Review of Imagine Spa, King's Lynn

Imagine Spa, King's Lynn - 4 bubbles

Our Sybaritic Spy was invited to take her daughter to Imagine Spa for a day of mother-and-daughter bonding. They enjoyed the fire and ice experience and a double treatment, but found the spa slightly overcrowded.

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?

Who do you think would like it?

Why did you give the spa this rating?

Would you go again?

First impressions?

Imagine Spa is in a single-storey brick building, set within a small walled garden in the grounds of the Best Western Knights Hill Hotel. Imagine is a busy health club, and looks and feels like a health club: a bit scuffed around the edges and rather basic. Step into the spa area, though, and the feel is completely different. The atmosphere is quiet, with low lighting and candles, soft sofas and chairs in the reception area, and wooden flooring. I felt a deep sense of relaxation.

How did they welcome you?

A member of staff greeted us at the reception area, and gave us a quick tour. There is an indoor heated swimming pool with sauna, steam room and Jacuzzi, and a gym, all of which are part of the health club.

In the spa, there are two double treatment rooms, two single rooms, a relaxation area and a thermal treatment area. All the treatment rooms have their own showers and are very spacious. There's a hammam table for massages as well as a manicure/pedicure area.

The changing rooms at Imagine Spa are also shared with the health club. The changing area is a large, well-lit room containing lockers on two walls, a wooden seating area in the middle of the room, and a mirror with two stools and three hairdryers (one of which did not work). There are several showers, a couple of loos, and a few changing cubicles. The floor was gritty underfoot -- not surprising since health-club members had been coming in and out all day. The wash basins had black mould around the taps, but the showers and loos were clean. The lockers are metal and seem to have air conditioning inside them; while our robes and towels were white and fluffy, they were also very cold and needed a few minutes warming up out of the locker before we could use them.

What happens next?

We went along the corridor to the spa proper, where the atmosphere was warm and comfortable. The reception area has wooden floors, a two-seater wicker sofa, and two chairs with white cushions and low lighting; the area felt relaxing and comfortable.

Emma, the spa manager, greeted us with chocolates and a glass of champagne, but also offered us fresh fruit juices. The juices are made on the spot using a small juicing machine and taste wonderfully fresh; a nice simple touch that lifts the greeting at Imagine out of the ordinary. While we sipped our drinks, we filled in our consultation forms and perused the list of spa treatments.

At Imagine, you book "time", then, on the day, choose your treatment. I thought this was a great idea as you can wait and see how you feel, although my daughter (who hates having to make a decision without three days' notice!) found this stressful. So spa lovers, if you like to savour your choices and think things through, check their website before you go.

We had time before our treatment to visit the Thermal Suite. We sat side by side on the warmed tiles at the foot bath and soaked our feet in warm water. We then moved onto the aroma steam room; various essential oils (orange, apple and pine) are added to the steam at different times, so each time you visit this room, it smells different. The tropical rain shower offered a fine, warm mist which I enjoyed, while my daughter stepped into the monsoon shower which was cooler and refreshingly minty. The ice fountain means the brave can scoop up ice and rub it in to cool down. It feels wonderful, but don't stop and think about it! We sat in the crystal chamber which wasn't really warm enough for us, so headed back to the aroma steam room to warm up. We did a few circuits and enjoyed the various sensations. Adding scents into the experience is a great idea. It is a pity that the sauna is along the corridor by the pool as a few minutes in dry heat would have been welcome.

Which treatments did you have?

We were booked in for four hours in the spa with one hour of treatment time. My daughter opted for a full-body massage and I chose to have a 30-minute neck-and-shoulder massage followed by a 30-minute facial. This left us with enough time to try out the pool and sauna in the main health club and to use the fire and ice experience within the spa.

What were the treatments like?

The couples' treatment room is generously proportioned. Stephanie, my therapist, had plenty of space to work without bumping into her colleague who was carrying out my daughter's massage on the nearby bed. Stephanie took time to ask me what I wanted from my massage and to identify my stressed areas. Stephanie combined deep-tissue work on my very tight shoulders and neck with some long, stretching massage strokes; her pressure made me feel that the massage was doing some long-term good (unknotting those muscles) as well as relaxing me. Stephanie then held up towels while I turned over for the facial.

The facial was pleasant although, at 30 minutes, not particularly deep or dramatic. Stephanie cleansed and exfoliated my skin and applied a mask. The Babor products felt rich and creamy. Stephanie gave me a little more neck massage, followed by a short hand and arm massage, before removing the mask and moisturising my skin.

My daughter had an hour-long massage and said not a word during this time. She was obviously very, very relaxed. At the end of the treatment, we sat on our beds drinking water and chatting about how lovely the treatments were and how nice it was to not have to do anything for a while. I think we had both felt a little awkward about having a dual treatment but it worked out very well.

How did you feel afterwards?

Great. We were ready for a good lie-down in the relaxation room.

What happens afterwards?

The relaxation area is where this small spa has a problem. The five relaxer chairs in the relaxation room were in use, and so was the wooden seating area. We perched on the end of this area for a while, hoping someone would go off for a treatment, but it was lunchtime and food started arriving on trays for the people already there.

It was obvious that the room would be full for some time. Our only choice was to go and sit at the tables by the reception. But the reception area is by the front door, so is not very warm in winter when you're wearing a robe. Plus, people come and go all the time, so the reception area is not very relaxing.

Long-term effects

We both felt de-stressed and my skin looked bright and clean.

Was it worth it?

Well, Imagine could be worth it. You can get very good value half-days at the spa. However, Imagine can get really busy, as it's the only good day spa in this area of East Anglia. There were a total of 26 people booked in on the day we went. Most were there for half-days, but that did mean that at lunchtime -- when the morning spa goers were still there and the afternoon ones were arriving -- the spa was rather crowded.

What else could you have?

Imagine Spa focuses on relaxation and renewal. The spa offers manicures and pedicures but not waxing or other beauty treatments. That works well as it maintains the spa atmosphere. Imagine offer some unusual treatments, too, the Aromatherapy Bath is very indulgent: your therapist adds rose petals, orange slices and a little goat's milk to a jet bath while underwater lighting changes colour as you soak.

There is a huge hammam table made of stone, which they use for exfoliations; they also do a "Raindrop massage" where your therapist drips warm oils onto your body, then massages them in. There is also a serail mud bath in which you coat your skin with various mineral muds, then sit in a steam chamber while the mud soaks in. A "rain shower" from the ceiling of the chamber washes the mud off at the end of the treatment.

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

To book treatments early in the day, so that we could get a seat in the relaxation area!

Who do you think would like it?

The large double treatment room is ideal for mothers and daughter, couples or best friends. You can book the whole spa for a group of friends, which would make a fun birthday. For holidaymakers visiting the area, a half-day at Imagine would be a good-value holiday treat.

Why did you give the spa this rating?

Imagine Spa keeps its 4 bubbles, mostly because the thermal suite is fun and makes a great focus to the day. The treatment rooms are a good size and the treatments delivered to a high standard. But having to eat in the relaxation room is not ideal and the spa did feel crowded.

See more on how we rate the spas