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New Leaf Spa at Clumber Park Hotel and Spa, Sherwood Forest - 4 bubbles
Sybaritic Spy and her Spouse always love visiting a new spa, so when the invite came through from Clumber Park, we sent them along. They enjoyed their treatments and the outdoor hot tub, and even managed to survive the paper-knicker crisis. A good-value day spa, then, but a shame about the traffic noise.
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?
Clumber Park Hotel and Spa is an old coaching inn close to what is now a main A road. The hotel has recently been extended with modern wings that create a courtyard, and there is a sparkling new spa with pool, gym and treatment rooms. It looked very smart and smelled very new.
The spa is a health club as well. They take a maximum of ten day-spa guests each day.
How did they welcome you?
We dropped our bags in our room and headed for the spa. The spa is on the ground floor at the back if the hotel. You can also reach the spa across the courtyard or by using the corridors on the first floor. Full marks for access, then.
At the spa, a member of staff greeted us, seated us in the café area (which has a juice bar, tables and chairs and big, squashy sofas) and gave us health forms to fill out.
The café area is spacious, with wooden floors. The area is also light and airy, as there is a glass front wall, glass between the pool and café area, and there is glass between the pool and the outside, so you can see right through to the forest. There are seven treatment rooms including one double treatment room, plus manicure and pedicure places.
What happens next?
Er, they forgot about us. The person who greeted us disappeared into the gym. After about ten minutes, I had to remind them that we were there. They gave us towelling robes, slippers and towels and showed us to the changing rooms.
The changing rooms have two loos, two showers, two seats with mirrors for doing make-up, two hairdryers and one set of hair straighteners. There is hand lotion and hand cleaner at the two sinks. The music in the changing room doesn't quite mask the noise from the gym next door; you can hear people talking through the walls.
I changed and went through to the pool area. This has a dozen or so recliners and a large Jacuzzi on the side of the 12-metre pool. There is a steam room with plastic seats and a reasonable-sized sauna beside the pool, plus a hot tub outside. A large wicker double-seat on the side of the pool is an attractive place to lounge.
There is a very well equipped gym with a Power Plate and fixed bikes that allow you to ride through a virtual landscape.
Which treatments did you have?
I had the spa's signature treatment which was an Elemis Cooling Hot Stone Body Facial (55 minutes for £70).
What were the treatments like?
The treatment room was attractive with wooden flooring and soft aubergine-coloured walls. The table was firm and didn't creak -- always a good sign. My costume was damp from swimming, but apparently the spa has no paper knickers. My therapist offered me a towel to wrap around myself so I could stay warm and dry while I had my treatment. It was an emergency measure that worked well, even if it was somewhat unorthodox.
The treatment began with warm cloths on my feet, which relaxed me immediately. My therapist then gave me a massage using hot and cold stones, which felt lovely on my limbs. A good firm massage on my back followed, with the therapist using her forearms and her body weight. I could almost hear my bones cracking.
Thoroughly massaged, I turned over and enjoyed a facial that involved lots of tightly targeted massage.
How did you feel afterwards?
My back and neck felt great. I could turn my head, and my shoulders were much more relaxed. My skin looked brighter and my jaw line was firmer.
What happens afterwards?
My therapist took me to the relaxation room, which was a dimly lit warm room with soft music. There are four large recliners with cushions in here. My therapist offered me water and I settled down to relax. It was easy enough to drift off to sleep with the warmth and dim lighting.
Long-term effects
I reckon no single treatment has long-term effects but every massage cancels out some of the tensions of life, whether it's too much time spent hunched over a laptop or behind a steering wheel. The same goes for facials, individually they make the skin brighter and firmer for a day or two, it's only in the long term they delay the ageing process.
Was it worth it?
Clumber Park Hotel and Spa offered us a pleasant afternoon with a good treatment. A day package in the spa with a light lunch and a 25-minute treatment costs £60; a day with 1 hour and 25 minutes of treatments costs £99. Not bad value if you live in the area and can make the most of what's on offer. Overnight packages are not quite such good value.
What else could you have?
The New Leaf Spa offers a good range of therapies, including facials that are designed for anti-ageing, skin solutions and skin specifics.
Body therapies cover detoxifying and deep cleansing, deep tissue massages, wraps, and body sculpting cellulite and colon therapy. For pregnant mothers to be, your massage will be adapted to each stage of pregnancy.
Men are also not forgotten and are offered a smaller range of treatments which include facials, deep tissue muscle massage, Aroma stone therapy, and Musclease Aroma Spa Wrap.
There are a variety of complementary therapies, as well as waxing, eye treatments (tinting and shaping), St Tropez Air Tan, and Jessica pedicure and manicures.
What do you wish you'd known before you went?
That the Clumber Park Hotel is so close to the road. The traffic noise woke me early in the morning. Another time, I would try to book rooms in the 50s or 70s; they are near the spa and at the back of the hotel, where it is noticeably quieter.
The swimming pool gets busy in the late afternoon, which is when the health club members tend to arrive, so use the pool area early in the day if you like splashing about in peace.
Any special features?
The outdoor hot tub is very popular. Even on a cold winter's day, it was worth the chilly run from the pool to slide into the hot water and sit in the steamy bubbles. There is room for four people in the tub, and it has a chatty and sociable atmosphere.
Who do you think would like it?
Anyone travelling on business who wants to take some time out for a swim and a massage. Keen cyclists can join escorted rides through Sherwood forest.
Why did you give the spa this rating?
We gave Clumber Park a low 4 bubbles. The spa has good facilities, and was brand new when we visited, so everything was smart and clean. The hot tub is great fun, the treatments are good and the relaxation room is comfortable. The spa bar area is pleasant and the freshly made orange juice is delicious. But the pool is quite small; four people doing laps and it is full.
The hotel is not quite as luxurious as you might expect. The rooms are spacious and well decorated but lack finishing touches such as robes, heated towel rails and even clocks. The Brasserie, where we ate, was noisy, with music loud enough to prevent us talking much. The conservatory restaurant for the evening is much quieter and the food here is quite good. Breakfast is a bit chaotic and rather basic.
See more on how we rate the spas.
Would you go again?
I would go back to the spa at Clumber Park Hotel for the treatments, and to enjoy the hot tub. I'm not so sure I would stay at the hotel, though, as the traffic noise woke me during the night.
We visited Clumber Park Hotel and Spa in November 2008
See also:
* Contact Details for Clumber Park Hotel and Spa
* Massage
* Elemis
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