The document discusses Tanya Wheway, a 68-year-old spa consultant who has pioneered famous spas. She has created a new "Fab@50+" program to help women aged 50+ make the most of their lives. The 5-day program at Rockliffe Hall spa focuses on health, relationships, stress management and well-being. It aims to help participants blossom and embrace this phase of life. Tanya believes aging should not be a "twilight period" and wants to inspire women to focus on self-care.

1. JUL/AUG1350
THE F FACTOR
FABULOUS AT 50 PLUS!
When they say 50 is the new 40 they’re not
kidding, I’m surrounded by colleagues, siblings
and friends in this category who are running
rings around me! Cycling the coast to coast,
trekking up giant mountains and partying into
the wee hours. We are no longer it seems
defined by the date on our birth certificate, nor
should we be. At 50 most women are finally
comfortable in their skin, they know what style
suits them and are willing to invest more time
and money on themselves.
Through my work I have had the pleasure to
advise many women entering their fifties on how
to make the most of their skincare regimes and
makeup look, from one to one consultation, to
workshops and seminars.
HERE ARE MY TOP TIPS TO
BE FAB AT 50 PLUS…
Embrace your signature style, no doubt you will
have some element in your makeup that is ‘just
you’ a red lip or a sweep of eyeliner that you
have worn for years. I’m all for not getting stuck
in a rut but no one knows better than you what
suits you. Experiment with new foundation and
blusher textures (creamy are more dewy and
flattering) but don’t throw the baby out with the
bathwater. If it looks good keep doing what you
are doing.
If you are not doing so already, now is the time
to add skincare serums and a great eye cream to
your routine. Serums tend to be the
powerhouses of skincare, containing the most
potent ingredients, if I had to choose between
an expensive moisturiser and no serum and a
fantastic serum and a cheaper moisturiser I
would go with the serum every time.
One size does not fit all when it comes to
skincare, there are three main types of ageing:
environmental (sun and pollution), hormonal
(this can start to affect skin as young as 45) and
genetic ageing (how did your parents age?).
Different skin concerns need a targeted
approach. Most spas, salons and department
store beauty counters will happily assess your
skin and offer no-obligation advice on which
regime will offer the most visible results for your
individual needs.
Look a little deeper into nutrition - a great
skincare regime can only do so much. Real
beauty comes from the inside, what you eat, the
supplements you take and your emotional
self-care (stress levels).
The more you look after your health the more
fabulous you will be!
BEAUTY
WATCHWITH
VICTORIA LEES
Victoria is based at The Spa, Rockliffe Hall.
In her trademark hat, sharp linen suit and with lips
glossed to perfection, Tanya Wheway is a pretty good advert
for what she does.
She doesn’t walk, she glides; she stands tall, has a talent
for listening and gives good eye contact. She is sussed
but unthreatening.
A few minutes in her company and you think, yes, I’ll have what
she’s on.
As a spa consultant Tanya, now 68, has pioneered some of the
most famous spas in the world, bringing the very concept of
wellness treatments and pampering to this country.
Yes, you have Tanya to thank for ‘me time’. She and her late
husband Allan brought their brand of spa luxe to the world with
the likes of Champneys and Sanctuary in London’s Covent Garden
as well as spas across the world that became a template for the
growth in the industry.
Now she is channelling her expertise into a lifecoach programme
aimed at fiftysomethings and beyond who want to make the
most of their ‘prime time’.
She is very well qualified to be doing it and brings a refreshing
attitude to the thorny business of ageing. She is channelling the
best bit of ageing – the ‘don’t care what anyone thinks’ attitude.
“We’re constantly hearing 60 is the new 40 or 70 is the new 50
and so we should find ourselves embracing life and learning to
focus efforts on making the most of being in our prime.
“People like Helen Mirren, Judi Dench, Joan Collins – they are
inspirational - I don’t like the idea that this age should be a
‘twilight’ period,” she says.
Tanya has plenty of life experience to draw on. She was top of
her game in the spa industry and travelled the world as a
consultant. But she’s seen the darker side of life too. As a child
she came close to a nervous breakdown at just 12 and saw a
psychiatrist. When she left school she went to the states and
had to literally escape from a sweatshop job.
That was when she decided to move into the hotel business –
and during her career she had two children and now has five
grandchildren. She was married to her business partner Allan for
42 years and for six years they lived through his diagnosis of
terminal cancer.
Since his death she has raised many thousands of pounds for
the hospice where he was a patient – including doing a high
ropes course and skydive.
All of which as ‘life experience’ make her well equipped to offer
the new Fab@50+ course which she will be bringing to Rockliffe
Hall in the autumn and new year.
She has already been running them at Champneys in
Hertfordshire to great effect. They offer the ultimate five-day
life-coach, ‘me-time’ re-evaluation programme which looks at
your life in minute detail – from health to relationships, stress,
well-being and support and guidance for positive change.
One of the testimonials from a participant sums it up: “I can’t
express how I have blossomed since the programme. My lovely
sons thought for a while that their mother had gone quite mad
– but in reality their mother has shown signs of being someone
that she should have always been, just hidden by the horrible
past that engulfed her.”
Says Tanya: “This can be an exciting period of your life. There is
time for you – the children might have gone, you have more time
for yourself, maybe more money – it is up to you to make this
time exciting and fulfilling.
“No-one on their deathbed says they wish they spent more time
at work – make your time pleasurable and productive. Time is
precious so don’t be forced to do things because you feel guilty
– choose to do what you do rather than being pulled along.
“Nothing is forever - children leave home, jobs are lost, you lose
a partner, you age. Recognise it but let it go – and spend a few
minutes being grateful for what you do have.
“Fab@50+ is all about making the most of ourselves when we’re
in the prime of our lives. There’s so much to focus on - health,
relationships, appearance, stress management, nutrition and
weight management, fitness and general well-being.”
The programme at Rockliffe won’t have you booking in for a
skydive – though Tanya says it was one of the best experiences
of her life and plans to do another soon – but it will be full of
practical sessions.
Days will start with a physical movement ritual that can then be
followed every day – to focus and energise. Lecture and
workshops will cover stress management, positive mental
attitude, and a programme for change. Everyone will get a
written evaluation to follow after the programme and Tanya will
follow this up three and six months later.
Liz Holmes, Rockliffe Hall’s Spa Director, adds: “Tanya’s name is
synonymous with pioneering developments in the spa industry
and we really believe Fab@50+ is a unique opportunity for this
age group - indeed my own age group - to take part in events,
days and breaks designed just for them by our experts, tailored
to their exact needs with likeminded people.”
The five-day spa experience also includes three spa treatments
and full use of the Rockliffe Spa throughout.
It runs 23-27 September and 27-31 January. £1,145 per person.
Email enquiries@rockliffehall.com or call 01325 729999.
Fed up at fifty, sluggish at sixty or even frightened by forty?
A no-holds-barred mid-life makeover could be a life-changer.
Tanya Wheway is the woman who makes it happen
Meet Mrs ‘me-time’