Review of Center Parcs Elveden Aqua Sana Spa, Brandon

Center Parcs Elveden Aqua Sana Spa, Brandon - 4 bubbles

Sybaritic Spy and Friend set off for Aqua Sana on a snowy day and found a warm haven of spa. What better way to beat the cold than lolling about in a Balinese multi-steam bath and an Indian Blossom steam room? Our Spy loved her Elemis Absolute spa ritual. She's hoping to return to this sociable spa with all of her friends...

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?

A warm haven. We visited Center Parcs on a bitterly cold and snowy day. A member of staff directed us to the car park beside the Aqua Sana spa. The lights were on in the spa and we crunched through the snow into the warmth.

How did they welcome you?

We were expected! The receptionist immediately gave us a coloured wrist-band so that we could come and go during the day, if we wished. But once we were in the warmth of the spa, we weren't going anywhere...

What happens next?

The receptionist sent us through to the changing area and told us that the spa hostess would meet us in the café once we'd changed into our robes.

The changing rooms: Just inside the door of the changing rooms are shelves of towels and robes. You help yourself, and can pick up dry ones at any time of the day. It took us a while to work out that the larger robes are on the top shelves as there were no labels but, once we had cracked this logical arrangement, all was fine. The robes and towels were all in good condition -- no faded or fraying ends. The robes do not have pockets, so if you want to carry small items around with you, take a small bag. I juggled my glasses and a book and a hanky, and kept dropping them or leaving them behind. Don't forget a pound for the lockers as well.

We changed and went through to the café where we had a drink. The spa hostess came and introduced herself. It's a clever idea to have someone on hand to welcome people and to answer questions, especially for anyone who hasn't been to a spa before.

The hostess explained that our spa day included drinks on arrival, and lunch. We could, if we wished, save our pudding and have it with our afternoon tea! She also suggested pinning our locker keys onto the top of our robes. It was a useful tip, as we realised when we hung our robes outside the heat experiences area -- there were several other identical robes on the hooks.

Our spa treatments were booked for the afternoon, so we went through to the spa and spent the morning there.

The spa area is down some steps, prettily scattered with paper rose petals. There is a small lift for people with mobility problems.

At the centre of this Aqua Sana spa is the open-air hydrotherapy pool. All the other heat experience rooms are built around this pool. The many heat experiences all face the pool, so as you come out of each, you know just where you are.

The hydrotherapy pool itself is quite small. It has massage jets around the edge, so you move from jets that tackle your shoulders to ones that focus on your back and even some for your feet -- which I found ticklish. It's fun sitting in the warm water having your back massaged and looking up at the cold winter sky -- but chilly getting in and out.

We spent the whole morning working our way around the heat experiences, spending 10 to 20 minutes in each, with time in between to relax on the water-beds and drink plenty of water.

The idea is to try a variety of experiences: hot, warm, cool; and dry to very humid, starting with the cooler ones and working up to the very hot ones. Each heat experience room has been tiled and decorated differently to try to recreate the feel of, say, a Roman laconium -- all tiles and laid back loungers. The Balinese multi-steam bath has a Buddha in the middle, and the Indian Blossom steam room looks like a miniature Indian palace. Aqua Sana have done this very well and the experiences are different enough to make you want to try them all. The rooms are clean and in good condition - as is the spa generally.

My friend likes her heat experiences hot and dry. I like mine warm and moist, so we picked and chose and met up occasionally on the loungers or in the pool. My favourites were the steam rooms with various essences in them -- especially the Indian Blossom steam room. I especially liked using the experience showers in between the heat rooms. You can cool off with a tropical rainstorm or an icy downpour depending on how brave you are feeling. At one point, I snuggled down on a wonderfully soft water-bed for a while... and woke up 20 minutes later having had a quick snooze.

Neither of us were quite brave enough to try the outdoor terrace which had loungers and "furs" to wrap yourself in, but a few hardy souls were out there enjoying the contrast between the warm spa and the icy day outside.

Which treatments did you have?

