 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Norton House Hotel and Spa, Edinburgh - 4 bubbles
Teen Spy and her mum were invited to Norton House to try out the newly opened spa and health club. They loved the dramatic spa, but found the health-club aspects of the experience less impressive. They only reluctantly floated back to earth after their Espa massage, though.
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?
Norton House is one of the family of HandPicked hotels. It's a country-house-style place to stay just outside Edinburgh, not far from the airport. As the taxi driver twisted and turned through the grounds, past fields and through woodland (Where were we going? Narnia?), we got a real sense of leaving the real world behind.
Norton House has a grey stone, traditional appearance but, when we visited, they were in the last stages of completing a brand new residential wing, and a separate spa and health club. These areas are ultra-modern, designed to death, and a huge contrast to the comfy old hotel.
How did they welcome you?
Politely and efficiently. I actually hate checking into a hotel because you have to make so many decisions in such a short space of time. Do you want a wake-up call? Do you want a newspaper? What time would you like dinner? But the staff made the process as pain-free as possible for the terminally indecisive. Someone took our bags, confirmed our dinner reservation, and took us on what seemed a mad tour of the building to get to our room (up these stairs, along this corridor, round this corner...) but we arrived safely in the end. The original country-house part of the hotel is very traditionally grand -- gilt mirrors, large lilies -- while the new wing is much more spare and streamlined.
What happens next?
We checked out our room with its sweeping view of the car park. The room was clean and contained everything we wanted in a hotel room (including a plasma TV and free internet access!) so we were happy.
We arrived on a Sunday afternoon, and my plan was to use the gym and have a swim, enjoy dinner with a friend (while Teen Spy enjoyed room service and a borrowed DVD), then go back to the spa the next day with my daughter for our treatments. So that's what we did.
The building: The spa is in a separate building to the main hotel. You walk across the car park and into a walled garden area. You could wander across to the spa in the robe provided in your room, but in February, to be honest, we would have felt a little chilly, not to say conspicuous as parts of the car park were still a building site.
The spa is a dramatic building, all glass walls and modern -- very impressive to look at. You go down the stairs and Reception is at a desk to the right. Sign the form as a hotel guest, and the staff will issue you with a towel and locker key. There was a bit of a queue on the Sunday evening when I arrived, as another member of the Indecisive Society was buying some vouchers ahead of me. However, a member of staff, walking by, didn't just sail past as is so often the way, but came over and helped out. Good start. Someone showed me the way through the coffee bar and to the changing rooms, and pointed out the gym.
The gym: This is a good size, with all new equipment (obviously), and a nice choice of free weights, plus a cool water machine. For those who like to mix their relaxation with invigoration, this is a nice place to mix it up.
The pool and heat areas: At 18 metres in length, the main pool at Norton House offers plenty of space for a good swim. However, it felt heavily chlorine treated, so sensitive souls beware. The windowed wall along one side gives plenty of natural light and there are ample loungers around and more outside in a rather zen horizontal garden (that's a water feature, not an outside pool).
There is a steam room and a sauna in a corner of the pool area; both are a good size and nicely hot, though I was a little surprised to step on some of the rubber seal to the steam-room door, which had come away and was on the floor, as the spa is so new. There is a water machine just outside the sauna, which was good to see.
There is also a hydrotherapy pool, but on the Sunday evening I felt disinclined to dip my toes in as there were two children splashing about in it. There is a sign next to the hydrotherapy pool saying no-one under 14 is allowed in, but that didn't seem to deter them. So I sulked off to the Experience Shower to see if a bit of pretend thunder and lightning would cheer me up.
The changing rooms: These are a good size, all nicely done in wood with slate-effect floors. There is an accessible changing area, too, but only four showers, which might cause queues at busy times. There was plenty of shampoo and shower gel, but no conditioner, and no body lotion. There are three hairdryers available for afterwards but, on the Sunday night, I couldn't get near them as the under-14-year-olds who had been in the hydrotherapy pool earlier were now twizzling round on the hairdryer stools.
The pool, heat areas and changing rooms felt much like any health club, although one with a nice garden view. The lack of luxurious touches (such as moisturiser) is something you'd expect from a health club, and those areas didn't have a very spa "feel". However, we saw a different aspect to Norton House when daughter and I reported for duty the next morning (after our delicious buffet breakfast) and went through to the spa and treatment area; it's still in the dramatic building, but through a different door...
The spa: As before, you let them know at the main reception desk that you are there for your spa treatments. You use the same changing rooms as the health club, but staff will issue you with a locker containing your robe and slippers. We duly put these on and padded over.
When you go through into the spa area, the atmosphere changes; it's as if you've stepped from lino to thick carpet (even if you haven't, literally).
