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Grand Hotel, St Helier - 5 bubbles
The Grand Jersey has a twilight cocoon of a spa that offers ESPA treatments tailored to each spa-goer. The hotel spa is in the basement, so lacks natural daylight, but plush brown velvet, grey slate, and hot pink details define a distinctively different spa offering. The pool and excellent heat experiences make a great addition to a treatment, and don't miss the chocolate brownies.
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?
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 Grand Jersey is old-fashioned but upmarket, with lots of marble flooring, dramatic lighting, and a champagne bar where you can try about 100 different types of champagne while enjoying the ocean views. My sort of champagne bar, then.
The classic hotel is on the Esplanade in St Helier, overlooking the bay and Elizabeth Castle, which has to be a great view, no matter what the weather.
How did they welcome you?
I came by taxi and almost before I had finished paying, staff were opening the door and swooping my case into the lobby.
My room was a compact suite with a great view of the castle, free internet access, a large soft and squishy bed in a separate bedroom, and table and chairs for relaxing. There was a large black and white photograph on the wall and the furniture was covered in brown suede, which tells you everything about the look they are trying to achieve. I liked the bathroom, clean with white ceramics and chrome, and stocked with White Company products. (The spa also sent me up some delicious ESPA products to help me struggle through my ESPA desert.)
Off I went to the spa, on the ground floor of the hotel. Spa manager Jane greeted me and took me through to the changing room. The spa layout is very interesting, with grey stone steps up and down around a central turret, a bit like a medieval castle. However, there is also access for people with mobility problems. The geography is a bit confusing the first time you visit, but there are six treatment rooms including two double treatment rooms, a pool and heat experiences area, a gym, and a relaxation room.
The changing rooms have grey slate floors; there are three loos and a hand-basin on the first level as you go in, then there are stairs down to the main changing area. There are banks of dark wooden lockers and a small private area for changing. If you are booked in for a treatment, staff will give you a locker key, and your allocated locker will contain your slippers, a gorgeously soft robe and towel. There are plenty of spare towels around, though, which is always helpful if you like to dry your hair as well as the rest of you.
Up a few stairs in a separate area are five showers, each with shampoo and body wash (but no conditioner).
There are two "workstations" with black marble shelves, mirrors, hairdryers, pink ghd hair straighteners, some deodorant, cleansers and cotton wool (but no moisturiser). Stylish chrome stools and hot pink seating add further touches of colour. There's also a welcome cold water dispenser so you don't get dehydrated.
There is a small but reasonably equipped gym with cardio-vascular equipment on one side of a dividing wall and resistance machines and weights on the other. As the spa is in the basement of the hotel, the atmosphere tends towards the gloomy, and this is most apparent in the gym, where there is no sea view to get you motivated. The equipment is all efficient and in working order, and there is one screen on a wall to watch, should you wish to watch something while you cycle or run.
What happens next?
I went through to the pool area clutching a plastic-laminated credit-card-sized card, which contained my instructions for the correct performance of the balancing waters ritual before my treatment. The pool area is rather dim, again in dark stone, and may or may not be hushed depending on what time of day and season you visit, because, the pool is open to hotel guests and their children.
I really enjoyed the heat areas. I started, as instructed, in the steam room. The steam room is large, and could seat 15 people comfortably. It has black marble seats, shiny mosaic tiles on the walls, and twinkly lights in the ceiling. When you can see the lights, that is, for this steam is hot and dense. Some of the tiling needed a good scrape on our visit, but everything was generally clean.
Into the Caribbean rain "experience" shower, with changing lights and temperatures, then into the wooden-benched sauna, also nicely hot. To cool down, I tried the chilling Mist shower, and concluded with a short swim.
Ritual complete, I showered and changed into my robe. I waited in the relaxation room for my therapist to collect me. The relaxation area is a dimly lit warm room with soft music, six comfortable loungers, and a good choice of herbal teas on offer, as well as iced water. I made myself some green tea and had a tiny chocolate brownie while I waited. Sweet touch.
The relaxation room is reserved for people having treatments, so is not too crowded. While the room is not crowded, however, it's not always quiet. Therapists wandered in and out chatting away, looking for their next customer. A little hush wouldn't come amiss.
At bang on the appointed time, my therapist, Chloe, turned up and took me through to the treatment room. Like most things in the spa, the room was dimly lit, but comfortable.
Which treatments did you have?
I had the ESPA advanced holistic body care (115 minutes, £100) which also included hot stones.
What were the treatments like?
