 |
 |
 |
 |
Bath Spa Hotel (Macdonald Hotel), Bath - 4 bubbles
What's the perfect tonic for a jetlagged Sybaritic Spy? A Babor facial and her own private butler delivering champagne and canapés. Sybaritic Spy is hoping to be jetlagged more often if it means another visit to the Bath Spa Hotel. If only they'd fix their plumbing...
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?
Any special features?
Who do you think would like it?
Why did you give the spa this rating?
Would you go again?
First impressions?
A glimpse of a grand Georgian building in lovely mellow Bath stone as we drove up through the hotel's attractive formal gardens. The Bath Spa Hotel is about a 15-minute walk from the centre of Bath and it's a downhill stroll all the way. Though you may want to hop in a taxi on the way back...
How did they welcome you?
We parked outside the hotel and a member of staff immediately came out to unload the car and take our luggage.
What happens next?
I arrived at the Bath Spa Hotel exhausted after a long flight. All I really wanted to do was sleep but I knew I should stay awake to try to shrug off the jet lag. On entering the hotel, I was greeted by our butler and shown to my Imperial Suite. That woke me up a bit!
The Imperial Suites are in a separate building at the back of the hotel. They have been decorated to a very high standard. We had a huge comfortable bed bedecked with pillows, and a roomy bathroom with plenty of fluffy towels. By the time we got to our room, our bags were already waiting for us.
Our butler gave us a tour of the Bath Spa Hotel. The hotel is all very elegant, with huge high-ceilinged public rooms. There are vast flower displays, elegant sofas and armchairs in the lounge areas.
After our tour, the butler checked that there was nothing else he could do for us, and we walked back across to the spa. It's only 20 yards or so... near enough to go down in your robe as long as the weather is fine.
Once at the spa, a member of staff gave me my robe. It was too small. I asked for a larger one. The member of staff told me that was the only size they had. I ended up wandering around holding a towel in front of me to avoid revealing more of my cleavage than I would like.
The spa area is well decorated with Roman-style murals, clear-blue glass panels and wickerwork poolside furniture.
I went for a swim in the spa's smallish indoor pool to unkink my muscles. Then I ventured outside to the hydrotherapy pool and lazed in bubbling bath-hot water in the sunshine. Daylight is good for jetlag, I told myself. I certainly felt relaxed. The warm jets of bubbles both stimulated and relaxed my muscles. But the warmth made me sleepy so I took myself off to the thermal suite and began in the ice cave.
Rubbing ice on my skin woke me up immediately! I hot-footed it to the steam room which was pleasantly laced with eucalyptus. I could feel the eucalyptus getting rid of all those airline bugs.
We whiled away an hour or so going from hot to cold experiences. The sauna was properly hot. The steam room was more to my liking temperature-wise. The experience showers offered a refreshing cold mist, tropical warmth, or a stimulatingly cold drench. I loved the salt infusion room. It was filled with a fine spray of salty air that made me think I was beside the seaside. The infra-red cabin was disappointing at first, but I laid back and relaxed, and gradually a deep inner warmth built up in my muscles.
We went back to the pool to swim and then lazed in the wicker reclining chairs while catching up on a week's worth of news in the Sunday papers. I was beginning to feel alive again, and wandered back to my room to shower and wash my hair. A knock at the door announced my lovely butler carrying champagne and canapés. Just what a girl needs while changing for dinner.
Which treatments did you have?
I had one of the spa's signature treatments, a Babor High Skin Refiner Anti-ageing facial (75 minutes, £90).
What were the treatments like?
The treatment area downstairs has five treatment rooms, one of which is a double room. There's also a large room for manicures and pedicures. The pedicure area includes a massage chair. More treatment rooms were being added when we visited.
The spa receptionist greeted me and gave me a health form to fill in. My therapist, Jessica, took me down the candlelit corridor to have my Babor facial. It was a very straightforward facial. Jessica told me "we don't use steaming or machines here".
Jessica assessed my skin by touch. She placed her pleasantly cool hands on my neck and worked up my face, pressing gently. She told me that she could assess my skin's condition and elasticity this way. She declared my skin to be combination but a bit dehydrated; quite firm but with some puffiness around the eyes and some congestion on the chin. She said that she would pay special attention to these areas. And she did.
