A savvy Brit woman jetted to Romania for just nine hours to have a pamper day at a spa and it cost her just £136.
Lauren Francis ditched the UK’s sub-zero winter weather for an afternoon visit at Therme Bucharest.
The 24-year-old hopped on an early morning flight from London Stansted airport.
She arrived in Bucharest, Romania, at 1pm.
But the 24-year-old returned to the UK on the same day – catching the 9:50pm flight home.
Although Lauren, of Chiswick, west London, only had an afternoon and evening in Romania, she was determined to make the most out of her day of relaxation.
She travelled last Saturday (13 Jan) after booking the flights three weeks in advance.
Frugal Lauren also managed to experience the extreme day trip on a budget – spending just £136 in total.
Her return train to Stansted airport cost £16 with her railcard.
The return flights for the day set Lauren back another £53.
To travel from Bucharest airport to the spa, she spent £5 each way on Ubers – totalling up to £10.
But the most impressive bargain, was the spa itself which cost just £32 for the day.
This gave her access to all areas of the 4,000 capacity spa – the second biggest in Europe.
This included swimming pools, saunas, and even the waterpark.
She even treated herself to four cocktails as she chilled out by the pool.
She spent £25 on drinks.
But Lauren, who works as an arrivals coordinator for an accommodation management company, says she had a big breakfast and brought her own snacks to save money on food.
Therme Bucharest has an impressive nine pools, 10 saunas and 16 waterslides.
There is even a ‘Hollywood sauna’ that plays nature documentaries on the big screen whilst you relax.
It also has outdoor pools, steam rooms and luxury hammams aka Turkish steam baths.
Visitors can have spa treatments and enjoy their cocktails surrounded by an array of tropical plants and palm trees.
Lauren says she has never visited a spa in the UK.
Prices in the UK range depending on locations and types of treatments, but spa-goers can spend hundreds on relaxation packages.
Lauren said: “felt so relaxed and refreshed coming out of the spa, it was a really nice way to break up January with some me time.
”I’d fancied a spa day for a while but all of the spas in London seemed overpriced for what they were.
”Then Therme came up on my TikTok and it just looked incredible.
“Once I realised how cheaply I could do it for I booked it ASAP.
”The spa had looked great on the videos but it was even more incredible in person.
“It was like a cross between a spa and an indoor resort, I’ve honestly never been anywhere like it.
“Whilst I was there I soaked in some mineral pools, went in three of the ten saunas there, got a face mask and went on the infrared beds.
”I drank a few cocktails and just really enjoyed having a relaxing day to myself.
“I shop around a lot online for my flights – Skyscanner has a really great feature where you can select which two airports you want to fly between.
“And it’ll tell you what days are the cheapest and most expensive to fly in any month.
“July and August tend to be the most expensive so January – March or October and November are great times to travel somewhere with mostly indoor activities.
”The entire trip all cost me £136.
“Obviously it’s not the type of place you’d go to every week but it’s definitely doable as a treat.”
Lauren enjoyed her day out so much, she plans on having another day out in Stockholm, Sweden at the end of the month.
The flights from Stansted to Stockholm cost her just £42 for a return and she is looking forward to packing in as many tourist sights and museum visits in one day.
A similar wellness park, Therme Manchester is set to open in Trafford, Manchester.
Last March, it was reported that work has begun on building the £250 million spa.
It will be the UK’s first city-based wellbeing resort with 35 waterslides, 20 pools and an all-weather beach.
PRICE BREAKDOWN OF LAUREN’S TRIP:
RETURN TRAIN FROM HER HOME TO STANSTED AIRPORT – £16
RETURN FLIGHT – £53
UBERS FROM AIRPORT TO SPA – £10
WEEKEND ENTRY TO SPA (FULL DAY/ ACCESS TO ALL AREAS) – £32
EXTRAS (COCKTAILS/ DRINKS) – £25
TOTAL: £136
