Review of Craxton Wood (Macdonald Hotel), Chester

Craxton Wood, Chester - 3 bubbles

Single Spy discovered a lot to like about Craxton Wood. A wonderful wrap, complete with lavender eye-pillow and fluffy duvet, for a start. Craxton Wood is more health club than spa, but well worth a visit for a good-value spa treatment or two.

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?

Who do you think would like it?

Why did you give the spa this rating?

Would you go again?

First impressions?

Craxton Wood is a modern hotel, not far from the busy cities of Liverpool and Manchester, but charmingly hidden in its own little wood. A brook flows through the grounds, bluebells abound in spring, and modern extensions house a banqueting suite -- popular for weddings -- and the spa and leisure club.

How did they welcome you?

Efficiently. I was soon apprised of the whereabouts of my room (up some secret stairs). You can tell that the hotel has been extensively remodelled, as there are small unsigned staircases, blocked-up doorways, and little nooks and crannies, but everywhere was clean and well-ordered. There is a comfortable lounge and restaurant, with a conservatory and a patio area by the lawn.

My room -- 201 -- was large, deliciously decked out in purple tones, with a comfortable bed, two elegantly upholstered chairs to take tea in, a curving window seat with views over the lawn and to the blossoming trees, and some sparkling mineral water awaiting. The bathroom was clean, white-and-beige-tiled, and contained adequate toiletries, but no luxuries.

What happens next?

I had a cup of tea to recover from my journey, then walked over to the gym, which is in a separate building, along with the gym, pool and a café area.

The changing rooms are standard health-club changing rooms, in need of a lick of paint in places, although someone has gone through and sprinkled some little flowers in vases by the sinks. There are banks of wooden lockers, a play-pen to put your children in while you change, a couple of private changing cubicles, a spindryer and plastic bags to cart your wet kit home in. The showers are quite basic though seemingly recently tiled, and have "wash" rather than dedicated hair and body products. The showers were a bit manky round the edges, and could have done with some TLC. There are also hairdryers and some moisturiser in a bracket on the wall.

The 18-metre swimming pool is pleasant, large and bright, but is a hotel and health club swimming pool, so you are likely to come across children in it unless you're swimming after 7pm at night. The sauna and steam room are a reasonable size, too.

The gym is also serviceable, with plenty of machines to choose from, and I had a good workout, which is always one of my favourite aspects of a spa visit.

Which treatments did you have?

I had the "Spa Mosaic Envelopment treatment in the "Relax" flavour (you can also choose Detox, Tonic, or Flow, and all cost £50 mid-week and £54 at weekends for 75 minutes).

My therapist, Karen, knew that I had had a facial the day before, so wanted to try something different, and a body treatment was the obvious choice. Unfortunately, Karen didn't know that perhaps my least favourite spa treatment is a wrap, as it brings back memories of being wrapped in foil like a chicken with some thyme seasoning, lying bored on a massage table unable to scratch my nose and wondering if the fire alarm is about to go off. Still, I smiled and said it would be perfect. I warned Karen that I had just come from the gym and, for both our sakes, might benefit from a shower beforehand, but Karen reassured me that she would start with exfoliation, and I'd have a chance to shower that off shortly.

What were the treatments like?

Karen began the treatment with me lying on my back, wearing a pair of glamorous paper knickers, covered with a towel. She rubbed my arms, legs, back and shoulders with exfoliant, then showed me how to work the shower so I could rinse it all off again, using a flannel. A shower cap kept my tresses out of the way. Karen asked me to get back on the bed face down, on the plastic sheet, once I was dry, which I dutifully did.

Karen started the "wrap" part of the treatment by pouring warm oil over my back, careful to ask if the temperature was acceptable. It was. Just as I was beginning to realise that this could be a really good massage, Karen realised I was not comfortable with my face turned to one side (I wasn't), so asked me to move up the bed so I could put my face into the face-holder. This aligned my shoulders and allowed Karen to work on my neck and shoulder muscles. She had a great touch: not as deep as a Swedish massage might go, but enough to give some much-needed de-knotting treatment to my laptop shoulders. She worked her way around my shoulders, down my spine, asking me to take deep breaths so she could apply pressure on the out-breath, and into my neck. This was great!

Karen also firmly massaged my legs and arms, using generous quantities of oil, which made the massage feel smooth and intense. I would have been happy if the entire treatment had focused on my shoulders, but I was up for seeing what else what going to happen. Or not seeing, as Karen asked if I would like a lavender eye-pillow, and no one has ever known me say no to this question.

Karen applied a soothing something to my arms, legs, stomach, and back, then wrapped me up in the plastic sheet, some towels then, as a piece de resistance, put a white duvet on top. I certainly wasn't going anywhere in a hurry now. I waited for Karen to announce that she was leaving the room, as so often happens, which is my cue for fidgeting, but no -- there followed an absolutely divine scalp massage. The rhythmic touch was so relaxing, I began to drift away. I probably did lose consciousness, but felt it was extremely de-stressing and beneficial even while I wasn't conscious! I loved the way Karen signalled the end of each phase of treatment with diminishing feathery stokes that got lighter and lighter until they disappeared.

Once my skin was full of lavender and petigrain, Karen announced that it was time to shower that off. I washed my hair, which was full of oil from the scalp massage, but I left much of the oil on. There followed a final moisturise, and I was done. Karen said she had felt a lot of tension around my eye area, and I wasn't surprised. I spend most of my working life, contrary to popular opinion, squinting at a screen rather than swanning around a spa.

So, this was a treatment I thought could never be perfect. Amazingly, it was. It was one of the best wraps I have ever had. And I have had many. Thoroughly recommended.

How did you feel afterwards?

My skin felt soft and smooth, and so did my mind.

What happens afterwards?

I went and had lunch in the café. This was an odd experience as, at the weekend, there were quite a few families in there and I felt a little self-conscious sitting alone in my robe. The boy with the toy gun at the next table was a little unnerving, too.

The tomato soup and chicken Caesar salad were a welcome nutritional send-off, but this is "café" rather than "restaurant" food.

Was it worth it?

The treatments are extremely good value and competitively priced, especially if you can go mid-week.

What else could you have?

You can choose from Decleor facials and body therapies, including a Sunset after-sun treatment, Perfect Contour anti-cellulite massage, and an "electrical" Galvanic facial. Hot stone therapy, hopi ear candling, and a cleansing back treatment are also on the menu.

There's a range of facials, body treatments and manicures/pedicures for men, and a selection of beauty treatments.

Pamper days start at £69 for a midweek Crystal day, including an express facial, and Back, Neck and Shoulder massage.

Who do you think would like it?

The spa is actually part of Craxton Wood health club, and that does colour your whole experience. However, anyone looking for good-value treatments, and who doesn't mind that the health club environment isn't the last word in luxury, will find something to enjoy here.

Why did you give the spa this rating?

We gave Craxton Wood 3 bubbles because the facilities and environment are more health club than spa, but the professional treatments make the spa well worth a visit.

See more on how we rate the spas.