Hell's Gate

To be clear, the name Hellsgate doesn't really do the spa justice. The only thing that is diabolical is the entrance fee of around 50 euros. Otherwise you don't actually get that much on offer. At least not what you would expect in hell. But first things first.

After we had already spent yesterday the highlight of this stage in the geological active zone of NZ with the Volcanic Wonderland, the Campagner Pool and the green BASF pond, this morning the question arose as to what else we are doing. The decision was made to take a volcanic mud bath because we still haven't fully recovered from the long journey and the jet lag. So first something quieter.

The 85 NZ$ entrance fee is a bit intimidating, but as a real wellness professional you know that you have to invest 50 euros per person for an exclusive bath. But unfortunately, unfortunately the bathroom was not exclusive but just standard. There was a large plastic box in which you could store your things. It wasn't lockable, it was then handed back to reception and you were given a wristband with the number of the box on it. OK keep it simple and if nothing is missing then all the better. Basically, the entire event took place outside and, as before, it was very relaxed. Nobody is causing stress, everyone is in a good mood. I have no idea whether this is due to the sulfur fumes that you breathe in quite intensively here or whether the grass thrives particularly well here. In any case, we were quickly sitting in a pool with muddy water and a countdown of 20 minutes. Because that was the maximum time you were allowed to be in there. Unfortunately, that put the price in perspective. But unfortunately it was too late to cancel at that moment. What was positive was that an employee then took a photo and sent it to me by email. But right on time, after what felt like 20 minutes, the French "work and travel" girl stood at the pool and explained in a French accent that you could now switch to the sulfur bath. When I asked if you could only stay there for 5 minutes, I was answered with a smile and an even more French accent: "You can be in there as long as you want." Well, with these prospects in mind, we switched to the sulfur pool after showering off the remaining mud. But after about 10 minutes it became quite uncomfortable because the water temperature was somehow over 40 degrees. So first get out of the broth and put it in the sun. But that later turned out to be a mistake, as the sun in the southern hemisphere also contains intense UV radiation and the skin was probably already a little affected by all the volcanic salts. In any case, the natural protective layer was probably gone through the bathing, if such a thing even exists. So we both got a good sunburn, which was free. After the trip into the fresh air and the radiation exposure, we dived into the pool again to at least spread the costs over a longer period of time. So we stayed in the gate to hell for a total of 2.5 hours, which according to Google is already a record, as most guests only stay for 90 minutes in total. What wimps.

If you look at everything from a meta level, it can be said that the effects from hell are quite manageable and even provide deep muscular relaxation. The real threats to human well-being come from the heavens and work unnoticed and deep beneath the skin.