Anyone for a cup of tea?
It’s the nation’s favourite drink, whether it’s a traditional cup of tea or the more modern herbal variety. It’s the well-known cure for shock, upset and dark hours; the last thing you have before nil by mouth and the first thing you have after.
It’s social event with family and friends, but something you do on your own. Although it originated 5,000 years ago in China, as a nation we love tea so much we’ve created experiences out of it: afternoon tea, teas after spa rituals, tea parties. In Alice in Wonderland we have the Mad Hatter’s tea party, while in Peter Pan it’s represented by the immortal question ‘would you like an adventure now, or shall we have our tea first?’
I love the saying ‘remember the tea kettle is always up to its neck in hot water yet it still sings’. Fantastic proverbs have been created around tea drinking, such as the Japanese advice ‘A bath refreshes the body, tea refreshes the mind’ or ‘Life is like a cup of tea: it is all in how you make it’.
A cup of tea creates interludes in the day, making us stop and ignore the stresses of life. It can calm us down but gives us energy. It creates friendships, unites us, and gives us a common interest. It can even represent a small but powerful act of love: the cup of tea you wake up to in bed. Tea is a lifestyle and investing time in enjoying it creates an experience more valuable than the time itself: happiness in your inner self.
At Gaia, one of our fundamental foundations is to give time to our guests. So it was important we created our own tea to give guests after a treatment, offering them that time, experience, inner peace and happiness. It’s act of respect, friendship and caring for one another. After careful consideration, we have chosen blends of rose, liquorice and Ceylon.
Rose petals are a source of the natural antioxidant vitamin C, supporting the immune system and aiding in the production of collagen; a protein essential for healthy skin and hair. Liquorice contains many anti-depressant compounds and can relieve acid levels in the stomach, helping with heartburn and digestion. It enhances the immune system and helps protect against liver damage and heart disease.
Ceylon tea relates to the area it come from and can be green or black. Both teas claim to lower blood pressure and reduce risk of Parkinson’s disease, kidney stones and heart attacks. Tea in general includes a wide range of vitamins and minerals, all of which support numerous medical therapies for conditions such as multiple scleroses and even cancer. The caffeine in tea is released into the bowel – unlike the caffeine in coffee, which is released into the stomach – so it is absorbed differently and calms rather than excites.
With this in mind, it’s easy to see why so many choose tea as the healthier alternative, and why it fits so perfectly into our ethos. We’re bringing our own range to Gaia and hope you enjoy it as part of your wider experience with us.
So let’s go and have a cuppa!
