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Spa Sirene, St Helier - 5 bubbles
Everything Spa Sirène does, it does well. That's why Single Spy gave it 5 bubbles. It's in a basement, but the elegance and serenity make up for the lack of sea views. The spa is a peaceful space in a bustling luxury hotel, and our Spy left feeling serene, and quite siren-like.
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. (Fortunately, the wedding didn't prove too much of a hindrance as Ms Langtry enjoyed her finer moments of fame as mistress to the future king Edward VII.)
However, The Royal Yacht was recently 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.
How did they welcome you?
Adroitly. The reception desk is in a tall atrium which is very impressive and airy.
I went up to my Platinum room on the fourth 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 have 24-hour room service, I didn't see why I would ever need to leave.
In the pristine bathroom were bathrobes, slippers, plenty of white towels, a bath and a shower, and Salvatore Ferragamo bathing products, which were nicely scented.
I ate dinner in Sirocco, the very elegant dining option in the hotel, which has an open kitchen (always entertaining) and a large and dramatic paper chandelier. The menu tends towards the foie gras and lobster, foams and emulsions side of the culinary arts, and features local pork and lamb, line-caught sea-bass, four kinds of bread and three kinds of butter (which I thought was marvellous). 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).
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. A Natural Magic candle was burning (we're great fans of these at The Good Spa Guide) shimmering with a Christmassy scent. The staff were expecting me and issued me with a health consultation form, which I filled in at the pool area, at a table with plastic jugs of water and ice cubes.
I went through to the changing rooms. These 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 neither too hot nor too cold.
No children under 16 are allowed in Spa Sirène, so your swim is unlikely to be disturbed by people paddling by on inflatable dinosaurs (unless you're in with a particularly boisterous bunch). The hotel provides passes to Aquasplash, a 5-minute walk away, for families who wish to swim and slide.
I had a good swim, and thoroughly annoyed the people swimming with me by turning on the swan pipes at the far end of the pool, which I thought would come on individually and massage my neck. All three swan pipes came on at once, were quite chilly, and splashed at such a strange angle that they disrupted the whole top end of the pool. "I'm sorry," I said, through mouthfuls of water. Luckily, my fellow spa-goers were spa addicts who welcomed the swan-pipe experience.
There are nicely mosaiced "experience" showers at the edges of the pool, a nicely hot wooden sauna behind a glass door, a circular mosaic steam room with twinkly 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 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 of the day.
There is no clock in the pool area, which caused much conversation between those of us booked in for treatments. We were reduced to peering through the windows between the pool and the gym, to see if we could spot the time on one of the screens on the wall, ("If we're in luck, they might be showing BBC News 24!") No joy. I went to look for my watch.
Which treatments did you have?
I had the spa's signature Me Me Me facial treatment (£80 for 1 hour and 15 minutes). This is a facial that is 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.
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.
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 net curtain and soft lighting, to give a gentler ambience, further enhanced by the piano music that was playing.
Julie asked about my concerns, and I mentioned the dark circles under my eyes, which she specifically targeted during the facial. After the cleansing, Julie asked me to sit up and mixed some marine mud, which she spread over my back and shoulders. When I lay down again, I could feel it bubbling beneath me. Very soothing and, I am sure, remineralising.
Julie used two face masks during the treatment. The first was a marine mud mask, and while the mud was unclogging my pores and generally cleansing, Julie gave me a foot massage, which was excellent. There was also a relaxing and moisturising Hydracontinue mask, and while that did its work, Julie gave me a scalp massage, commenting on my tense jaw.
I think I am the only person I know who could manage to be tense while bubbling in marine mud, being moisturised by sea-minerals, and having her head massaged. Perhaps it was a response to the rather urgent violin which had joined the soothing piano on the soundtrack.
Julie washed off the marine mud with warm flannels, put eye contour cream around my eyes, and pronounced me done.
How did you feel afterwards?
Nicely relaxed, smooth, and with a much less tense jaw.
What happens afterwards?
Julie took me through to the relaxation room, which is at the far end of the pool. She offered me water with freeze-dried minerals (Oligomer) in it, and left me to relax on one of the three heated ceramic loungers. She gave me a Phytomer brochure, with the products she had used (and recommended) highlighted, along with their prices and a mention of which were on special offer. 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 noticed that the products Julie had highlighted were mainly from the "preserve the skin's youthfulness" page, and the Ogenage range "for mature skin", so she had obviously customised the facial correctly.
I could have done with a few more reading materials in the relaxation room as the Phytomer brochure, engaging though 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.
Was it worth it?
The Royal Yacht isn't a place to stay or spa if you're feeling cost-conscious, but it 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?
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 lasting 2 hours and 20 minutes, and yours for £255.
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; "I've overdone the man-eating" involves a seaweed body mask and controuring cream "for sirens that have eaten one to many sailors and can't get into their party frocks". The spa's signature massage is "Lavender Lullaby", using local Jersey lavender and promises to provide "gentle soothing". There are also imaginative treatments for men and for mums-to-be.
You can also have manis and pedis using the Essie range and Fleurs make-up, which uses flowers. Finishing touches include waxing, tints and tans.
What do you wish you'd known before you went?
You may like to know that The Royal Yacht overlooks the busy Liberation Square. The traffic noise may wake you early in the morning if you are sensitive to this sort of thing, 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.
You may also need to know that the spa is only available to hotel residents, members, and people booking spa treatments over £75.
I wish I'd known there was a gym; it's small but bright and functional, located next to the pool. I'd have packed my trainers.
Who do you think would like it?
The Royal Yacht is popular with people from the UK over on weekend breaks. To enjoy the serenity of the spa, therefore, midweek 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.
Why did you give the spa this rating?
We gave Spa Sirène at The Royal Yacht 5 bubbles. The spa has good facilities, and was still quite new when we visited, so everything was fresh and clean throughout. Unusually for a hotel pool, children under 16 aren't allowed in, so it stays an adult-only area, which helps to preserve the spa atmosphere. The health-club membership is also limited, for the same reason.
I enjoyed the Phytomer facial very much, and felt the treatments offered good value. The one thing missing for me was a little warm area where I could sit and relax peacefully with some herbal tea. 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, but a little less selling on the lounger would be good.
See more on how we rate the spas.
Would you go again?
I would definitely go back to The Royal Yacht, where the spa is a serene bonus in a stylish place to stay.
We visited Spa Sirène at The Royal Yacht, Jersey, in December 2008
See also:
* Contact Details for Spa Sirene
* All Spa Reviews
* Facials
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