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Lucknam Park Hotel and Spa - 5 bubbles
Sybaritic Spy discovered her dream treatment at Lucknam Park and delighted in the stunning pools, the beautiful spa, the elegant hotel and the fabulous food. She also left looking ten years younger than when she arrived.
First impressions?
How did they welcome you?
What happens next?
Which treatments did you have?
What were the treatments like?
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?
Lucknam Park is a luxurious country mansion tucked away in the Wiltshire countryside just off the M4. The main entrance has a mile-long avenue of beech trees framing the Georgian house, so you approach with a real sense of drama and style. My spouse was driving and I very competently map-read us in from a side road, so we swept in at the back entrance!
How did they welcome you?
The staff recovered quickly from surprise at our decision to sneak in the back way. They greeted us as we got out of the car, helped us to unload, and whisked the car away to the car park. Someone took our luggage straight to our room while someone else showed us across the large courtyard to the new spa.
The spa has been cleverly positioned to one side of the original Georgian building and a large courtyard of converted outbuildings, and created in the same stone, so blends in well.
What happens next?
We oohed and aahed a bit since the spa is so stunning. The 20-metre indoor pool at Lucknam Park is under a domed glass roof, which is double-skinned with heaters in between the skins. This means that the air temperature around the pool remains comfortably warm. Along one wall of the pool, set just above the water, is a 4-metre panel of flickering fire. The pool is lined with inky blue mosaic and is a constant depth.
In the hydrotherapy pool, there is a swan pipe and water jets at various levels and angles, so you can ease your aching muscles wherever they happen to be. There is also an outdoor area of the pool. The energetic can dive under the screen between the two pool areas but, if you like to keep your hair dry when swimming, you can press a button and a section of the screen glides away to let you out into the fresh air.
Alongside the pool are the thermal suites, including a large sauna, which was nicely hot, Japanese salt and amethyst steam rooms, which were invigorating, and a tepidarium with warm tiled loungers to relax on. All these heat experience rooms have glass fronts, so they feel light and airy. There is also a single-sex sauna and steam room in the male and female changing areas.
There is plenty of outdoor space with loungers in a sheltered garden area and around the smaller outdoor salt-water plunge pool.
Once we had toured the pool area, I sent my husband for a swim while I got ready for my treatment.
Which treatments did you have?
I had the Carita Pro-Lifting Firming Face and Eye treatment (90 minutes, £120).
What were the treatments like?
My treatment room was large with windows along one side screened by blinds. Lucknam Park spa has nine treatment rooms, with warm wood, marble and limestone finishes in neutral colours. There is air conditioning and recessed lighting which makes the rooms feel comfortable and relaxing.
Lisa, my therapist, explained the various stages of the Carita facial: cleansing, exfoliating, several masks including specially formulated micro-masks for the eyes and around the mouth, and arm and leg massages. The high point of the treatment would be the use of the Ideal Pro Lift machine which delivers an electric current, using two pads, to help push the rich serum into the skin and tighten up sagging muscles. (So that's why the Spy team elected to send me!) All these delights would be combined with a "lifting" massage of the décolleté and neck area.
I decided to relax and give in to the ministrations of an obviously very competent therapist. Lisa went out of her way to make sure I was comfortable, offering support under my knees and checking that I was warm enough. The wide and comfortable treatment bed was heated, but gently enough for it to be relaxing rather than overwhelming.
Lisa worked quietly, only talking when she wanted to let me know about the next step. I was glad of the warning when it was time for the use of the Pro Lift machine as the sensation was strange. There was a tingling deep in my skin when Lisa worked on the area around my chin and my eyes. The feeling wasn't unpleasant, just odd. Lisa explained that she could turn the power down if I was uncomfortable. I wasn't, but when she offered to turn it up (as it creates a greater effect), I wasn't quite that brave, so we stayed with the original level.
I was glad that the treatment also included some very good, relaxing massage on the arms and legs, as well as a facial massage that stimulated pressure points, and a wonderfully strong, uplifting massage with strokes over the neck area. The treatment could feel rather medical and therapeutic but, with the massages and the rich serums and creams, it felt indulgent.
What happens afterwards?