I had the Elemis Absolute spa ritual. This involves a deep-tissue massage and a relaxing facial (£95 for 1 hour and 55 minutes of treatment time). My friend had a Volcanic Mud Detox Wrap Floatation (£52 for 55 minutes).

What were the treatments like?

We waited in a rather echoey and not very warm area just the other side of the spa café. A member of staff gave us health forms to fill out before our therapists came to collect us, and they took us up the wooden staircase to the good-sized treatment rooms. After a chat about my health form, my therapist explained the stages in the Elemis spa ritual; she then began my treatment with a light body brush. She followed this with a lovely deep, deep massage. I had asked for the focus to be on my neck and shoulders and my therapist took my request seriously. I could feel her working on the knots of tension created by spending far too long at my computer. It was tender at times, but she checked with me that the pressure was right and I encouraged her to keep working on those knots.

The massage was followed by a facial that involved many different stages: cleansing, exfoliating, toning, a deep cleansing mask, and plenty of uplifting massage.

The Elemis Spa Ritual is a great combination treatment. You feel that you have been well worked over, and I'm sure that the relaxation the massage brings shows on your face.

My friend went off for her mud floatation treatment feeling rather apprehensive about what it entailed. She came back having been body brushed, coated in warm mud and wrapped up in a plastic sheet. She was amazed when the bed underneath her filled with water for the "float" part of the treatment. She came back completely hooked on the benefits of stretching the spine in this way. My friend -- who admits to being "Miss Fussyboots" herself -- felt her therapist coped very well with the way she changed her mind during her treatment. Music up, music down, music off, firmer massage, please... No, not that hard...

How did you feel afterwards?

Clean, plump-skinned and wonderfully relaxed.

What happens afterwards?

We met up again in the café and sat drinking tea and just feeling very laid back. It was a great time to talk, and a good end to a lovely day.

Long-term effects

I slept well for the next few nights and my dry, wintry skin looked much better for a few days.

Was it worth it?

Aqua Sana is stunningly good value for money. When we visited, they were running a two-for-one offer, so for £70, my friend and I had use of all the spa facilities along with drinks and lunch. Even at the usual full price of £70 each, this is still a good-value spa day, as there are so many different experiences to try.

The treatments are a fair price, too. If you've bagged such a bargain spa day, you can afford to indulge a bit when choosing some treatments.

What else could you have?

Aqua Sana offers a good range of Carita, Decleor and Elemis facials and body treatments; you can try Carita's revitalising warm stone therapy or an Elemis exotic frangipani body nourish wrap. There are dual treatments for friends, couples, and mothers and daughters, along with treatments for mums-to-be, teens and men.

What do you wish you'd known before you went?

That the changing rooms get very crowded at the end of the afternoon. There were 20 people getting dressed. We had to queue to find a space on a bench to park our clothes. The spa itself is notably busier in the afternoon than the morning, so we would suggest that you enjoy the spa in the morning and book treatments for the afternoon. Oh, and avoid the changing rooms between 4.30 and 5.30pm.

Any special features?

The range of experiences and the friendly staff at Aqua Sana, who go out of their way to greet people and check that they are enjoying their stay.

Who do you think would like it?

Anyone who likes a bargain. Groups of friends; a dozen or so people were meeting up to share a birthday on the day we were there. Anyone who wants to take a day out to recharge batteries.

You don't get hushed luxury at this spa -- and you shouldn't expect it. Aqua Sana is more in the tradition of the Roman baths where people would go to socialise and gossip.

Why did you give the spa this rating?

Aqua Sana earns a good 4 bubbles. Everywhere is clean and well maintained, the range of facilities is good, treatments are well-delivered and the customer care is spot-on.

However, the café is a little uninspired and the cakes are quite expensive. The treatment rooms were pretty noisy; the wooden staircase means that you hear people going up and down while you are trying to zone out during your massage.

The biggest drawback is the small changing rooms, which are very crowded in the afternoons. Avoid that by timing your trip to avoid the spa in the afternoon if you can. Aqua Sana is open until 9pm so you can miss the rush hour -- both in the changing rooms and on the roads.

See more on how we rate the spas