An indulgent day to celebrate your hen party in style and luxury:
Welcome foot ritual and consultation                            
ESPA mini aromatherapy facial                                          
Immaculate manicure                                   
Glass of champagne and chocolates in the bar

Fistral Detox and Revitalize - £90 per person                                  
 This programme tones the skin, eliminates toxins, speeds up the metabolism and boosts energy levels:                       Welcome foot ritual and consultation                      
ESPA body brush and exfoliation                                                              
ESPA detoxifying aromatherapy body massage with scalp massage          
ESPA detoxifying algae wrap

All full day programmes include welcome drinks, use of the pool, steam room, sauna, fitness and spa facilities and the luxurious relaxation room, a jog or walk on a specially designed trail around Fistral Bay, plus a two course lunch from the spa menu and complementary glass of wine or mineral water in the Bay Bar. Take it from me: this place rocks.                                                                                     
01637 852221 www.fistral-spa.co.uk

ADRENALINE RUSH
Feeling amped for some high thrills action? Cornwall isn’t dubbed the extreme sports capital of the country for nothing, and there’s a bewildering choice of adrenaline-pumping activities to choose from for your hen bash.

Surfing might seem an obvious choice but it’s a damn good one, offering you the chance to get out in the ocean and enjoy one hell of an adrenaline fix. Kelly Brook and a gang of friends were recently spotted taking a surf lesson in Perranporth as part of a three-day hen celebration. If you want to learn to ride the ocean waves amidst some rather stunning surrounds, Smart Surf of Sennen Cove is a sick (note: that means good) option. www.smartsurf.co.uk Or combine the surf antics with a luxurious break at the Atlantic Hotel with their ‘Five Star Surf and Stay’ package. www.atlantichotelnewquay.co.uk

The Extreme Academy offers a range of adrenaline-fuelled sports in the spectacular setting of Watergate Bay. Try your hand at kitesurfing, traction kiting, paddlesurfing, wave skiing, mountain boarding or kite buggying. If you can’t decide between them, try them all with the Extreme Day package.
www.watergatebay.co.uk/extremeacademy



…AND FOR THE BOYS
Come on guys. Do you really want to spend your ultimate lads’ shindig consuming gallons of dodgy lager before being lathered in whipped cream by an even dodgier stripper? Woodland Valley offers an altogether more exhilarating and satisfying stag do, with slightly less potential for humiliation.

Located in a secluded valley in Ladock, near Truro, the organic farm and education centre offers a series of activities and four-star accommodation in superbly restored barns. Woodland Valley’s survival course will unleash that inner Ray Mears, getting you out in the woods, learning to make fires, building shelters and finding and cooking your own food. Chuck in a bit of knife and axe throwing, archery, marksmanship, clay pigeon shooting and survival fishing, and you’ll be well and truly connected with your inner man.



As if that wasn’t enough to get the testosterone charging, Woodland Valley has recently developed a brewery so expect to be washing down a hearty feast chock full of organic meats with a few barrels of homebrewed beer. The programmes can be tailored to your requirements, so if you want a night out on the lash as well, your group can be transported to Newquay for the evening.

You hens can get in on the action too: Woodland Valley is ideal for groups of girls who fancy a few country pursuits and feasting in idyllic surrounds.
01726 882268 www.woodlandvalley.co.uk



FINALLY…
And, if you do end up pounding the tiles and downing the shots, it might be wise to prepare for the next day with a Cornish First Aid Morning After Kit. The kits come complete with all manner of handy items including plasters for blistered dancing feet, arnica cream for those unexplained bruises, rehydrating salts for sore heads and dehydration, and even a breathalyser to measure excess alcohol in the system the morning after. All you need now is something to alleviate the embarrassment of those photographs on Facebook. 
01872 865011 www.cornishfirstaid.co.uk



Words Rebecca Matthews

Copyright WED Magazine 2010