Lisa offered me a hand mirror, and waited while I took a good look at the effects of her hard work. Once she could persuade me to stop looking in the mirror and expressing my amazement at the difference in my appearance, she took me along the corridor to the relaxation area. She brought me a tray of herbal tea and some slices of fresh fruit.
The relaxation beds are huge and electronically controlled. I played with the controls and found an angle that was just right for drinking tea. I could then easily drop the back of the bed when I wanted to nod off, as you do after a good spa treatment.
Long-term effects
Lisa told me that the effects of the Carita Pro Lifting Firming Face and Eye treatment usually last for about a week. The tightening effect around my jawline certainly lasted for four or five days. A couple of weeks later, the fine lines on my top lip have only just crept back, and the brightness of my skin is still apparent.
You're recommended to have four or five of these treatments quite close together, then have them regularly about once a month to maintain the effects. Now I know what all those older models and actresses spend their time doing!
Was it worth it?
Oh, my goodness, yes. I looked and felt great -- and people noticed! There were nice comments about my looking well, and even second glances from some people. My very analytical husband detected a noticeable difference in my jawline, and suggested that next time he carry out before and after measurements. I couldn't stop looking in the mirror. The problem is, I now want the Carita facial again. And again. I suddenly understand why people get hooked on Botox.
What else could you have?
The two key brands at Lucknam Park are Anne Semonin and Carita. You can have facial and body treatments using both brands. There are also treatments for men including the Made to Measure Grooming Facial.
For daughters who want to be a "mini me", there are "Little Misses" spa treatments including a 30-minute facial. Spa days start at £125 and include a facial or massage, plus light lunch with a glass of wine and use of all the facilities.
Spa stays cost from £385 per room per night and include champagne and chocolates in your room, two one-hour treatments, dinner in the Brasserie, and breakfast, but you do have to book for a minimum of two nights.
If you want to spa while your partner follows more energetic pursuits, there is an equestrian centre (and 500 acres to hack in), two outdoor tennis courts, and a five-a-side football pitch.
What do you wish you'd known before you went?
How delightful the setting is. Lucknam Park is elegantly furnished, the gardens are delightful to stroll around, and those 500-acre grounds are large enough for some energetic walking (or cycling or riding, since there are both bikes and horses to hire). The spa is interesting enough to spend a whole day in.
Our bedroom was huge with windows on two sides overlooking the grounds, a "his and hers" marble bathroom with two basins and two showers, and a four-poster bed so large and luxurious that I could only just climb up onto it. I wish I had planned to stay longer so I could enjoy Lucknam Park all the more.
Any special features?
Don't miss the pool in the evening. The curved roof has lights of various colours in each of the sections and the "firewall" along one side is lit. You can swim alongside the flickering flames, looking through the coloured roof to the gathering darkness outside.
Who do you think would like it?
Foodies: Lucknam Park won our Good Spa Guide Award 2010 for the best spa food, up against some very strong competition. The main restaurant has two Michelin stars, so make sure you get in some lengths of the pool to build up an appetite for the many delightful courses. Home-made bread arrived baked in tiny flowerpots, the macaroni was hand-rolled and served with a truffle butter sauce, and the local lamb was meltingly tender. The Brasserie, which has a wood fired oven, offers lighter but no less lovely dishes.
Romantics: You feel as if you have stepped into the set of a Jane Austen novel as you wander around the hotel. Lucknam Park is a great venue for a special occasion (as I hinted to my husband).
Spa-lovers: With such a different pool area and a variety of heat experiences, there is plenty to do, and there is a wide choice of treatments.
Anyone over 40: The Carita anti-ageing facial is wasted on the young. Its most dramatic effect is to hoist up all those areas of the face that tend to drop as you age. Ideal before any special event.
Why did you give the spa this rating?
We gave Lucknam Park 5 bubbles. Lucknam Park is a luxury hotel with a capital L, and a stunning spa with a capital S. The standard of service is also excellent, with staff happy to help. We left our camera in the car so wandered downstairs to go and collect it. Someone immediately offered to bring it to us in the Brasserie -- which they did very promptly. So Lucknam Park wins on all counts.
See more on how we rate the spas
Would you go again?
Would you go again? Just let me get my diary... On second thoughts, just tell me when!
We visited Lucknam Park in June 2010
See also:
* Contact Details for Lucknam Park
* Facials that use specific equipment
* Why should I spend my money going to a spa?
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