A Yorkshire pub is breaking the mold when it comes to licensing innovation by craning in four hot tubs to add a little something extra to its seating offering.
Punters drinking at Showtime on Zetland Street will be able to order a beer to their hot tub - and even smoke a cigar, if they so choose.
The new hot tubs have set owner Ian Snowball and his son Adam back over £60,000 - but they're hoping it will all pay off, after taking a gamble that the pandemic has left people "more than happy to spend their hard-earned cash in the pursuit of something new and exciting."
After spending thousands on the new equipment, they also had to hire a crane to lift the hot tubs over Showtine's roof and into the pub's beer garden out back.
After spending thousands on the new equipment, they also had to hire a crane to lift the hot tubs over Showtine's roof and into the pub's beer garden out back / Image: Snowballs
All four of the new state-of-the-art Canadian Hot Tubs will have interconnecting doors between them and, according to Adam, have a total capacity of "between 34 and 60 people" dependent upon how you are using them.
They are also the only hot tubs in the world that have a self-cleaning system, which the pub's owners felt was important given that they will be used by a lot of different groups of people
Every fifteen minutes, the entire pool contents are recycled, cleaned, and purified automatically, meaning that things are kept hygienic for punters who want to have a bit of fun whilst enjoying a pint.
Whilst there are a few legal matters to complete first, they hope to be open for the public to enjoy in a couple of weeks. / Image: Showtime
As high-end hydrotherapy pools, they are also capable of offering massage therapy to, say, sportspeople - or alternatively can be hooked up to foam, bubble, or snow machines to add a bit of extra pizazz to a hen party or other special occasion.
And the owners are even happy to hook up a cinema screen for those who really want to relax in style.
Whilst there are a few legal matters to complete first, they hope to be open for the public to enjoy in a couple of weeks.
Whilst bookings are being taken now by phone or email, they are currently only booking slots in the evenings for now whilst they find their feet with the new offering.
She's big, she's green and she's ready to ruin your figure.
A lot of you will have seen the viral ‘Bertha’ cake by Leeds born beloved sweet treat specialists Get Baked.
They recently opened another site in Manchester's Northern Quarter, where queues literally formed round the block of hungry punters wanting to get their hands on the infamous sugary treats.
And now it's going to happen all over again, as they've recently unveiled their newest flavour which is sure to go down a storm.
We’ll give you a hint: it’s a current food and drink trend that’s about as big as Bertha herself – it’s not matcha, it’s not hot honey (duh), and it’s not Guinness…
Images: Get Baked
Yes—scratch that; HELL YES!Get Baked is set to welcome Bertha’s equally beautiful twin sister, and she’s officially a pistachio girlie.
Having started out life simply as ‘Bruce’, after taking inspiration from the iconic scene from Matilda, this thing has become a phenomenon in its own right, and who doesn’t like more flavours of a good thing?
Probably one of the biggest foodie crazes going at the minute, thanks to the popularity of pistachio cream, cookies, lattes and the similar social media sensation that is the ‘Dubai Pistachio Bar' people are rather fittingly going nuts for this particular flavour of almost absolutely anything.
With that in mind, the Leeds-born bakery and dessert shop – founded by Rich Myers over in Headingley back in 2011 – have shown no hesitation in hopping on the bandwagon and creating a new twist on their own viral menu item.
Teasing the full details in a post on their Instagram this week, they wrote: “What’s big, green, and is going to destroy your life in a couple of weeks’ time? Pistachio Bertha. Strictly limited to 5,000 slices. Coming oh so soon. GB.”
In case you were wondering just how mad those with a sweet tooth could possibly go for a slice of cake, just look at the recent queues when they finally launched in Manchester city centre:
Speaking on the grand opening here on our turf and his partner Amy’s hometown, Myers said simply: “Manchester, what a launch. Thanks for much for the warm welcome. Stay baked.”
Leeds Tattoo Expo to return to the First Direct Arena for 10th anniversary
Clementine Hall
The tenth annual Leeds Tattoo Expo will showcase some of the best in tattooing both local and internationally.
If you fancy getting yourself a fancy new bit of ink, then look no further than the iconic Leeds Tattoo Expo that will be returning to the First Direct Arena this June.
Taking place on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 June 2025, over 200 tattooists and 70 traders will be flocking to the city to show off their skills.
And not only that, but there’ll also be a whole host of market traders for you to browse as well as live music to have a boogie to.
The artists will be tattooing with options for both pre-booked appointments and walk ups available throughout the weekend.
Image: Leeds Tattoo Expo
There will also be a piercer, tooth gems and a henna artist ready to adorn your body.
Alongside getting tattooed, there’s plenty to do and to see over the whole weekend; there'll be an alternative drawing class, an illustrators market with kids’ workshops provided by Art Gecko, an art fusion event on the main stage, burlesque performances and competitions, a small vintage clothing pop-up, fire breathing and break dancing demonstrations in the square outside the arena.
The annual tattoo competitions will also be taking place each evening, where tattooists showcase their work to a panel of judges, sponsored by Killer Ink!
To celebrate Leeds Tattoo Expo's tenth anniversary, they'll be hosting a Pre-Party at Belgrave Music Hall on Thursday 5 June which is a completely free entry event complete with live music and free pizza.
You can find out more about the event and book your tickets here via the First Direct Arena's website.
Georgina Pellant -
9th September 2021 
