 |
 |
I want to relax
Our busy modern lives consume so much of our attention and emotional energy that relaxation has virtually become an acquired skill. How many of us know simply how to relax our muscles, let alone empty our minds and float free? Relaxation is one of the most valuable services that spas can offer. Whole-body massages will lull you into a state of physical tranquillity, aromatic oils soothe the senses, and there shouldn't be a clock anywhere in sight to remind you of the stressed-out world of deadlines you've left behind. What's more, many of the spas are in peaceful rural or coastal locations, so that the unwinding can begin before you've even properly arrived.
St Brides Spa Hotel, PembrokeshireNew Park Manor, Hampshire
Hay Barn, Gloucestershire
Gleneagles Hotel, Scotland
Danesfield House, Buckinghamshire
St Brides Spa Hotel, Pembrokeshire
We'd defy anyone not to be relaxed at St Brides. The hotel sits serenely on top of a cliff in Wales, St Brides’ most enviable feature being an outdoor heated pool with soothing views over Carmarthen Bay.
Many of the treatments are based on marine products – seaweed, mud and clay. Exfoliate with sea salt, banish toxic nasties with seaweed wraps, or soothe away aches and pains with marine mud. Day Escapes include a two-course lunch of local food in the Cliff Restaurant.
Perfect for: Spa-seekers who enjoy sea views.
Read The Good Spa Guide Review of St Brides
New Park Manor, Hampshire
Charles II made this manor house in the heart of the New Forest one of his favoured hunting lodges in the 1660s, and if it was good enough for him… Of course, you will probably be in the market for something a little more relaxing than hunting, and New Park has it to spare.
The Bath House Spa offers a two-hour detox that begins with contrasting thermal bathing in the heated cabins and a cooling Kneipps shower, followed by a water massage in the jet pool. A sea-salt exfoliation and essential oil body scrub then leads on to a warming algal wrap, with extensive massages – head and body – completing the treatment.
Perfect for: Self-indulgent, romantic breaks in a woodland setting.
Like the sound of this? You're in luck. Follow this link to book a great hotel offer at New Park Manor with our partners lastminute.com
Read The Good Spa Guide Review of New Park Manor
Hay Barn, Gloucestershire
Set in the tranquil Cotswolds, the Hay Barn is a dedicated organic farm and holistic treatment centre, with yoga, Pilates and ayurveda as the specialities.
The luxuriously unhurried two-and-and-a-half hour Signature Treatment takes you from body-brushing and salt balm for removal of dead skin cells to Indian head massage, a wild thyme exfoliation of your feet, and then full body massage and facial cleansing.
Perfect for: Relaxation of the spirit as well as the senses.
Read The Good Spa Guide Review of Hay Barn
Gleneagles Hotel, Scotland
Gleneagles has it all. Home to three championship golf courses, award-winning cuisine and host to international summits, not to mention 850 acres of Scottish countryside, Gleneagles is also a good place to do some serious unwinding.
You'll float away with the Muscle Relaxer treatment, your body wrapped in an appetising mix of ginger, liquorice and mustard seeds that soothes tired muscles (and smoothes emotional tensions too, they say). Golfers are remembered, too, with paraffin wax and hot stones applied to those who have spent the day tramping the fairways.
Perfect for: Relaxing in the very lap of five-star luxury.
Read The Good Spa Guide Review of Gleneagles
Danesfield House, Buckinghamshire
A short drive from London (feel that tension melt away as you leave the metropolis behind), Danesfield is a big white wedding-cake of a place, set in sumptuous gardens, and with a much-garlanded restaurant.
The Voyage of Rediscovery is a signature treatment that combines a cleansing back scrub and massage with aromatherapy oils, following on with the kind of facial that will leave your skin feeling lusciously soft. ESPA rehydration treatments, reflexology and reiki are all on offer, and there is a range of therapies tailored for men. And whatever you do, don't miss the fine dining.
Perfect for: Spa-goers who love their food.
 |