Jessica began by cleansing my skin with hot cloths, followed by a cleansing lotion. She laid a gauze over my face -- thankfully with a hole around the mouth so that I could breathe -- and then layered on anti-ageing products over the top. Jessica left me to relax while listening to a CD of countryside sounds. Birds twittering, sheep, a shepherd calling to his sheep dog, sudden rainfall. All of which were strangely relaxing and made the time pass quickly. Jessica came back and removed the gauze. She applied moisturiser and special creams for my eyes and mouth area.
How did you feel afterwards?
I was surprised how little massage was involved. There was plenty of light holding and touching of the face but not much deeper massage. The process was all very gentle and relaxing but I was cynical about whether it could have made much difference. Until I looked in the mirror. My eyes were dramatically improved. The puffiness had gone and the dark circles were much reduced. My skin looked fresher, the jowly bits less obvious and my neck was much smoother.
What happens afterwards?
Jessica took me to the spa's dimly-lit relaxation room, which had a wooden floor, and comfortable black leather loungers. Magazines, plenty of water and herbal teas are on hand to help you relax, accompanied by the sound of birdsong. The treatment rooms and this relaxation room are all underground but the air conditioning is excellent. The rooms felt fresh, and the lighting was clever enough to make the rooms feel spacious.
Long-term effects
It was my quickest-ever recovery from jetlag. A swim, a session in the thermal suite, and a facial seemed to be an excellent remedy. I felt very relaxed. I managed to stay awake until a reasonable hour, and felt good the next morning.
Was it worth it?
My spa-session was enjoyable and therapeutic, but it was not cheap. The Bath Spa Hotel falls into our "push the boat out a bit" category. They do run special offer spa weekends and spa days which are worth looking out for. The £99 Spa Taster day is good value. It includes use of the spa facilities, a prescription facial, and lunch or afternoon tea.
What else could you have?
Babor is the only brand used here for face and body, along with Jessana for manicures and pedicures. Babor products are light and refreshing and certainly seem to be very effective. As well as the usual facials and massages, the Bath Spa Hotel offers reflexology, Indian head massage and Hopi ear candles. There's a small range of treatments for men, the usual beauty treatments, and nine spa days to choose from.
Any special features?
The high service levels. In theory, your butler will unpack for you -- although I had a week's washing in my case so I preferred to keep that hidden!
Who do you think would like it?
Bring your American cousins. They will love the grandeur of the house and the uniformed butlers. Bring your aunt for afternoon tea in the drawing room.
Why did you give the spa this rating?
We gave the Bath Spa Hotel 4 bubbles. The spa is informal and very pleasant; ideal for anyone not too sure about the whole spa business. But it's also professional enough for those who take their spa-ing seriously.
However, be warned. When we visited, the spa was suffering from pesky plumbing problems. The hand basins in the ladies' changing room were almost out of use since the floor was swathed in cold wet towels put there to catch the constant dripping. You could just lean over them to wash your hands but it wasn't a pleasant experience. The disabled changing room was out of use and part of the men's changing room was out of action. Looking at the staining on the walls in the corridor, these leaks have been there for some time. The spa manager told us that they are working hard to sort out the plumbing problems. Indeed, the day after our visit, the marble worktop (all £5,000 worth of it) was due to be removed from the ladies' changing room so they could track the source of the leak. Anyone who has ever had plumbing problems at home will know how difficult it can be to get it fixed. But this is a spa, where you expect water to be warm and to stay in the places it is meant to be.
See more on how we rate the spas
Would you go again?
Yes. I would love to be there on a day when it is warm enough to eat outside. The tables and huge umbrellas looked so inviting. And I would like to see the spa in all its glory with the leaks repaired!
We visited Bath Spa Hotel in May 2008
Like the sound of this? You're in luck.
Follow this link to book a special offer at the Bath Spa Hotel with our partners lastminute.com
See also:
* Contact Details for Bath Spa Hotel
* Read the latest reader review
* Hydrotherapy
|
|
|