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Champneys
Who and what are Champneys?
In 1970, Dorothy Purdew opened a slimming club in a church hall. It was so successful that the number of her clubs grew to over 60. Five years later, Dorothy opened her first health farm, Frimleys in Northamptonshire.
Dorothy's son Stephen joined the company to help with the opening of Henlow Grange in 1981. Originally, this was to be a temporary arrangement, but today he manages the entire Champneys group.
Champneys own four UK health resorts: Henlow, Forest Mere, Tring and Springs. They have also expanded into the High Street treatment-room market with their Town and City spas.
The Champneys Spa Collection of products was launched in 2004. It includes skincare, bodycare, bath and shower, mother-to-be and men's ranges. To accompany the Spa Collection, there is a range of Champneys accessories: manicure and pedicure equipment, hairbrushes and cosmetic brushes, tweezers, eyelash curlers and other beauty essentials.
The brand has recently expanded to encompass inner as well as outer beauty with Champneys Wellbeing Supplements and a range of Champneys food.
Champneys trivia no 1: The Champneys name originates from Ralph de Champneys who owned the Tring mansion in 1307.
Champneys trivia no 2: The Savile Wing at Champneys Henlow is named after Jimmy Savile, who opened the wing in 1985.
They say:
"Created in consultation with the Champneys Expert Therapists, our skin care products have been designed to provide you with real beauty benefits while promoting a sense of spa style wellbeing... You can now bring the Champneys spa experience into your own home with beauty products to suit everyone and at affordable prices, too."
We say:
"If you're looking for beauty-care products that set out to deliver without whipping your wallet into submission, then try the Champneys Spa Collection range. These high quality, high street products are a great way to stock up on spa essentials without breaking your bank manager's heart.
A few of the products didn't really impress our discerning Spa Spies, so it's worth trying before buying. The Spa Collection Essentials packs are a great way to test out the range: four or five travel-sized products neatly packaged in a smart Champneys travel bag."
Champneys Products - What have we tried?
Champneys Skincare Essentials 50ml-10ml size products, RRP £12 for the collection
Swedish Spy:
Champneys Skincare Essentials is, basically, a travel pack of products to get through the day: Skin Comforting Gentle Cleansing Milk, Skin Conditioning Gentle Toner, Skin Rescue Rejuvenating Night Cream, and Every Day All Day Moisture Cream.
At first, like the closet snob I am, I balked at the Very Pink Packaging. But I must admit Champneys have got quite a few things right here at an affordable price. They have certainly analysed their market research astutely.
Let me start with my pet subject: the night cream, Skin Rescue Rejuvenating Night Cream. Delicate fragrance, lovely texture, and a tick-the-crucial-boxes content list. There's collagen-boosting hexapeptide, omega 3s from sea buckthorn to boost cell rejuvenation and nourishing vitamin E and pro-vitamin B5. Soothing and sebum-balancing essential oils round off the formula. Not bad at £15!
I'm a little less enamoured with the Every Day All Day Moisture Cream -- not because texture or ingredients fail to deliver, but simply because I'm very fussy about fragrance, and this one is too highly fragranced for my taste. Anyone in favour of the French type of beauty products (à la Guinot, Thal'ion) would probably have no objections to the fragrance at all.
Ingredients-wise, they've done their homework again at Champneys: Anti-oxidants to protect, humectants to hydrate and lock in moisture, and omega 3 essential fatty acids from lingonberry seed oil -- a sub-arctic, highly nutritious berry. No complaints here.
The delicately fragranced Skin Comforting Gentle Cleansing Milk (RRP £8) contains Jojoba oil, meadowfoam seed oil. milk proteins and vitamin E to cleanse, nourish and soothe. It claims to leave skin "soft, smooth, clean and hydrated", and don't you know, that's a pretty good description of the results. In an ideal world, I would perhaps choose a richer cleanser, but then I am really making products jump through hoops in the moisture department.
The Skin Conditioning Gentle Toner is based on a blend of one of my favourites, orange blossom water, and hydrating glycerine. It's gentle, it's moisturising for thirsty skin, it has a lovely, subtle fragrance... and it's a snip at £8.
Champneys Citrus Glow Dry Body Oil 150ml, RRP £7
Shy Spy:
At first glance, looking at the slightly uninspiring clear plastic bottle, I was not particularly excited by this product. However, after testing it out, I can happily say that I changed my mind. I was actually quite impressed, considering this is a high-street range at high-street prices.
The spray bottle dispenses just about the right amount of oil each time -- not so much that you get covered in excess oil, and not too little so you have to spend hours moisturising -- and was easy to use without making a mess. Although the oil is described as citrus scented, the lemon oil's zing is balanced with cardamom, and the end result is a delicately spicy, warm aroma. The oil also moisturises well without being too greasy, so all-in-all, it is a good alternative to cream moisturisers, and a bargain at the price.
Champneys Aqua Therapy Revitalising Body Wash 250ml, RRP £7.50
Shy Spy:
Unfortunately, while I liked the citrus body oil, I wasn't so impressed by this body wash. In keeping with the "aqua" theme, this is a bright blue gel. The scent (which is apparently grapefruit, juniper, lemon and coriander) and colour reminded me of men's products.
The gel is very thick, so I suppose it is economical in the sense that you don't have to use much, but I also found it took ages to wash off properly! After a thorough rinse, the product didn't leave my skin dry, but it just didn't have that "wow factor". I certainly didn't notice an overnight skin miracle from the bursting beads of "encapsulated algae" anyway...
Champneys Luxury Soft-Touch Smoothing Foot File RRP £12.50
Sensitive Spy:
I recognised this foot-filing fellow from the pedicure I had at Champneys Town and City Spa in Chichester! It's a serious matt-black bit of kit -- very 1980s hi-tech geek chic. And very effective it is, too.
The main nickel file is large and circular. It easily and quickly removes hard skin. Hidden inside the handle, Swiss Army Knife-style, there's a mini foot file to smooth away those fiddly bits with finesse. It's a shame there's no concealed torch, corkscrew, or spy pen. That aside, it's a great way to keep your tootsies looking tip-top if your next pedicure appointment is but a distant dream.
Champneys Collagen Plus Express Facial Treatment Mask RRP £9
Swedish Spy:
Meet Leatherface! Well not quite, but it might be advisable to use this mask at a time when you are not expecting any deliveries. I'd contemplate turning the lights out in the bathroom, too.
This is actually a real mask, complete with eye holes and mouth cut out! It's a little tricky to get into position so that it covers all the skin it's designed to cover, but a little push and pull will do it.
Aesthetically, it's no worse than any other mask in this category, but unless you apply your sense of humour at the same time, and are in the company of robust people unlikely to take a fright badly, you really do need to do this sort of thing in seclusion. It might be worth it, though. Afterwards, my complexion felt softer, smoother, and more deliciously moisturised than it has for a long time. Not bad for 20 minutes of wearing my dignity low-slung.
Where can I try Champneys products?
Where can I buy Champneys products?
* From the Champneys website online shop
* From any Champneys health resort or Town and City spa.
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