o n c h e i t ?
r e q u e n t y A s e d Q e s t i o n s
If you are new to the seaweed bath experience, let us answer some of the practical questions you might have about how it works.
s t h e s a w e e b a t w a t e r h o t r c o l ?
This experience is normally enjoyed nice and warm – but the temperature of the water in a traditional seaweed bath is something you decide for yourself.
Our traditional baths have taps to hot sea water and cold, so you can adjust them to get the water just right.
h a t s e a e e d o y o u s e ?
We mostly use Serrated Wrack – fucus serratus – which we collect right here along the shores of West Waterford. We also use bladder wrack, and even kelp, which we find works well.
We have to gather all of our seaweed at low tide, and we do this frequently to ensure we always have a fresh supply for our guests.
s t h e s a w e e t r e t e d ?
Our preparation process is as natural as the seaweed itself. After collecting the seaweed, we clean it thoroughly in fresh water. We then store it in the buckets we use to add it to each bath.
The only extra step we take is that we steam the seaweed before we tip it into to the seawater baths. Gentle steaming speeds up the process that lets you benefit from seaweed’s health-giving properties.
Steaming gently encourages the release of the seaweed’s natural oils and gels, and it ensures they ooze out when the seaweed is added to the bath water.
r e t h e r s h o e r s v a i l a b l e a f e r t h s e a w e e d b a t h ?
No — your bath water, which you are free to refill during your stay, will leave you perfectly clean. In fact, the effects of the seaweed and salt water will continue to protect your skin, helping it to retain all the nutrients it has absorbed during your seaweed bath.
We do provide a cold water douche – used to close the skins pores as the final part of the therapy.
o I n e e t o r i n g a t o w e l ?
o I n e e t o r i n g a n y t h i n g w i h m e o r a s e a w e e d b a t h ?
Just bring yourself! We welcome visitors who are coming here straight off the Waterford Greenway, as well as people who are travelling to Helvick Quay as a relaxing treat. We provide you with towels, and there is plenty of space in each bathroom for you to change and prepare for your treatments.
a n I b o k o n i n e ?
Yes, or you can give us a call, and we’ll be delighted to answer any questions you may have.
a n w e b o k s l o o a s a g r o u p
We welcome solo visitors and groups of various sizes, regularly accommodating groups of up to 12. As we have a small facility, with a maximum of 6 baths available in each session, we manage groups in rotation, swapping guests between the baths, treatments, relaxation room, and café as part of a memorable and relaxing experience that combines opportunities for peace and connection.
Just get in touch to tell us more about your party, and we will find the best options to suit your guests and the time you have available to spend with us. We will be delighted to advise you on the best ways to enjoy your visit to Sólás na Mara and An Rinn peninsula.
s t h e s a w e e e x p r i e n c e s u s t i n a b l ?
The seaweed we collect for our small family-owned seaweed bathhouse is sustainably harvested, and treated only with steam. The sea water we use is piped directly from Dungarvan Bay into Sólás na Mara, where we heat it, as required.
The seaweed which has given its goodness to your bath continues to do good after you leave. We pass it on to our friend and neighbour Máiread Costin at Garraí na Mara. She uses it as compost for the organic food she grows and sells at local markets. You might see her produce on the menus of our local restaurants, and we get to enjoy it to when she shares lovely organic vegetables with us in return for the seaweed that has nourished her soil.
h a t i s G a e t a c h ?
Gaeltacht na nDéise (the Waterford Gaeltacht) is one of only 2 small dedicated Irish-speaking regions in Ireland’s Ancient East, along with Rath Cairn, Co Meath. Irish (Gaeilge) is our first language here. We use it in daily life, at Rud Deas, our local coffee hut, and pubs in the village of An Rinn, as well as in our homes and businesses.
An Rinn is a part of the world where Irish is precious and passionately promoted. Many people will have heard of, or spent time at the nearby Coláiste Na Rinne, which welcomes students from all over the world each summer to develop their love of their language as well as their fluency.
If you talk to us in English, we’ll use English too. If you’d like to use any Irish you have during your visit, we will be delighted to chat as Gaeilge. And if you don’t know the language, but you’d love to learn a few words while you’re with us, we’d be delighted to share cúpla focal with you.
