Reporter Eda-Liis Kann: the spa is fun for children and parents alike

Reporter and TV star Eda-Liis Kann says that she is a big spa fan. “If I don’t go to the spa once a week, I immediately feel that something is wrong,” Eda-Liis says, adding that in a good way the culprit may be her family’s 8-month-old youngest, Liisu. “Even before she was born, she signalled from the womb that when mummy goes to the spa, she feels good.” The mother of the family usually takes along her favourite book and can spend the whole day there.

The little daughter lures the older sisters to the spa too

Now that Liisu has been born, she has, according to Eda-Liis, lured the family’s older sisters along to the spa. “At first the teenage older girls were not very enthusiastic, because they preferred adrenaline-filled water slides. Lounging at the spa did not interest them,” the mother notes. Still, 8 months later the daughters no longer even want to go on the slides but prefer sauna rituals, the cold-water bath and the bubble baths. Just look at what one family’s youngest can do to her sisters!

What Eda-Liis values most about spas is honesty – if the water temperature is promised to be 30 degrees, then that is how it should be. “The biggest disappointment is when the water or the sauna is colder than promised or even closed,” the reporter says firmly. Her favourite spa at the moment is Elamus SPA. “Stepping into that spa you are immediately met by an especially pleasant aroma. I don’t know what that scent is, but I joke that it works on me like a drug – one sniff and you want more. Praise to those who chose that scent,” the woman says appreciatively.

“With spas the whole package like this is very important. Whatever I order, I feel that it was made especially for me, not for hundreds of strangers and the day before yesterday,” the woman explains. As for the food, she adds that the spa bar’s selection has no fast food that has been sitting in plastic all day. “I like to sin there – the garlic breads are so tasty that I gladly order them for the children and then munch on them myself too,” Eda-Liis smiles, adding that the children’s favourite is of course the ice cream cocktails.

The reporter praises the child-friendliness separately – children can shriek with joy and play in the water freely without anyone minding. “Mums can develop friendships and acquaintances among themselves too; a pleasant club-like gathering forms,” she adds.

A reserved Estonian sits on the sauna bench with complete strangers and yells at the top of their voice. Quite a mad sight, but it works.

Eda-Liis will not let anyone forget Elamus SPA’s sauna rituals, which she says are the best in Estonia. “The refined skill with which they wave the towels – like Pamplona bullfighters who have practised for centuries. The way they get you shrieking and roaring without you even noticing. A reserved Estonian sits on the sauna bench with complete strangers and yells at the top of their voice. Quite a mad sight, but it works. You shriek all the bad energy, the heavy and tired mind, out of yourself. Extremely skilful!” the woman says appreciatively.

To the spa with the family?

“Going to the spa is the same for me as going to the beach, where you spend the whole day. With the family, of course. It is one of the few forms of entertainment that requires no special expertise and that can be enjoyed with the whole family,” Eda-Liis gives as the reason to go to the spa with children. The woman adds that what she likes about going to spas as a family is being together, where during that time together everyone can take their own time – one wants a hotter sauna, one to swim, one to romp with the children, one to read and one simply to think their own thoughts.

The advantage of spas is precisely that it is very pleasant there for mum, dad and the children alike. Everyone gets their share and nobody has to push their share onto anyone else.

“I, for example, don’t want to go to some play room with the children where the children will certainly have great fun but I’ll be bored. The advantage of spas is precisely that it is very pleasant there for mum, dad and the children alike. Everyone gets their share and nobody has to push their share onto anyone else,” the reporter adds. At Elamus SPA there is also an excellent chance to catch the sun in nice weather, since the spa has an outdoor terrace with a bubble bath and a sauna. In season this means that without leaving the city of Tallinn and without hunting for a parking space or jostling at the beach, you can enjoy beach pleasures right there at Elamus SPA.

Children’s birthdays at the spa

Eda-Liis also held a birthday party at the spa with the children, which she was very happy with. “Everything was so super that it’s even hard to put into words,” the reporter says. What the children liked most was the food – tasty snacks, a rich and colourful fruit platter that created a tropical feeling, and a cheesecake that was divine. The older daughter praised the sauna rituals, the outdoor boat sauna and the cold-water pool, which brought the birthday girl the most experiences.

“As a mother I can say that usually after children’s birthdays you are burdened and tired, but after the Elamus SPA birthday there was so much energy that I could say I practically grew wings,” the reporter says.

The family’s daughter Saara-Liis turned 14, and the family has never before held a children’s birthday in any play room or rented space. Usually they either go hiking or drive to the countryside as a group. “This was a birthday where all the guests got a gift,” Eda-Liis points out.

This was a birthday where all the guests got a gift.

“I took part in a sauna ritual and every time I think about it I start to smile. I have never got such awesome power from a sauna before. The music at full blast, more and more steam being thrown, then cold water is thrown in your face and suddenly you are roaring at the top of your voice together with strangers…” the woman recalls her own wild experience. She adds that the sauna rituals are Elamus SPA’s magic land and those who run the rituals are wizards.

Think what it costs to heat the saunas and pools, hire a top chef and an army of artists to create such an awesome interior? – at the spa it is all there. Yes, it costs, but it is definitely cheaper to enjoy it for a while than to create it all yourself.           

In summertime at Elamus SPA you can be outdoors and catch the sun right in the city. There is not always any point in pushing towards the beach by car through traffic jams and wasting time hunting for a parking space. The spa has both the chance to sunbathe and always warm bathing water.