Very good. I began, as is usual in an ESPA treatment, with their "sensory test". Chloe asked how I'd like to feel after my treatment: relaxed, but uplifted, I said. (I was meeting a friend and didn't want to be entirely semi-conscious.) Chloe chose two oils for me to smell, dabbed them on my wrists, and I went for the fitness oil, as I often do. The combination of cloves, rosemary and peppermint, along with other essential oils, obviously deeply appeals to me. I also chose the floral spafresh, which is particularly suitable for dry skin (mine). I got onto the treatment bed and Chloe began the treatment with a body brush and scrub. She worked her way round my body with the brush, followed by an apricot-kernel and aloe exfoliating scrub. Chloe then repeated the process on my front before asking me to wash everything away in the shower in the corner of the room. Chloe set the shower going and told me how to turn the shower off (a necessary instruction), and pointed out the shower gel and fresh towel.
I showered off any lingering apricot kernels and towelled myself dry before arranging myself face down on the treatment bed. The second part of the treatment involves a massage, facial, and head massage. Chloe began by massaging my back and shoulders with the fitness oil, working her way down my body with firm movements. The back and shoulder massage was certainly deep, but sometimes not focused. For heavy knots, Chloe used more elbow than fingertips, which certainly allows for greater pressure, but doesn't always allow a therapist to follow the contour of the muscle very exactly. A good workout for my tense muscles, though. The soothing massage sadly came to an end and the facial began. Chloe applied a generous amount of ESPA's hydrating cleansing milk to my face and chest and placed lotion-infused eye-pads over my closed eyes. After the cleansing, I enjoyed the toning with the floral spafresh. As so often in an ESPA treatment, the scents were enough to send me over the river of crystal light and into a sea of dew... (Land of Nod). An aspect of the facial I particularly enjoyed was the facial massage - very relaxing and great for circulation.
Chloe applied 24-hour eye complex to my eye area, a cool and soothing eye cream, and moisturised my face with smooth concept regenerating face treatment oil.
Chloe ended the treatment with a deep head massage using ESPA pink hair and scalp mud. I wasn't sure I wanted more oil on my hair, but Chloe was determined, despite the hair band, and the oriental head massage turned out deeply relaxing.
A little "ding" of a cymbal announced that the treatment had come to an end. I was only a little dazed and confused.
How did you feel afterwards?
Uplifted. As promised.
What happens afterwards?
Chloe took me back to the relaxation room. She settled me on a lounger and I tried to read one of the few magazines around but could barely discern it through the gloom. There are reading lights, but they don't provide very much illumination. You could, however, relax by marvelling at the very fancy free-standing lights over near the table with the water and tea: glamorously pink and shiny.
At dinner that night, my friend and I ate at Victoria's. Attentive service, delicious food (I enjoyed my fresh fish, particularly) and fine wine. We had a great time!
At breakfast the next morning, there was a lavish buffet breakfast to choose from, and perfectly polite chefs served me perfect poached eggs.
Was it worth it?
Yes. The Grand, Jersey, offers good value treatments in a spa setting which is highly individual.
What else could you have?
You can have a range of ESPA treatments, including facials, massages, wraps, and back treatments. There are treatments specifically for men, for mums-to-be, and for teens. There is also a couples therapy suite for partners, mums and daughters, or friends who like to spa together. A range of day packages allows you to truly indulge.
You can also have Jessica manicures and pedicures, waxing, tanning, and lash and brow treatments. Fitness evaluations allow you to concentrate on your inner as well as outer well-being.
Any special features?
The spa is a refreshing change if you've visited too many lately with a white clinical look.
The steam room is quite something; the showers and sauna, together with the pool and Jacuzzi, make the pool environment as entertaining as it is energising.
Who do you think would like it?
Anyone who is staying in the hotel should go along and enjoy the pool (although not all at once as it's not that big). Anyone who finds twilight relaxing.
Why did you give the spa this rating?
We gave The Grand Jersey 5 bubbles. The spa has good facilities, and was generally fresh and clean (although some of the grouting in the steam room needed attacking with a sturdy scourer when we visited).
The hotel is luxurious and the staff were unfailingly friendly and helpful.
The spa isn't perfect; there are some small pinch points -- the lack of conditioner and moisturiser in the changing rooms, the sometimes noisy "relaxation" room, the absence of daylight, the sharing of the pool with children -- none of them very much in themselves, but they might puncture your bliss on a spa day.
See more on how we rate the spas.
Would you go again?
I certainly would. The lack of daylight can make the subterranean spa feel gloomy, so this spa won't suit everyone. However, I enjoyed a relaxing experience with fun facilities and liked the spa and the hotel very much. I hope they invite me back before too long!
We visited The Grand, Jersey in October 2010
See also:
* Contact Details for Grand Hotel St Helier
* Massage
* Our Spa Spies review ESPA products
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