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Brooklands Retreat and Health Spa, Garstang - 4 bubbles
We're sorry to say that Brooklands has now ceased trading (June 2010).
A Good Spa Guide reviewer and her friend were invited to Brooklands Retreat and Health Spa in Lancashire. They loved their Spa Find and Decleor treatments, and the orchids. They would have loved to return to this retreat.
Was it easy to book?
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?
Long-term effects
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?
Was it easy to book?
Yes. We booked by phone but you can email, too. They post details, including a detailed medical form, and they like you to send that back a week before you go.
First impressions?
A sweeping drive to a lovely 19th-century country house.
How did they welcome you?
Warmly! Two young Thai women met us at the door with a traditional greeting and an orchid each. Orchids featured highly over the next 24 hours. They were everywhere! The girls asked for our car key and lugged our suitcases to our rooms.
What happens next?
Spa manager Ginny Webster showed us into a big lounge, an interesting mix of Thai contemporary and English traditional décor. We sank into comfortable rattan chairs and ordered afternoon tea. I asked for redbush but it wasn't one of the choices.
Ginny handed us over to Vicky for a guided tour of the spa and facilities: pool, hydrotherapy pool, sanarium, steam room, gym, aerobics studio, bistro/bar. We spotted one notice by the hydrotherapy pool that said: "Observe a reasonable time limit." We didn't think that was very helpful, but another notice specified 40 minutes in total for pool and steam room. In any case, Vicky was very clear about who could and couldn't use these facilities, for example pregnant women, elderly people, people with high blood pressure or diabetes.
On our medical forms, we'd been asked to state if we were taking regular medication for any long-term condition, but as neither of us does, we were given a clean bill of health for the use of the facilities.
Our consultation: We returned to the pool area to wait for therapy manager Michele, who called us in individually to talk through the next day's treatments. She carefully programmed our activities so that we could be wet, active and steamy for most of the morning, have a massage before lunch and the other treatments after lunch. It was clear that Michele had carefully read through the answers on our medical forms and that this was not just a piece of "cover your back" paperwork.
Our room: We had a Superior twin-bedded room, which was huge, with a lovely outside terrace looking out on to a walled garden. More orchids!
The bathroom was palatial, with a corner bath. There was a little mishap when my friend was trying to get the in-bath shower to the right temperature, and she got very hot water on her foot. She wasn't going to tell me and I didn't find out till we were having pedicures together the next day (see below).
The comfy white robes were synthetic material like fleece, and although this was warm, they were not as absorbent as cotton towelling.
The beds were very comfortable and we slept well till the dawn chorus.
Our meals: Dinner, breakfast and lunch were included in our package. We had to choose meals quite early; Ginny gave us dinner menus at teatime, and we chose our breakfast and lunch at dinner time. We both joked at once that it was like being in hospital!
However, the food was definitely not like hospital food. The menus offered a range from healthy to indulgent. Dishes were rated B, BB, and BBB, with BBB the most indulgent. We thought the B was for bad, but it is the Brooklands logo. Both starters and main courses had a vegetarian alternative.
Our dinner was served in a spacious and airy dining room. We both had scallops for starters. I had a generous salmon steak with roast tomatoes and my friend had a huge vegetable curry with rice, poppadoms, fresh naan bread and chutney. We shared a bottle of white Burgundy from the small, focused wine menu. She followed with a café Renoir dessert (with lots of pastry and cream, definitely a BBB!) while I had grapes and ice cream with a fruit coulis (which sounds dull, but was surprisingly alcoholic).
Two ladies brought us breakfast in bed, with a newspaper each. The 290-calorie Brooklands special muesli (BB) with fruit and yogurt was too much for us; we could only manage about 150 cals each. There were generous helpings of coffee and fresh juice.
Lunch was in the dining room (they ask that you don't go in wet, so a change of cossie is a good idea if you've just had a treatment). We had a smoked-salmon salad with melon balls, then helped ourselves from the fruit bowl and the cheeseboard.
Which treatments did you have?
I had a Spa Find Day: a Spa Find Infinite Indulgence exfoliation and mud wrap with natural minerals from the Dead Sea, a Jessica pedicure (with ginger to energise), and a Spa Find energising comfort facial.
My friend had a Decleor Day: a Decleor Tonic body treatment, a Jessica pedicure (with green tea to relax) and a Decleor Lift facial.
What were the treatments like?
Body treatments: The treatment rooms were very comfortable. We liked the cotton covers on the couches and the fluffy red towels. I liked the earthiness of the Spa Find products and my friend felt energised by the slightly citrus feel to the Decleor treatment. I had a head massage while the wrap was working. In other places, I have felt quite slimy in wrap treatments, but this was just warm and comfortable, if a little rustly, in my foil blanket.
I showered down in the steamy rasul room and didn't want to come out! In the dim light, I couldn't see to get all the mud off, but the therapist hot flannelled all the last bits off for me.
We both found our therapists had a firm but careful touch, and they knew their stuff. They didn't need to stop and think what to do next. My therapist was careful with some scratches on my tummy (caused by my rather enthusiastic cat) and I think the salt helped with the healing.
Pedicures: The pedicures and manicures are done in one big room, so we had the chance to chat and talk about our treatments. We looked out of a big window into a rather dull March day; it was nice to be inside.
