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Wood Hall, Wetherby - 3 bubbles
We sent Sybaritic Spy to Yorkshire to sample the Wood Hall Spa. She loved the hotel, the setting, her treatment and her langoustines. She was less impressed by the showers. Her verdict? A small spa that offers good value, but time your visit carefully to make the most of your relaxation opportunities.
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?
Wow! Wood Hall is a delightful country house set on a hilltop overlooking the Yorkshire countryside. The lane leading to the hotel starts on the adjoining hill and winds down into the valley and up the other side, so you have plenty of time to admire the house, built in the 1750s of mellow local stone. The house has been renovated with some style and with a dramatic mixture of old and new.
How did they welcome you?
With an invitation to take a seat in the lounge, which had comfortable chairs and sofas arranged around an open fire. I sat in a bay window and absorbed the lovely views.
What happens next?
After my welcome cup of coffee, someone showed me to the spa, which is in a wing of the house. You have to go outside very briefly, but for long enough to discourage anyone from going down to the spa in a robe.
There is a reception area, and a café with two soft sofas and several tables and chairs. A group of yummy mummies were enjoying a chat after taking their tiny babies for a swim. A glass wall revealed the reasonably sized swimming pool and Jacuzzi. Staff gave me a robe, towel and slippers, and showed me to the changing rooms, passing the small but well equipped gym on the way.
The changing rooms are quite compact. There is one loo, one small individual changing room, two showers, 18 lockers and a wooden bench with coat hooks above. The changing rooms are quite light and bright, with pale tiles on the floor and walls, and wooden locker doors.
There is a mirror and two hairdryers but no seating nearby, so you have to stand to dry your hair or do your make-up. It was quite wet underfoot by the showers, with water pooling in places.
I had a swim in the pool, tried out the steam room, which was nice and hot, and lazed in the Jacuzzi for a while. The pool area is quite dark; most of the light comes from the glass wall through to the café, so the Jacuzzi end is light but the other end is not.
Which treatments did you have?
I had an Espa Holistic Back, Face and Scalp treatment (£60 for 85 minutes).
What were the treatments like?
There are two good size treatment rooms. Mine contained a large firm bed swathed with cream coloured towels. The dark walls and low lighting made it feel restful. It was a shame about the distant, but constant, bump of someone on the running machine in the gym next door. Rebecca, my therapist, and I were relieved when it stopped and we could focus on the gentle music.
Like most ESPA treatments, the Holistic Back, Face and Scalp treatment began with a smell test. The theory is that your body will "tell" you what you need, so Rebecca asked me to smell cotton pads with different fresheners poured onto them and to tell her which I preferred. She repeated the test with the oils she would rub onto my skin. I chose the invigorating oil and the floral version of the skin freshener, a combination that certainly seemed to do the trick. Rebecca asked if there were any key areas she should focus on and we discussed my hunched, laptop shoulders.
Rebecca left me to get undressed and I got onto the table face down. On her return, Rebecca wrapped my feet in towels and did some firm holding of my legs and body, finishing with a gentle rocking of the whole body. It was nicely relaxing and I felt myself slow down and get ready for the massage.
After she had cleansed my back, Rebecca started the massage. The massage was very good, with much attention to detail. Rebecca worked carefully and diligently on the knots around my shoulders and neck, and did some brilliant spine stretching using her forearms.
Rebecca invited me to turn over while she held up the towel. She then checked if I was warm enough and offered me some water before she began the facial. After cleansing and massaging my skin, she applied a face-pack. While the face pack did its magic, Rebecca carried out a focused scalp massage, working from the top of my neck, which was horribly tight and tense, over to my forehead and back again, with firm holding and careful pressure. I almost fell asleep and it was so lovely I didn't want it to end.
How did you feel afterwards?
Wonderfully relaxed. My shoulders and neck were looser and my skin looked much brighter.
What happens afterwards?
Rebecca took me back to the café area and offered me a drink. The café felt rather cold after my massage, especially as I was dressed just in a robe. The recliners near the pool area were warmer but it was rather dark in that area, and there was no view, so I settled down on the soft sofas and read the papers. In the middle of a weekday morning, the spa was almost empty. I had a quiet few minutes to catch up on what was happening in the world.
You can order food and drinks in the cafe area, although the food is not especially "spa" food and it is very pricey; Sandwiches for £7.50, A Ploughman's for £17, braised lamb shank for £18, and steaks for £17 - £25 pounds.
There is a terrace outside that you can sit out on in warmer weather.
Long-term effects
I left the pink hair and scalp mud in my hair for a few hours, so my hair felt nice and silky when I showered later. My tension levels had been much reduced by the massage, so my neck and shoulders felt good.
Was it worth it?
The treatment was very good value, and the special offers make Wood Hall Spa even more affordable. Look out for the "2 for 1 Spa Experience" offer or something similar and bring a friend without breaking the bank. Accommodation starts from £115 a night, although the special offers on the website are again worth checking out.
What else could you have?
You can choose from a range of ESPA scrubs, wraps, facials and massages, including treatments specifically for men and for mums-to-be. You can also have pedicures and manicures, hot stone therapy, and complementary therapies such as Hopi ear candling and reflexology. There is also a good variety of Spa Day and Spa Stay packages.
What do you wish you'd known before you went?
That the spa is so small. Also, it is more of a hotel health club than a spa. There is no real area to relax in after a treatment apart from the café area. The Wood Hall health club has a couple of hundred members, so tends to be busy early morning and early evening. At weekends, members can bring their children between 9am and 6pm. So if you are after a bit of quiet relaxation, you need to time your visit very carefully.
Any special features?
The setting is stunning and Wood Hall hotel itself is delightful. There are just 44 bedrooms so it all feels very exclusive. The food is wonderful and much of it is sourced locally. Driving to the hotel, I passed a fish stall in one of the nearby villages and the locally caught langoustines looked so delicious that I was tempted to stop and buy some. So I was delighted to see them turn up on that night's menu. They tasted as good as they looked.
Who do you think would like it?
Foodies, keen walkers and anyone wanting to escape to proper English countryside. Wood Hall is a romantic sort of place and would be ideal for couples.
Why did you give the spa this rating?
If the Wood Hall hotel were a car, it would be a rather grand and elegant silver Bentley. Sadly, the spa is more of a Mini. It is very compact and we suspect can be crowded at times, although the treatments are well delivered. In summer, you need to book treatments some weeks ahead as there are only two treatment rooms.
Most of the spa is very clean but, oddly, the showers had some mould in them. I say "oddly" as it wiped off easily with a rolled-up bit of loo roll (see what the Spa Spies have to do in a day's work?) so the build-up was very recent. Plus, there was that pooling of water just outside the showers. The carpeted area on the way into the changing room also appeared to have a water leakage problem.
We gave the spa 3 bubbles as we think it could do with a little TLC and some touches of luxury to bring it up to the standards of the hotel. Adding some salads and possibly some smoothies to the menu in the spa would help, too.
See more on how we rate the spas.
Would you go again?
I would like to see the spa in the summer when you can use the small terrace. And I would love enough time to walk in some of their 100 acres. The food alone would tempt me back, as well!
We visited Wood Hall in February 2009
Like the sound of this? You're in luck.
Follow this link to book a special spa offer at Wood Hall with our partners lastminute.com
See also:
* Contact Details for Wood Hall
* Facials
* Read more spa reviews
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