Review of One Spa at The Sheraton Grand Hotel, Edinburgh

One Spa at the Sheraton Grand Hotel at Good Spa Guide

One Spa at The Sheraton Grand Hotel, Edinburgh - 5 bubbles

Sit in the rooftop pool and feel your cares float away. Wind down in the extensive heat-and-ice facilities. Sip a smoothie. Finally, enjoy a three-hour massage that you want never to end. No wonder One Spa rates 5 bubbles.

First impressions?

How did they welcome you?

What happens next?

Which treatments did you have?

How did you feel 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?

First impressions?

The Sheraton Grand hotel is tucked away from the busy streets in the centre of Edinburgh. The hotel décor is very traditional with wood panelling and grand stairways.

I followed the written directions to the spa from my room. There were several people in front of me in the corridor. They all seemed to reach a dead end, turn left, then disappear. Very intriguing. When I got the end of the corridor, I saw why: the solid wooden door opened into a glass walkway over to the spa. It felt very much like the wardrobe in Narnia -- you step out of the dark and into another world of light.

The spa is in a new building, joined to the hotel by the walkway. The designers obviously had a clean slate, as the spa, spread over three floors, feels very modern and light in comparison to the hotel.

How did they welcome you?

I wasn't sure where to go, so I stopped at a desk where there was a gaggle of instructors standing around talking. They pointed me in the right direction, down a flight of stairs to the spa reception.

What happens next?

The spa reception area is light and airy with cream chairs and tables. There's plenty of space. I sat and had a zingy smoothie. The marketing manager gave me a quick tour of the spa. I couldn't wait to try out the rooftop pool and the hydrotherapy pool.

The changing area: The changing area is very much "health club" rather than spa, with lots of lockers and not really enough seating space. As it was a quiet weekday afternoon, I found a cubicle to change in easily. The robe inside my locker was well washed, slightly scratchy and only just went round me.

The thermal suite and pools: I took the lift up to the thermal suite and pools. One Spa's rooftop hydrotherapy pool has an inside and outside area, both with strong massage jets and good bubbly zones. The water was delightfully warm and the sun was shining, so I laid back in the water and enjoyed it. It was amazing to be in the middle of Edinburgh, out on the rooftop in warm, bubbling water. This would be great fun at night, and when it's very cold outside.

One Spa's main pool is inside, but the room is surrounded by glass so it feels bright and light. The pool is 19 metres -- big enough to be able to swim a few proper lengths and really stretch out. There's also a brand new gym with state-of-the-art equipment including a Kinesis exercise area.

The thermal suite has plenty of different areas to try out. I only had time for one session round the rooms before my treatment, but you could certainly enjoy this area for a couple of hours. There is a hammam, a laconium, rock sauna, bio sauna (not quite as hot as a traditional sauna), an aroma grotto and several large seats where you can rest and cool off. There are tropical showers, a cold fog shower and an ice room.

The idea is to alternate between hot and cold experiences, to drink plenty of water and to rest, while all the toxins are washed away along with the stresses and strains of modern-day life.

Which treatments did you have?

I had Vakruti Balancing (£215, 3 hours). This is one of the spa's signature treatments. Jamie Chalmers, who developed Vakruti Balancing, has won the Body Therapist of the Year award at the British Beauty and Spa awards two years in a row. He's entering again this year hoping for a "grand slam". He may well make it. We will let you know!

I went into this treatment in a rather blasé mood. I'm a self-confessed massage junkie and have had many treatments in many parts of the world. So I don't impress easily.

But I was also pretty stressed out having moved house twice in six months, and had the busiest year of my working life so far, which has included far too many long-haul flights. So I arrived running on empty. Looking fine and sounding fine, of course. You know that line about "not waving but drowning"? I know just what Stevie Smith had in mind when she wrote that.