We liked the rose petals in the foot bowls and the warm wrap to moisturise and soften our feet. All the products smelt naturally like ginger or green tea, and not like chemicals. It was then the therapist noted that my friend had a small red mark on her foot from the shower the night before. My friend didn't want to make a fuss, but the therapist thought it was important to report this incident. She also took care around the sore area. We chose our nail colours and then lost count of how many layers were going on. They lasted very well.
Facials: My friend had a Decleor facial using the anti-ageing range. The therapist tested the oil on my friend's back, before starting the facial, which included eye cleanse, deep facial cleanse and tone, and exfoliation. The facial massage of light pressure and drainage moves flowed nicely into a scalp massage. Then the therapist applied an intensive mask and massaged my friend's hands and arms while the mask did its work. The therapist removed the mask then stroked her face with hot mitts and applied toner, eye cream and moisturiser.
I had the Spa Find Energising facial. Michele (the same therapist I'd had for the other two treatments) explained the benefits of the Dead Sea minerals. She asked me what I thought my skin was like and agreed when I chose the energising product. My skin was feeling dry and tired from a mixture of cold weather and central heating.
After gently cleansing and buffing my face, she massaged it with warm mitts infused with essential oil. Mmmm. Then she applied the energising mask and did a deep scalp massage while the mask was on. She removed the mask with warm mitts and applied moisturiser and eye and lip cream. At the end, she wrote down all the products I'd had. Later, in the shop, my friend treated me to a pot of Energising Mask.
We didn't feel rushed between treatments. There was plenty of time for food to go down and nail polish to dry.
How did you feel afterwards?
Lifted and refreshed. My head massage spaced me out completely and I had to concentrate very hard to drive home safely as it was the start of the Easter holiday weekend. My friend appreciated the use of products that did not feel greasy to the touch.
What happens afterwards?
The great thing was being able to go back to our rooms and change and pack in the afternoon. Even then, we didn't feel rushed and the girls took our luggage back to the car. We were going to set off, but the manager announced she had been out to buy some redbush tea especially for me! So we stayed for a cuppa.
Long-term effects
I felt my ankles were less puffy after all the lymphatic drainage of the massage. My face felt lovely. My friend said the same. My skin had been feeling quite wintry and dry from cold weather and central heating. It was nice to have a new Spring face.
Was it worth it?
Our 24-hour stay cost £95 each for dinner, bed and breakfast in a Superior Room. The Spa Find Day was £154 and the Decleor Day £170, both including lunch. The Superior room included a goodie bag of slippers and products, which was a little embarrassing as they handed our bags out as some other people were leaving who had stayed in a Standard. We'd be quite happy with a Standard room next time, so we can blow the balance (about £30) on products or going higher up the wine list.
The costs of the treatments compare favourably with others on offer in the area, and we thought the package as a whole was very good value.
What else could you have?
There was a varied programme of exercise on offer but we were chilling out and really didn't have time to fit it all in. My friend enjoyed the aqua-fit session and outsprinted some girls half her age across the pool.
There's a wide range of body and facial treatments on offer at Brooklands, including Clarins, Faramed, and aromatherapy, Jessica manicures, and many different stay packages. Brooklands' tagline is "as individual as you" so really they can mix you up any combination.
What do you wish you'd known before you went?
Whether to wax my legs or not, and if so, how soon before.
Any special features?
We definitely recommend the 24-hour residential package. Arrive at 4pm for tea, leave at 4pm the next day. The room and the meals were a fabulous complement to our treatments.
Who do you think would like it?
Mums and daughters, mums and mums, groups of girlfriends. It's very girly, although there are "Just for men" treatment packages. There was a man staying there with his partner but we didn't see him in the spa. However, couples could enjoy the dinner and the luxury overnight stay, and Brooklands can arrange for your partner to have a day's golf at the local country club if that is more his thing. Another thing that might put men off staying is that the gym is ladies only; we chatted to a regular local gym member who likes it that way.
We spoke to ladies who have been coming here for years from all over the North West. When the spa was threatened with closure (the new owner was going to turn it into a care home) the "regulars" campaigned -- and won -- to keep it as a spa. And the owner is glad she did.
Why did you give the spa this rating?
We gave Brooklands 4 bubbles. The spa is small and exclusive and you feel very cared-for all the time. The staff were falling over themselves to be helpful and answer our questions, or point us to the right corridor when we got lost.
We appreciated the attention to detail in the medical form, and that Ginny was keen to report the accident with the shower so that they could fix it and prevent anyone else making the same mistake.
We also appreciated being told what was happening, with a written list of treatments. It is easy to chill out and forget what's coming next.
It's a true retreat. No business travellers in a hurry or small children rushing round on bicycles. Of course, you have to watch the clock for your appointment times, but you can just lounge by the pool till someone calls your name. Even if you forget, they won't. The food is beautifully prepared and presented, the right balance between virtuous and ever-so-slightly naughty.
However, we found the two hot rooms -- the sanarium and the steam room -- fairly basic and not as luxurious as some we have experienced. But this did not spoil our enjoyment of this indulgent break. We were also surprised at the use of air fresheners in the corridors -- not very spa. See more on how we rate the spas
Would you go again?
Yes. It's always nice to try different spas and different facilities, but I can see us coming here again; maybe in winter when we can look out of the big windows and feel warm, cosy and cosseted indoors. It is clearly a popular place to return to. Some ladies we met were already planning their "autumn break".
We visited Brooklands in March 2008
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See also:
* Contact Details for Brooklands Retreat and Health Spa
* Facials
* Manicures
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