I lived as a celebrity for 24 hours to see if it's all it's cracked up to be

Luxury hotels, fine-dining, relaxing spa days, and a seemingly endless budget. Welcome to the life of the rich and famous.

Many of us are no stranger to fantasising about that lifestyle, but if it were actually handed to us, would we enjoy it?

In a survey, one third of Gen-Z (32%) said it was important to be rich, while one in four want to become online celebrities, so I’m always willing to take one for the team, and live out everyone else’s dreams by seeing what the other half get up to on their days off.

At this point, pay day was three weeks away and Christmas was rapidly approaching, so it was a perfect opportunity to put it to the test, for 24 hours only. To conduct my experiment, I opted to whisk myself away up to Manchester for a much-needed self-care weekend, and planned to do everything in optimal luxury when I got there, all in the name of curiosity. Who knows, perhaps it’d motivate me to kickstart my TikTok career?

Eat like a celeb

As a self-confessed foodie, I will be the first to admit I spend far too much money visiting the latest ‘it’ restaurants, and in Manchester, there’s only one place that everyone is talking about right now: Sexy Fish.

The infamous Mayfair Sushi restaurant (thank you Jess Glynne) has opened its doors on Deansgate, and serves up the same eclectic flair as the original location, as well as the incredible Japanese dishes that helped it get its name.

So, as soon as I touched down in the Northern hotspot, I headed straight there to try some of their most-ordered, and most high-end dishes - so asked our server for the best recommendations.

Before we’d even got round to opening the menu, I couldn’t help but notice that despite it being close to 12pm, there wasn’t a single empty table. Having looked around further, it’s easy to see why. The architecture of the restaurant is incredible. Like its Mayfair counterpart, it has the signature fish tank on the wall, a DJ booth, and statues that made it near-impossible to put your camera down. There’s little wonder that it’s a hit with the Instagram crowd.

Lobster tempura, caviar, tuna sashimi, and truffle gyozas were just some of the dishes we went for - and as much as I wanted to act too cool for school - I enjoyed them all, and the portions weren’t stingy. What I love most about Sexy Fish is that although the food is great, it’s a full experience with incredible attention to detail.

Our dishes were served with dry ice on silver ocean-inspired platters, the chopstick holders were little gold-coloured fish (sorry, but I did take one home with me), and even the bathroom floor lit up pink as though you were walking on the floor of a Disney-film palace.

So far, this new lifestyle has me sold. Time to cancel my Netflix subscription so we can make this a regular thing…

Sleep like a celeb

There’s only one place to stay when there’s a big award’s ceremony, a big football game, or a big concert happening in Manchester: The Lowry.

Situated overlooking the River Irwell and just a short walk from the bustling city’s best restaurants and bars, the suite-heavy five-star hotel is home to the biggest hotel room in Manchester (which is over 2,000 square-feet and has a grand piano in it), costing £4,000 per night.

Naturally, if I’m going to commit to my new celebrity lifestyle, I’m checking in.

The Presidential suite was already taken (what an inconvenience for the rich and famous), but I still managed to secure a huge room with a bed suitable to fit six people in it (or me, plus all of my snacks).

I’ll admit, having previously been someone who lived by the ‘a bed is a bed’ strategy when it comes to booking a night’s stay, it did feel good knowing going back to my room would be just as much part of the excitement as whatever I’d planned.

A walk-in wardrobe, floor-to-ceiling windows, and Karl Lagerfeld bathroom products came as standard, and a 2pm checkout the following day meant I got plenty of time to lie back, and enjoy its stylish offering.

Outside of the room, the hotel has some incredible facilities that mean if you wanted to, you wouldn’t have to leave. It includes a gym, a spa, a restaurant, a hairdressers, and a bar.

I stopped by for a packed-out Sunday lunch at the 2 AA rosette River Restaurant, which even if you’re not a guest, is worth a visit if you like hearty, British food prepared with love - and amazing presentation.

The only problem with this place? I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to settle for less again.

Relax like a celeb

Celebrities have access to on-demand treatments that keep them looking great, and if I were to follow in their footsteps, I needed to research how I was going to get red carpet-ready.

Cryotherapy has become a major term in the wellness industry over recent years, and as well as being beneficial for recovery, it’s said to be the secret behind the A-list glow. It’s not as easy as walking into any old salon and asking for it, however, as a human-sized fridge needs to be set up, ready to plunge you into -110 degrees for three minutes.

Luckily, in the Retreat wellness centre at my hotel, a cryo chamber was readily available, and was a great way to shake off my hangover.

Let’s be clear: It’s not a comfortable experience, and it’s not suitable for everyone. However, if you do go ahead with it, there’s a therapist with you at all times, who is able to adjust the impact, keep track of time, and get you out of there should you decide it’s too much.

But, one thing I wasn’t prepared for was the high afterwards. Having gone in tired, groggy, and not feeling my best self, I came out with endorphins that made me feel ready for anything. My skin also looked incredible. All of my freckles had popped out despite it being a crisp November, and my pores had disappeared.

However, this is a celebrity-inspired treatment, and these things don’t come cheap, at £90 for the three minutes.

Anyone know if it’s possible to stand in your own fridge and get the same benefits? Asking for a friend…

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Live…like a celeb?

So, I guess now’s the time when I decide whether I start a billion-dollar company and change my life for good.

But it’s worth noting that during this experience, I played myself at my own game: I enjoyed it way more than I ever set out to.

However, if it was a luxury that I had every day, I probably wouldn’t have as much appreciation for the finer things in life. I enjoyed it because it felt special, and will be something I’ll remember for a long time - and not just a regular weekend.

So for now, I’ll go back to my regular life, and look forward to treats like this when they come around once in a while. Sure, it would be great to be able to have the option to live a life like this, but you shouldn’t let the life you do have pass you by, by dedicating yourself to chasing it constantly.

Perhaps material things aren’t everything, but they’re certainly nice.

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