Review of Ayush Wellness Spa at the Hotel de France, St Helier

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Ayush Wellness Spa at the Hotel de France, St Helier - 5 bubbles

The Ayush Spa in the Hotel de France in St Helier is the first completely Ayurvedic hotel spa in the UK. And they're committed to doing it properly, too. Ayush takes Channel Island well-being onto a different level, as we were invited to discover. We came away impressed with their holistic and 5-bubble experience.

First impressions?

How did they welcome you?

What happens next?

Which treatments did you have?

What were the treatments like?

How did you feel afterwards?

What happens afterwards?

Was it worth it?

What else could you have?

What do you wish you'd known before you went?

Any special features?

Who do you think would like it?

Why did you give the spa this rating?

Would you go again?

First impressions?

The Hotel de France is an enormous and imposing building, the largest hotel in the Channel Islands. It is set on a hillside just outside the centre of St Helier (a short walk, in estate-agent-speak), has 298 bedrooms and an absolutely huge new wellness spa, Ayush, which opened in 2006.

The hotel was built in 1866 and has had a chequered history, serving time as a Jesuit college and a training school for German soldiers during the war. A family-owned hotel since 1971, the owners have invested in a series of refurbishments and additions, including Ayush, the Sanskrit word for a long, healthy life.

How did they welcome you?

The lobby is large and grand but the check-in was efficient. Because the hotel is large and host to so many conferences, it can feel a little impersonal. I was sent off from Reception to find the lift to the spa bedrooms and got lost immediately. A friendly member of staff came to rescue me, but when I emerged from the lift onto the first floor, I could only see signs for bedrooms beginning with 2, not 1, which I was looking for. There wasn't a soul around to ask and just empty corridors, all beguilingly orange. I eventually found my room behind a door that weighed as much as a mountain. Now I knew why there was a hotel map in the guest services directory.

What happens next?

If you stay in one of the spa bedrooms, in the wing overlooking the spa, and a straightforward journey down the glass stairs to get the spa, you should find your robe in your room. You will also have to go down to Reception to get a cable for your laptop as the free Wi-Fi that covers the rest of the hotel doesn't extend that far. But the cable access is also free and reliable.

The room: The room is modern, spare and elegant, done throughout in browns and yellows, with a balcony and views over St Helier to the sea. The bed is large and soft, covered in patterned cushions, and there is a TV and desk to work at. The bathroom is large, but functional rather than luxurious, containing some dispensers marked "Shampoo" and a mysterious blank - I never found out what that was, but maybe it was body wash. I hope so, as that is what I used it for.

The food: I had dinner in the Café Aroma, outside on the terrace overlooking the lawn, which was very pleasant. They have a range of snacks as well as grander dinner menu options.

In the morning, I had breakfast in the Orange Tree restaurant, which is a buffet affair, with plenty of fresh fruit and juices on offer as well as cooked stuff and croissants.

Then it was off to the spa. The pools: The spa is determinedly large and divided over three levels. You enter through the glass doors to Reception, a wide, airy space with a glass wall looking down to the pool area. The first impression is of health rather than pampering. You go down to the changing rooms, and these are large, too. Pictures of red poppies enliven the walls. However, there are 38 lockers, and only two showers, so there might sometimes be a crunch on the shower front.

The pool area is impressively airy and spacious. The glass walls give a lot of natural light and the stone floor lends a luxurious feel. You can splash about in: * a large infinity pool where you can have a proper swim, with a water curtain at one end where you can rest between lengths

* a deep massage pool with a hydrotherapy bench and three swan pipes which will do your shoulders and back no end of good

* a Caldarium - a shallow hot pool where you can relax

* a Frigidarium - a cold plunge pool where you can recover from the heat.

There are plenty of loungers all around the pool area for relaxing on, and in warm weather you can walk through to the garden from the pool and relax outside, too, with fresh juices, teas and coffees from the Café Aroma next door.

The sauna is large and hot - you could fit at least eight people in without sweating on each other. The mosaic-tiled steam room contains real steam - nicely hot with a thick fog and twinkly lights. It is a pleasant shape, too: more of an oval than the usual square.

The gym: The gym is divided into two wooden-floored rooms - one with aerobic machines and one with resistance equipment, weights and a Swiss ball. The machines are all excellent and you can have a good workout. The music in there is very loud, which may suit you. If you want to listen to what's on one of the plasma screen TVs, you'll have to fork out for a headset. If you don't want to listen to anything except the inner harmony of your own thoughts, you'll have to fork out for ear plugs! Both are on sale at Reception.

