Autumn is upon us – the nights are drawing in, days are cooler and winter is on the way. But it doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy time outdoors.
Many of us speak about ‘chasing away the winter blues’ but it doesn’t have to be like that. The cool days of autumn and the cold nights of winter are a time to relish, relax and rejuvenate in your hot tub and sauna.

Now, I know what you’re thinking, ‘Nicola, you would say that because you supply fantastic wood-fired hot tubs and saunas all over France.’ But it’s not just me that says it. There have been loads of studies about how passive heat affects the brain, hormones, stress and mood. No one is saying hot tubs and saunas are miracle cures – but there is science backed research that increasingly suggests that controlled heat exposure can influence stress and relaxation and have a beneficial effect on mood. I’m no scientist but I can tell you that I constantly get emails from our customers telling me that the feel-good factor they get from their wood-fired hot tub and wood-fired sauna is real.

And science aside, a wood fired soak and steam adds something science finds harder to measure – ritual, anticipation, sensory pleasure and a connection to the season.

Everyone has their own ritual, it might be lighting the fire before dusk, putting away the phone so that you truly switch off, breathing in the scent of the wood fire, opening the door of the sauna and smelling the hot timber, the scented oils you pour onto the hot rocks, and keeping the lights off to relax relaxing in the glow of the stove. And for a real mood lifter, sinking into the warm water of the hot tub and watching the steam curling upwards into a black winter sky, enjoying the mysterious dark silhouettes of the trees, the feeling of the cold air tingling on your cheeks, listening to the logs crackle – well, it really does make you feel good.

Nipping between the hot sauna and the warm water makes you feel so alive. And afterwards wrapping up in a fluffy towel and robe, maybe enjoying a hot drink and feeling the warmth of the whole experience lingering, it’s magical, and I know that’s not a scientific term, but it really is!
It’s almost a reset. When you relax in your wood-fired hot tub and sauna you’re not thinking about work, answering emails, flicking the TV channels, scrolling on your phone, washing up and a thousand other daily jobs. By taking time out to relax, you stop and feel the stillness, you’re in the moment, getting some fresh air, maybe enjoying some social activity, time to talk. Your body relaxes and rests, and so does your mind.

Here at Hot Tubs in France we say – embrace the dark cold nights. When the sun sets by 5pm and darkness falls – a soak in a hot tub and a steam in a sauna is a real pick me up.

If you’d like to have a hot tub or sauna to help banish those winter blues – get in touch, we have several models in stock, in different sizes and colours, and we deliver all over France.