We had been advised to arrive 15 minutes before our appointment to fill in our health consultation forms, so we did. There are sofas to sit on in the Reception area where you can do this. Once we had disclosed that we were remarkably free from any ailments or allergies, our therapists whisked us off for our respective treatments.
Which treatments did you have?
Both Teen Spy and I had an Espa Holistic Back, Face and Scalp Massage with Hot Stones.
What were the treatments like?
My treatment started -- as is usual for an Espa Massage -- with me smelling some oils and choosing one that suited my mood. Restorative -- sounded right. I have had this Espa massage before, and it is a very relaxing and revivifying one. The hot stones always add an intensity to a massage, and this one went some way towards unknotting my permanently tense shoulders, as well as paying much-needed attention to my face. My therapist had a nice touch -- no fairy fingers here -- and I was soon drifting into a world of my own. I didn't relax quite as much as I could have done, however, as my therapist seemed sometimes tentative. There were incidents when I was brought back to earth from Cloud Nine either by realising nothing had happened for a while (What's going on? Is she reading the instructions?) or by being woken through the clanking of bottles right next to my ears. (It may have been stones. Hard to tell when you've got your eyes shut.) It was just a touch of hesitation in what should be a seamless experience.
Teen Spy says: "I didn't get to smell any oils before my massage! My therapist asked me how I wanted to feel after my treatment and I said 'awake' so maybe she only had one 'awake' oil and chose that one. I enjoyed the treatment very much, especially the hot stones. These make you feel very warm and make the massage feel stronger. It was all very relaxing, and I liked the massage around my shoulders very much, but I did feel more awake when it was over, which is good, as that was what I wanted."
How did you feel afterwards?
We both felt very relaxed (and at least one of us was awake).
What happens afterwards?
Our therapists took us through to the relaxation room. This is a pleasant space with dimmed lights and wicker loungers to continue your sojourn on Cloud Nine. There are magazines here and someone brought me some green tea. We then went through to the Amber Dining Lounge for our lunch. We had salads which were very fresh, tasty and delicious (Teen Spy still speaks about her chicken salad in terms of nostalgia). As 1pm arrived, there was a bit of a lunch crunch and staff were putting extra tables out. A sign of the new spa's growing popularity.
Was it worth it?
Yes. The treatments are priced fairly and a day here is good value.
What else could you have?
The spa at Norton House offers all the Espa treatments, including massages, facials, wraps, with special treatments for pregnancy, some specifically designed for men, manicures and pedicures, and some alternative treatments such as Reiki and reflexology. Should you wish to make a day of it, the spa at Norton House gives you plenty of packages to choose from, including a very good taster package: Refresh and Revive where you can have three treatments of 25 minutes each and your spa day for £110. They'll also cook you up a completely personalised day should you wish.
What do you wish you'd known before you went?
That the fancy restaurant (3 AA Rosettes!) is not open on Sundays! (I had dinner with my friend in The Brasserie, though, and we both very much enjoyed the food -- the split-pea soup, in particular -- and the atmosphere). That you can ask for their courtesy car to come and pick you up from the airport. That my daughter would leave her pyjamas behind (I'd have packed the old ones).
Any special features?
You can have a Rasul mud treatment in the spa, in the Rasul room, either alone or with a friend. The atmosphere in the spa is pretty special, too, and this is down to the efforts of all the staff.
Who do you think would like it?
Anyone in the local area. Edinburgh refugees who don't wish to flee too far. Mums and daughters for the day (Teen Spy loved the spa at Norton House, from the swimming pool to the food to the treatment she had, so it offers a good introduction for younger spa-goers). The spa is obviously very popular, so people who like what it offers are already finding their way to its door.
Why did you give the spa this rating?
We gave the spa at Norton House 4 bubbles because we felt it needed one or two softening touches. The spa area itself is nicely done, but the split between spa and health club areas makes an awkward join. Aoibheanna, the Spa Manager, is doing an excellent job creating an ambience in the spa that matches customer expectations. One thing that might work well is a separate changing area for purely spa customers so they can truly feel they've left the real world behind at the spa door (there's no twizzling round on a lounger). Spa visitors might also enjoy body lotion or conditioner in the changing rooms, which are not provided (as is the norm) in a health club.
Also, when we visited, the spa was very new, so it felt like therapists were still finding their way into the delivery of the treatments. These things can all get better over time.
See more on how we rate the spas
Would you go again?
We certainly would. Norton House offers fine facilities, a well thought-out treatment menu, and good value in a lovely setting.
We visited Norton House in February 2008
Like the sound of this? You're in luck.
Follow this link to book a special spa offer at Norton House with our partners lastminute.com
See also:
* Details of Norton House Hotel and Spa
* Facials
 |
|
|