Bad Day Turned Good | Bubbles Champagne Bath Bar

Wednesday was one of the most surreal days I’ve ever had. It started off very badly and ended on such a high note that I’m still smiling now! Don’t you just love it when a day turns around like that? Here’s what happened when I accepted an invite to Bathstore’s pop up: the Bubbles Champagne Bath Bar.

When the invite first popped through I have to confess that I only scan read it because I was busy at work. “Ooh a champagne bar!” I thought and RSVP’d back. I figured I’d read the finer details when I got home.

And that is how I missed the whole part where it mentioned baths.
And the fact that I’d be having one.
In public.
Remember that post I wrote recently about being very shy?

The concept was actually very simple, if not a little bit ‘out there!’. For two nights Shoreditch would host a champagne bar with a difference, with guests invited to solve the stay in/go out dilemna with a relaxing soak in the tub whilst being waited on hand and foot.

I panicked and considered writing back to cancel, but after rereading it several times I decided that it was one of things that I just had to go and experience, or I’d regret it. Let’s face it, offers like these don’t come along every day!

On the morning of the event N and I had a car accident. It happened almost in slow motion and neither of us were hurt, but what we thought was a bit of cosmetic damage to the car turned out to be much more serious and the poor thing had to go to car heaven. RIP VW Golf – you didn’t deserve your untimely demise. (We think the car had hit a patch of oil that had spilled from a lorry but we will probably never know for sure.)

For the second time I had to consider cancelling, but after the day I’d had, I decided that the perfect way to end it would be a relaxing, hot bubble bath. And champagne. Champagne would definitely help.

I met Fran at Hoxton Station and we headed to Arch 406. It was easy to spot the place, as bubbles spilled out onto the street. We both had fun playing with them much to the amusement of the bouncers on the door.

Fran and bubbles!

Inside we were taken to a private area to change into our swimwear and were given fluffy white bathrobes, towels and slippers. Things were starting to take a luxurious turn! After obligatory selfies, Fran and I were shown to our baths. 

I did a stealthy ‘two feet in the bath half submerged before discarding the bathrobe‘ manouvere so that no one could see my wobbly bits and sank into the tub. It was gloriously warm, smelled amazing and was full of beautiful frothy bubbles. I always take ages getting the temperature just right but these guys had it down to a fine art!

Straight away I was handed a glass of champagne and made to feel like a VIP.

After that it was surprisingly easy to have a soak whilst enjoying watching all the people mill around. I didn’t end up feeling self conscious at all. 

To be honest no one was really looking at me anyway because they were all distracted by the sight of the Saracens Rugby team in the tubs opposite!
 

Bath butlers brought yet more champagne and canapes to us as Fran and I lay there taking it all in.

Too soon it was time to get out of the tub. 

Being entirely selfless and for purely journalistic purposes, we accosted asked one of the rugby players for a photo just as he emerged sopping wet from his bath. Sometimes you just have to take one for the team!

(And yes he is wearing boxers – it turned out that he hadn’t taken his manager’s instruction to bring swimming trunks seriously. Shame.)

I got chatting to two lovely ladies Leighanne and Jess after offering to take a photo for them. They work for Designmynight.com which is where you can go to discover the best, freshest, most wallet-friendly nightlife on offer at 11 of the UK’s top cities, including Cambridge and London! It’s a genius concept and I can see myself using this for inspiration from now on!

We even got to meet the man behind the event: Bathstore’s owner Gary. He was clearly pleased with our feedback on how much we were enjoying the event and introduced us to his wife, who was wearing the most gorgeous studded Valentino ankle boots. I would have taken a picture of them if it wouldn’t have looked so weird!

After a while we got changed and hung out for a bit longer with Mona (who’d also experienced the Bubbles magic) and Will and Giulia from Branded3 who’d kindly invited us.

I got back to Kings Cross station and had a mild panic as I saw that all trains back to Peterborough were delayed. To cheer me up as I waited, Fran disappeared into a shop and emerged two minutes later with night snacks and Prosecco. What a girl!

So the life lessons I will take from this little adventure are:

• Just because a day starts off badly, doesn’t mean it’s a lost cause.
• Say yes to things that scare you a little bit, they could be the best decisions you’ve ever made.