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Spa Sirene, St Helier - 5 bubbles
Spa Sirène is a serene bonus in a stylish place to stay. This luxury hotel spa is in a basement, but the pool, heat experiences and dramatic decor make up for the lack of sea views. The gorgeous Phytomer treatments left our Spy smooth, soothed, and suitably refreshed.
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?
The Royal Yacht, centrally placed in St Helier, is actually one of the island's oldest hotels, dating from the 1820s. The hotel was where the Jersey Lily, Lillie Langtry, held her wedding reception in 1874. However, The Royal Yacht was treated to a £35 million expansion and refurbishment programme and reopened to much excitement in July 2007. I was equally excited to receive my invitation to visit. The new building is modern and deceptively large: they give you an orientation guide on arrival.
How did they welcome you?
Efficiently. The reception desk is in a tall atrium which is very impressive and airy.
I went up to my Platinum room on the third floor. This was a contemporary space with a balcony overlooking the harbour, a very comfortable bed with soft sheets, LCD TV, DVD player, and free internet access. As they also have 24-hour room service, I didn't see why I would ever need to leave.
In the pristine bathroom were bathrobes, slippers, a bath and a shower, and a lifetime's supply of white towels.
What happens next?
The spa is in the basement, but is well lit to make up for the lack of natural light. There is a bright area by the reception desk with a couple of chairs, and some tea-making facilities.
The changing rooms are spacious and bright, with large beige tiles on the floor and an enormous mirror. The light wooden lockers are similarly roomy and contain your robe, towel and slippers, with plenty more towels freely available.
There is a glass door through to five showers, all equipped with shampoo and conditioner. The showers are on a timer, so you have to keep pressing the button for more water. This is very commendable and green, if irritating. Back in the main changing rooms, there is plenty of body lotion for afterwards, hairdryers, and plastic bags to tote your wet costume home. There's no spin-dryer, but it's difficult to see where they could put one without breaking the elegant lines of the lockers and mirrors.
I changed and went through to the pool area. This is a very pleasant, rather turquoise environment with a glistening light lattice on the far wall and sails covering the ceiling like a ship. The rectangular pool was a good temperature for swimming. The gym is small but bright and functional, located next to the pool.
No children under 16 are allowed in Spa Sirène, so your swim is unlikely to be disturbed by people paddling by on inflatable dinosaurs. The hotel provides free passes to Aquasplash, a 5-minute walk away, for families who wish to swim and whizz down slides.
There are nicely mosaicked "experience" showers at the edges of the pool, a pleasantly hot wooden sauna behind a glass door, a circular mosaic steam room with twinkly ceiling lights, and a further steam room, both satisfyingly hot, both with crystals. (One steam room is meant to be an "aromatherapy" steam room, but I couldn't tell much difference between them, except to spot that one is bigger than the other.)
There is also a brown and cream shower where you can pour a refreshing bucket of cold water over yourself when you get too hot, and come immediately to your senses. Mosaic-tiled footbaths provide further sensual delights.
There are a few benches and a couple of wicker loungers round the pool, as well as some wicker chairs which are so large you could hide away in them to get your breath back in between swims. Menus on the tables feature salads, sandwiches and smoothies.
Since my last visit, they have introduced a clock in the pool area, so you can get out of the water or heat in good time for your treatments. I filled in my health consultation form in the pool area, at a table with plastic jugs of water and ice cubes.
Which treatments did you have?
The spa had put together a soothing set of treatments for me: a Smooth Operators sea salt scrub (30 minutes, £37), a Get Fresh wrap (60 minutes, £67), and a One of a Kind -- a customised back, neck and shoulder massage (45 minutes, £52).
What were the treatments like?
My therapist, Julie, took me through to the treatment room. The five treatment rooms are away from the main corridor of the spa, so the noise from people coming and going is reduced. The treatment rooms are all named after mermaids, Selkie, Melusine, Jalpari, and so on, which is a nice nod to the proximity of the sea.
Julie explained the treatment and asked me to don some paper underwear. I took off my robe and settled onto a firm, wide treatment bed covered in brown towels. The wall I was looking at had been covered by a swishy net curtain and soft lighting, to give a gentler ambience, further enhanced by the swishy music that was playing.
Julie started the treatment by applying a sea-salt scrub into my skin, then massaging it away, along with my dull skin. The pressure was perfect, and the effect on my skin was stimulating.
The next step was the deep-cleansing wrap. Julie smoothed on more ocean-based ingredients, which smelled pleasant rather than marine, and then wrapped me up in a swathe of blankets. The bed was heated, too, as the heat promotes the absorption of the active ingredients into your skin. While I was being moisturised by sea-minerals, I felt so comfortable, so warm, and so relaxed, I found it hard to stay awake. It was a wrench to leave the calm cocoon, but I had to. Julie helped me very professionally into the shower in the treatment room, preserving my modesty and dignity at all times.
While I showered away the marine mud with a supplied mitt, Julie tidied the room, so that when I emerged -- soft, smooth, and distinctly detoxified -- everything was neat and clean again; she had thoughtfully left a new set of disposable underwear for me, too.
