Four mums traded their regular catch-up dinner for a spa trip to Milan – for the bargain price of £102.
Laura Oduntan, 37, Jade Bassett, 33, Remi Pedro, 37, and Agnes Adekunle, 38 treated themselves to a whistlestop 18 hours in the Italian city and were even back in time for the morning school run the next day.
Mum-of-two Laura, from Bromley, Kent spotted the QC Terme Spa in Milan on TikTok and suggested it to her friends.
With the spa costing £40 each, it was far more economical than a UK spa day, even when flights were factored in.
Laura said: “When you’re a mum you don’t like the sound of leaving your baby overnight but it’s nice to do something as a group of friends.
“It seemed like the perfect getaway for the busy mums and was cheap.
“We booked the flights in May and we made sure our partners were on hand.”
The mums, who all work in marketing, flew from Gatwick Airport on a £62 return Easyjet flight, leaving at 6.20am.
They had arrived at Milan Malpensa Airport by 9am and took the train into Milan which cost €13. Salads at a café lunch set them back around €15 each.
After kicking back in the spa for three glorious hours, they walked to Duomo di Milano and enjoyed pizza and Aperols for €20 each at a rooftop restaurant before catching the 10pm flight home.
Laura, a social media manager, said: “I thought let’s upgrade our Nando’s trip. It was a long tiring day but there was so much laughter and fun.
“The spa was just lovely. There was a lot to do; there were different immersive rooms. You laid on a bed and it rained on you. There were nice smelling sauna rooms.”
Laura admits she snuck into her house at midnight.
“I didn’t feel different to normal the next day,” she said. “I’m up all night normally. I’m a tired mum.”
The women met while working for Direct Line group seven years ago and became friends while all on maternity leave together.
They say they have been having regular catch ups over a Nando’s ever since.
The friends are now planning their next day trip, and hope to make it an annual treat.
Laura said: “We said we would try and go to different cities, see different cities but go for a day.
“We should take that moment for ourselves; you’re not just a mum, you’re a person. Look after yourself as well as the kids.”