Jamie looks like a trainer for the UK Olympic weightlifting team. He's short, strong and muscular but light on his feet and quietly spoken. He sat me down with some herbal tea, and asked me to put my feet in a copper bowl of deliciously warm water. He then proceeded to wash and massage my feet as we talked. This consultation is key to the treatment, which is tailored to suit the needs of the individual. Some questions were similar to those asked by a homeopath: "Do you tend to feel hot or cold?" Others were more standard medical questions: "How many units of alcohol do you drink?" and "Do you smoke?" Some were entirely holistic: "How do you want to feel...?" All the while, Jamie washed and massaged my feet, and then wrapped them in towels.

Jamie explained that he had designed this treatment using Ayurvedic influences. There's some reflexology included, plus hot stones and the use of shiatsu pressure points. Quite a combination. Purists may well throw their hands up in horror -- but don't knock it until you have tried it.

Vakruti Balancing uses ESPA products. As usual, I was invited to choose the oil Jamie would use in my treatment by smelling them. I chose the energising oil.

Jamie applied a menthol-scented body scrub. It left my skin feeling tingly. I hopped in the shower to wash it off. I could have done with a larger towel to pat myself dry, though. Then I got on the couch for the massage.

It was a good deep massage, which I love. When Jamie worked my reflexology pressure points... wow! I had to think back to my labour breathing techniques to get through a few of them.

The most painful pressure points were on the soles of my feet. These corresponded to my kidneys. I wasn't surprised; when I had a course of acupuncture, my acupuncturist told me that my kidney chi was unbalanced. Jamie also worked long and hard on my big toe, which was surprisingly painful. He told me later it was the spot that corresponded to the pineal gland. This gland regulates sleep patterns; the cumulative effect of all that long-haul travel was being felt there.

I'm a butterfly brain. Usually after an hour I get bored with treatments and want to do something else. If the massage is really good, I can settle for an hour and a half. This treatment lasted three hours and I didn't want it to stop. I never fell asleep, the work on those pressure points made sure of that. But I did feel safe, and completely spaced out. At the end of the treatment, it took me a few minutes to really come round.

Jamie recommended that I buy and use the ESPA detoxing salt and oil as my body was unbalanced by the travelling and stress. He led me to the very plush relaxation area where he wrapped me in a blanket and gave me tea and water. I could have stayed there all evening.

How did you feel afterwards?

I slept for ten hours straight. Despite drinking a large bottle of water before I went to bed, I woke with a headache. More water in the morning helped with that.

Long-term effects

Since my treatment, I've managed to drink more water and less coffee. I have certainly slept better, too. I think just describing my frantic lifestyle to someone made me slow down and think about what I am trying to squeeze into my working week.

Was it worth it?

Three hours of treatment doesn't come cheap. But when it's a treatment of this standard, it's well worth it. I would book Vakruti Balancing again tomorrow!

What else could you have?

A good range of ESPA facials, including "Advanced Options" such as the Advanced Lifting and Firming facial, and the slightly confusing Face and Back facial. You can have ESPA massages and body wraps, scrubs, hot-stone therapy, chakra balancing and ESPA treatments with an Ayurvedic influence. We're eager to try the Purva Karma Synchronised Four-hand Massage as they claim that, by the end of the treatment, "paradise is achieved". A "Tri-doshic herbal tea" is also included, to quench your thirst on the road to nirvana.

There's the usual range of spa beauty treatments on offer, and the rather splendid-sounding "Grooming of Hands and Feet". (That'll be the Jessica manicures and pedicures.)

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

That there is so much to do here. I didn't allow enough time to really enjoy the pools and the thermal area. You could spend hours here and not get bored. Follow their good advice and get there at least an hour, and maybe two hours before you are due to start your treatments.

Any special features?

The rooftop pool. The setting isn't very special, as the spa is surrounded by other buildings, but the pool is a good size, and the experience of being outside on the roof, in the pool, is not to be missed.

Who do you think would like it?

Almost anyone. One Spa is great fun if you just want to unwind, but it also offers excellent treatments for serious spa goers.

Why did you give the spa this rating?

Last time we were invited to One Spa, we gave the spa 4 bubbles. Now, with some recent building work complete, the new gym and another batch of treatment rooms about to open, One Spa has reached 5 bubbles. The treatments are certainly top notch and make this spa stand out. Although some new robes wouldn't go amiss!

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