A girls' night out usually means getting dressed up, heading straight to the bar and hitting the town. But two best friends decided to try something different, swapping the usual start to their Saturday night for a therapeutic painting session at Wine and Art in Barcelona.
The group took part in the Savanna Glow workshop, painting colourful African-inspired sunsets with fluorescent paints designed to glow under black light. While they went in looking for a relaxing, zen experience, it ended up being the perfect way to kick off their night out before hitting the tiles anyway.
A Refreshing Change of Pace
When you're away with your best friends, it's easy to fall into the same routine of getting ready, finding a bar and ordering cocktails. So the idea of starting the evening with something creative felt like a refreshing change.
The Savanna Glow workshop is designed for all abilities, meaning you don't need any previous painting experience to take part. Whether you're a natural with a paintbrush or haven't picked one up since school, the focus is on experimenting with colours and enjoying yourself rather than creating a perfect masterpiece.
The guided session takes you through the process step by step, helping you recreate the vibrant colours of an African sunset, while the free-style option gives you the freedom to paint whatever you fancy. The main attraction is the fluorescent paint, which is designed to glow under black light and give your artwork a striking finish.
A Therapeutic Start to the Evening
Rather than a traditional painting class, the workshop encourages you to experiment with bright shades, mix colours and see how they transform on the canvas. There's something appealing about having an activity to focus on while catching up with your friends.
Of course, the plans to have a peaceful, therapeutic evening didn't mean giving up on a night out altogether. The free-flowing wine and banging tunes definitely helped get the group in the mood for this. In fact, the workshop doubled up as pre-drinks before heading into the city.
Rather than rushing straight from accommodation to a bar, the group had something fun to do together first. It gave the evening a different pace and made the night feel like more of an occasion.
An Alternative Night Out
Wine and Art is suited to anyone looking for an alternative night out that doesn't have to mean choosing between a chilled evening and a big night on the town. You can embrace your creative side, spend time with your favourite people and then carry on with your plans afterwards.
Because the workshop caters for beginners, there's no pressure to be good at painting. For the writer, the appeal was having a different way to start a Saturday night with two best friends, setting out to do something relaxing and creative that also worked perfectly as a warm-up for the evening ahead.
If you're bored of the same old drinks-and-dinner routine, a painting workshop could be just the thing to shake things up. Who says a girls' night out can't start with a little zen before the chaos ensues?
