 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Swinton Park Spa, Ripon - 3 bubbles
Splendid hotel? Check. Wonderful grounds? Check. Exceptional food? Check. A treatment that makes your skin look dramatically different? Check again. Pity about the "spa", then, which is less "spa" and more "some unconnected treatment rooms and a sauna and Jacuzzi". If you miss your allocated hour with the sauna and Jacuzzi, you'll miss the spa entirely as it's only available during your time slot. But if you make it, you'll enjoy the privacy.
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?
Who do you think would like it?
Why did you give the spa this rating?
Would you go again?
First impressions?
Swinton Park must have one of the most dramatic entrance gates ever. You cannot help but pause at the huge entrance gates to admire the turreted tower and castellated roofline. No wonder the hotel is a popular venue for weddings. Swinton Park is a stone castle, complete with a tower, set in parkland with five lakes.
Inside, the hotel has huge public rooms including a wonderfully elegant drawing room and a grand dining room with a ceiling covered in gold leaf.
How did they welcome you?
Promptly. A smart waist-coated porter came out to collect our luggage and park the car. We were expected and shown to our huge room, which had windows overlooking the acres and acres of grounds.
What happens next?
We went down to have a sandwich in the drawing room, then I went off to find the spa.
Which treatments did you have?
I had the comfort zone watersource facial.
What were the treatments like?
Excellent. The facial began with Jane, my therapist, stroking my arms to help me settle down, then holding my chest while I did some deep breathing. There followed an eye and lip cleanse. The moisturising cream she used next was noticeably creamy; Jane spread it over my neck and shoulders so that she could do a really good deep massage.
For the face mask, Jane put a fine white cloth over my face. There was a hole for my nose, but not my mouth, and I had to make myself stay calm and breathe through my nose. An arm and hand massage distracted me from the feeling of not being able to breathe. Jane removed the mask and followed it up with a quick moisturise. At the end, I sat up and had some water.
How did you feel afterwards?
Nicely relaxed from the various massages and ready to have a lie down.
What happens afterwards?
Jane took me to the relaxation lounge, a nearby room that had three two-seater sofas. There were no recliners and there was nowhere to go and really laze around except my room. The relaxation lounge was light and airy with wooden floors and display areas around the walls showing samples of the products, including several testers. However, the room felt more like a waiting room than a relaxation room. I had a small glass pot of camomile tea, and sat and read for a while.
Was it worth it?
The comfort zone facial was exceptionally good. I felt rested and relaxed but, most importantly, my skin looked considerably brighter and smoother. In fact, my eye area looked dramatically different. Not only had the dark circles gone but the papery thinness of my skin had been replaced with a smoother, wrinkle-free tightness. Top marks for making me feel and look much better.
What else could you have?
Comfort Zone facials and body treatments. The Body Strategist Nutritional treatment contains fresh pumpkin cells. Which is unusual, to say the least. There's Jessica manicures and pedicures, and spa beauty treatments. Crystal Light therapy promises to balance your chakras. Men can enjoy a macho Sportsman's Massage or the wonderfully-named Deep Science Sportstyle massage. It's a deep tissue massage using hot and cold stones.
The spa offers training Partner massage and Baby massage, for tots from six weeks to six months old.
What do you wish you'd known before you went?
That the "spa" area is booked by the hour. We were a bit late and my welcome letter showed me as being in the spa an hour before my treatment. Rather than rush my much-needed sandwich, I thought I would go to the spa after my treatment. Bad choice! At Swinton Park, the spa is a private affair and you have to book it for an hour at a time. We had missed our "slot" and had to be squeezed in at the end of the day.
The "spa" has a Jacuzzi, sauna, shower, changing area and two recliners. Robes and slippers are supplied, and there is a water cooler in the spa room. Since there is no pool, it's fine to use these facilities just for an hour, and the privacy idea is good. But it does mean that the "spa" has very limited availability, and you can't just relax and use what you want when you want.
Who do you think would like it?
Anyone who likes walking; the grounds at Swinton Park are huge (200 acres) and there are plenty of easy walks to follow. Falconry, archery, cricket, quad biking, mountain biking and croquet are all available and there is a cookery school offering residential and one-day courses. So if you fancy a few days of trying your hand at new things, this is the place for you.
Foodies will enjoy the exceptional food. Don't miss the quail with apple risotto, or the brill with pig's cheek cannelloni. There is also a wonderful cheese trolley with a wide choice of very well kept cheeses. We ate so much that we had to go for a walk around the walled garden before breakfast; the garden does cover four acres so it gives quite a good workout first thing in the morning!
With just 30 bedrooms, Swinton Park feels, and is, exclusive. You get complimentary gin and whiskey with mixers in the bedrooms along with the more usual tea and coffee. All the rooms are large and ours had a huge bathroom, with a surprisingly small bath and shower in it!
Why did you give the spa this rating?
Swinton Park is a splendid hotel in wonderful grounds with high standards of service and excellent food. It should have a really good spa alongside all the other interesting things it offers. But the spa needs to be much more joined up - literally!
The "spa" room, where the Jacuzzi and sauna live, is on the ground floor. The spa reception is on the first floor. The treatment rooms and relaxation lounge are on the next floor. I set out from my bedroom wearing my robe and slippers but rapidly regretted getting changed, as I spent so much time wandering up and down the building.
The standard of treatments is very good but Swinton Park just doesn't have the facilities to back the treatments up. There is no pool, but even without one, bringing all the facilities physically together would improve the user's experience considerably. In its current format, the spa at Swinton Park earns 3 bubbles. The spa feels rather dated. Over the past few years, the spa market has changed and developed a great deal. To catch up, Swinton Park needs to offer a more complete "spa" experience.
See more on how we rate the spas
Would you go again?
I would go back to the hotel tomorrow for its wonderful setting and lovely food. I would book in for the cookery school and to try my hand at falconry. I also would book a treatment or two with the wonderful Jane, but I wouldn't book a specific spa stay.
We visited Swinton Park in July 2008
See also:
* Contact Details for Swinton Park
* Facials that use specific products
* Brand spotlight: [ comfort zone ]
|
|
|