Review of Center Parcs Sherwood Forest Aqua Sana Spa, Newark

Center Parcs Sherwood Forest Aqua Sana Spa, Nottingham - 4 bubbles

Sybaritic Spy and Spouse were invited to Sherwood Forest to try the Aqua Sana experience at Center Parcs. They loved their treatments, were impressed by the range of facilities on offer, and are planning to return to this good value and sociable spa. But they'll probably take their own carrot cake.

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?

First impressions?

The spa is set in the forest of Center Parcs, slightly away from the village centre. The reception was calm and cool when we arrived, with candles and cream leather chairs.

How did they welcome you?

With a wristband to allow access to the spa, and an invitation to go through to the changing rooms and choose a robe and towel. There were plenty of robes available, and in various sizes. The changing rooms were spotless. There are two loos, five showers, two washbasins and six hairdryers. Judging by the number of lockers, the spa is on occasions very busy.

We went through to the conservatory where the spa hostess greeted us and offered us a drink.

What happens next?

We got a tour of the spa. The spa is built around an open-air pool, with heat and experience rooms around it on two storeys. It is easy to orientate yourself and remember where everything is. We began our circuit of the experiences with the footbaths. These have tiled heated seats and automatically fill up and begin to bubble when you put your feet in them.

There are 20 different "stations" around the spa offering a variety of experiences: hot, warm, cool, and dry to very humid. There are waterbeds, reclining chairs, an outdoor Zen garden and a terrace where you can sit outside wrapped in "furs". We happily spent a couple of hours going from one experience to another. We loved the outdoor pool; this is small but has underwater massage jets and a large Jacuzzi area. It is always fun to swim outside when it's cold and grey, as the water was warm and the steam rose gently all around us. It was even better later in the day when there was a torrential downpour.

Which treatments did you have?

We sampled the Elemis Rediscover Romance treatment (55 minutes for £120). I also had an Elemis Volcanic mud floatation (55 minutes for £52) and my husband had a Leighton Denny pedicure (55 minutes for £40).

What were the treatments like?

Heavenly! Very restful. We had a lovely dual massage with our therapists working together in harmony. We started with brushing of the arms and legs, then a back massage, then a neck, shoulder and scalp massage while hot stones did their work down the middle of the chest. The Hawaiian-style "wave" massage was soft and soothing.

The massage is not a deep-tissue massage, so is ideal for wimps. We found it very relaxing; we both drifted off and only just avoided falling asleep.

The next morning I had a Volcanic mud floatation which promised to detox me and improve my skin texture. The treatment began with a body brush, then my therapist coated me in warm volcanic mud and wrapped me up in a plastic sheet. The float part came next. The bed underneath me filled with water and the firm base dropped down so that my spine stretched and curved. My Alexander Technique teacher would have approved.

While my spine was stretching, my therapist cleansed, toned and moisturised my face and gave me a gentle head massage. I then went into the shower to remove the mud. The shower was powerful enough to get the mud off. My therapist sorted out the room while I was in the shower so that I could get back onto the bed once I was dry. She then massaged my skin with exotic frangipani oil; this smelled delicious and left my skin feeling smooth and plump.

How did you feel afterwards?

I felt relaxed and almost spaced out as I met up with my husband in the café. He had a very good pedicure with a therapist who got to grips with his thick toenails and made his feet quite attractive. Not an easy task!

What happens afterwards?

After our "romance"' treatment, our therapists took us off to the relaxation room and gave us a glass of champagne and some chocolates. It was a delightful end to the treatment, and we lazed around on leather chaise-longues and snuggled down under fluffy blankets.

Long-term effects

Spending a day just drifting around was wonderfully relaxing. However, I think I need to do this more often for it to have any real effect on my stress levels.

Was it worth it?

Aqua Sana is jolly good value. For £70 for a day or £165 for an overnight stay, you get a wide range of good facilities, certainly enough to keep you happily spa-ing for the day. And lunch.

Look out for 2 for 1 offers as well, which make Aqua Sana even better value. If you are staying in the park, you can buy a spa pass for £56 for the week.

There is a wide choice of treatments, as well. If you don't really fancy any treatments, you could realistically spend the day in the spa swimming, trying out the hot and cold experiences, lazing in the relaxation chairs, or even having a snooze on the water-bed.

We stayed overnight and it was useful to have a villa very close to the spa, so we could walk up for breakfast at 9am. We had porridge and fresh fruit and felt healthy and virtuous. But the villa was looking quite dated. I swear the soft furnishings haven't changed since we used to take our children to Center Parcs ten years ago.

What else could you have?

There is a wide range of other treatments available, including: reiki, reflexology, massages, facials, pampering for mums to be, treatments for men, and teen treatments.

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

To take a pound coin for the locker. To take flip-flops if you hate being barefoot. I just loved the underfloor heating, though, and preferred to wander around in bare feet.

That they charge £4 for a piece of carrot cake!

Any special features?

Key to the pleasure at Aqua Sana is the way the spa stimulates all the senses. Touch is served with lovely textures from stone floors to soft "fur" blankets to snuggle under on the outside terrace, to the smooth tiles you sit on in some of the heat rooms; there are scents of various essences in the steam rooms and mint in the experience showers; plus you move from light to dark, and feel soft water in the pool.

The spa is so well designed that people just "disappear" into it. There were about 80 people in the spa the day we were there, but it never felt crowded. There were never more than half a dozen people in the pool and we got seats in almost all the heat experiences easily.

Aqua Sana makes good use of the outside space; there is a Zen garden and also an outside terrace upstairs. Even on a very cold winter day, people were sitting outside enjoying the fresh air.

Who do you think would like it?

Me and all my friends!

There were lots of couples at Aqua Sana; some mums who had taken their kids to the kids' club in the village and were escaping for a couple of hours; there were also several groups of friends meeting up.

Why did you give the spa this rating?

We gave Aqua Sana at Sherwood a high 4 bubbles. The spa is attractive and in top condition; everywhere was spotlessly clean. There were plenty of different experiences to enjoy - we specially liked the Indian Blossom steam room which uses ylang-ylang, and the Japanese salt steam bath which uses jasmine and mint essence.

Staff were plentiful and helpful, and you can take fresh robes and towels at any time. So why not 5 bubbles? The spa does only just miss the mark. As you come out of the spa area towards the café and treatment area, the floor gets very wet and slippery. Also, the changing rooms will be busy at the start and end of the day.

The café could be more luxurious and comfortable and some of the food was over-priced. I draw the line at paying £4 for a piece of carrot cake!

See more on how we rate the spas.