Julie completed the wrap by using the Phytomer Tresor Des Mers moisturiser to nourish my newly exfoliated skin; this satiny cream contains algae extracts as well as herbs, so very dreamy. Julie then gave me a divine back, neck and shoulders massage. I started on my front, so she could get into my knots, then lay on my back while she attacked my computer-destroyed neck and the base of my scalp. Again, the massage was so relaxing that I found it hard to stay awake. In fact, this time I didn't stay awake. (Julie was far too polite to comment on my snoring.) I wanted this massage to go on forever, and the time flew by too quickly.
To close, Julie brought me some water with freeze-dried minerals (Oligomer) in it, and a Phytomer card, with the products she had used (and recommended) highlighted, along with their prices. Sadly, I had to explain that I wasn't going be buying anything. For a start, I was flying with hand baggage only, and couldn't cart anything over 100ml through security.
I sipped my chilled water, put my robe back on, and went out to the corridor where Julie awaited me.
How did you feel afterwards?
Perfectly smooth, and with nicely unknotted shoulders. My mix of treatments refreshed both body and mind.
What happens afterwards?
Julie took me through to the relaxation room, which is at the far end of the pool, and left me to relax on one of the three heated ceramic loungers. I could have done with a few more reading materials in the relaxation room as one magazine, engaging as it was, couldn't sustain me long, nor could the palm tree with changing lights.
Once I was warmed through, I went back to the changing rooms to get dressed.
Later that evening, I ate dinner in Sirocco, the very elegant dining option in the hotel, which has a large and dramatic paper chandelier. I thoroughly enjoyed my pan-fried fillet of bream, which was beautifully displayed alongside crushed citrus potato, buttered spinach, and saffron caviar velouté. The cheese is also highly recommended. The large terrace must be great for al fresco pre-dinner g and ts in the summer.
The service from the attentive and polite waiters was excellent, as it was again in the morning, where there was a lavish buffet with good choices of fruit and cereals as well as hot food, and items you can ask be cooked to order (such as my favourite, poached eggs).
Was it worth it?
The Royal Yacht provides top-end value at reasonable prices for the luxury on offer. The spa is a great addition to a hotel stay and the treatments are competitively priced.
What else could you have?
Spa Sirène offers a range of Phytomer treatments; this marine-based product range is made in the nearby French town of St Malo. There are massages, facials and wraps, all with poetic names. The spa's signature massage is "Lavender Lullaby", using local Jersey lavender. We love the spa's signature "Me Me Me" facial, customised with Phytomer products to suit your skin type, unclog your pores and oxygenate your dermis. The treatment also includes a back massage and bubbling sea mud. Good combination.
There are also imaginative treatments for men and for mums-to-be.
You can also have manis and pedis using the Essie range, Ionithermie slimming treatments, and some complementary therapies. Finishing touches include waxing, eyelash tints, and tans.
There is a rasul room which is beautifully done with slate showers; if there are two of you, you can scrub your skin with sea salt and slather mud over each other in the rasul, then move next door into the double hydrotherapy sea-water bath, where you may relax with champagne and "seductive nibbles", then go through into a double treatment room for a massage. A hedonistically impressive journey!
What do you wish you'd known before you went?
You need to know that use of the spa is only available to hotel residents, members, and people booking spa treatments over £75.
The Royal Yacht overlooks the busy Liberation Square. The traffic noise may wake you early in the morning if you are sensitive, so book a higher floor if you're worried. If luxury is your object, go right to the top: the Moongazer and Starcatcher penthouse suites have Jacuzzis on the balcony, a spa bath, a driver to and from the airport, and champagne on arrival.
Who do you think would like it?
Adults, obviously. Unusually for a hotel pool, children under 16 aren't allowed in, so the spa stays an adult-only area, which helps to preserve the relaxed atmosphere. Locals, also obviously, but The Royal Yacht is popular with people on weekend breaks in Jersey, too. To enjoy the serenity of the spa, therefore, mid-week visits will give a greater chance of peace. Groups can take advantage of the spa packages, which offer good value; these vary seasonally so call the spa for details. You can also book a spa hen-party.
Why did you give the spa this rating?
We gave Spa Sirène at The Royal Yacht 5 bubbles. The spa has good facilities, and a calming atmosphere. Most places were fresh and clean throughout, although some of the heat experiences could do with an attack with a wire brush.
I enjoyed the Phytomer treatments very much, as they offer customised care. The one thing missing for me was a little warm area where I could sit and relax peacefully with some herbal tea after my treatment. There are some chairs by the pool, but that area can get noisy, and the ceramic loungers, while lovely, are not soft and squishy.
The staff were all attentive and friendly, so customer service gets top marks.
See more on how we rate the spas.
Would you go again?
Definitely. The hotel provides a variety of environments you can relax in, from cocktails in Cafe Zephyr, to steaks in the grill, to tea in the lounge... The spa is a peaceful space in this bustling hotel.
We visited Spa Sirene at The Royal Yacht in October 2010
See also:
* Contact details for Spa Sirene at The Royal Yacht
* Wraps
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