The wellness spa: Going upstairs to the treatment rooms, you enter a different kind of world entirely: stone and wood again, but combined with soft lighting and curtains. The amount of space is breathtaking and here the atmosphere is hushed and calm, with the sound of flowing water. There is a reception desk with a bookcase behind containing all manner of books on healthy living, and an area where you can make yourself a tea according to your dosha. Ayurveda is an ancient "science of life" that originated in India. At its simplest, your dosha is your individual bio-energy, which needs to maintained in balance for health. Ill health is a sign that your dosha is out of balance. (For more information, read our article on Ayurveda.) You individual dosha is a mix of three elements - Vata, Pitta and Kapha. Depending on your dosha, particular foods, types of exercise and lifestyle choices are particularly appropriate for you. So it goes without saying that you need to have your dosha diagnosed before the right Ayurvedic treatment can be prescribed for you.

Which treatments did you have?

I had an Abhyanga, a two-therapist massage, which was carried out properly, starting with a consultation with a trained Ayurvedic consultant, Dr Prasanna. I filled in a health form then Dr Prasanna took me through to the consultation room and asked questions about my work, sleep, activities, concerns, took my blood pressure and asked me to stick my tongue out. Whoah - this was going to be a proper Ayurvedic treatment!

What were the treatments like?

Professional, thorough and relaxing. The oils for the massage were mixed to suit my diagnosed needs, then my therapist led me through to the treatment room. The area is large but there are only six treatment rooms, so it's never going to feel crowded.

You might find the massage a bit unusual if it is your first time, so let me tell you some things you should know. You will first be massaged face-up by one therapist alone. The second therapist will come in while you are face down on the massage table so you don't get to meet them at all. (Unless you are my friend Chris, in which case you will insist on sitting up as soon as the door opens and shaking hands with the person who is about to touch you so intimately.)

The four-handed massage was extremely good. After I had been kneaded and pummelled, I was posted into an individual steam cabinet for my Bashpa Sweda. Your head pokes out of the top of a pine box while the rest of your body is bathed in herbal steam designed to increase the elimination of toxins.

How did you feel afterwards?

Fine. The emphasis throughout Ayush is very much on wellness, and I felt well.

What happens afterwards?

My therapist took me through to the relaxation rooms - around six or seven loungers arranged in a circle. I drank some tea and got ready to return to the world.

Dr Prasanna had prepared an individual food recommendation for me that listed all the foods I should choose to keep my dosha in balance (a wide range) and those I should avoid (including avocadoes, peanuts and olives). I also got an information sheet about healthy eating, which contained sensible guidelines that I shall do my best to follow.

Was it worth it?

In the spa, individual treatments are reasonably priced and about what you would expect to pay at similar spas elsewhere. Your initial consultation is free when you book your first Ayurvedic treatment. You could happily spend a day at Ayush splashing about between pools, dipping into the saunas and steam rooms, having a treatment, and sunbathing on a lounger when weather permits, so you do get good value for money in the day packages.

What else could you have?

The only spa treatments on offer at Ayush are Ayurvedic treatments, with traditional spa therapies adapted to the spirit of this philosophy. This is a brave move on the part of the spa but there seems to be no shortage of Jersey spa-goers willing to take them up on it and find out more.

The programmes on offer range from individual facials and massages to a half-day visit or a three-week stay.

Treatments include Vata, Pitta and Kapha facials, a wide variety of massages, including Shirodhara, where a stream of herbal-infused oil is poured onto your forehead, and Pizzichill, where two therapists massage you in gallons of warm oil. There are also specific treatments to target areas of concern, such as the feet or the lower back, and treatments specially designed for men, plus rituals for couples and friends which are carried out in a private treatment suite.

Classes in yoga and meditation take place in the yoga studio in Ayush, and there are workshops and lectures on health topics, too. There is a hair and beauty salon elsewhere in the hotel, so you don't need to be without your manicure or make-up should you wish.

What do you wish you'd known before you went?

That I should brush my teeth before going for my spa treatments.

Any special features?

The lightness and sense of space in Ayush is a very special feature.

Who do you think would like it?

Everyone who values their own well-being.

Why did you give the spa this rating?

We gave Ayush 5 bubbles because the spa is well thought-through, and achieves what it sets out to achieve - well-being. There are some small touches that don't feel right, such as having to pay for earphones in the gym - not a usual practice - and the fact that there are only two showers in the changing rooms. But if wellness is what you're after, you'll find it here, along with a wide range of pools and saunas to make the most of your day or your stay.

See more on how we rate the spas

Would you go again?

The hotel wouldn't be my top choice to stay as I found it a little impersonal, but the wellness spa is definitely worth your time and attention.

We visited Ayush in June 2007