Review of Clarice House, Colchester

Clarice House Colchester - 3 bubbles

Clarice House Colchester is a health club and spa in the picturesque Essex countryside. With plenty of space to eat, swim, steam, or catch up over a coffee, Clarice House makes a perfect destination for a sociable spa day with friends. Offering a range of absolute steals for day packages, Clarice House is a popular place, so just don't expect to find a quiet corner for contemplation.

First impressions?

How did they welcome you?

What happens next?

Which treatments did you have?

What were the treatments like?

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?

A smart mansion house with neatly landscaped gardens. In the summer sunshine, the cream building looked very attractive next to green lawns and vivid azaleas. There is car parking in front of the building. I (Shy Spy) had been invited to Clarice House and took my mum along to try a mother-and-daughter spa day. We parked and then got slightly confused as to which of the two entrances to approach. We were there to have spa treatments, and to use the health-club facilities.

How did they welcome you?

We found the main reception desk through a couple of doors. The first receptionist we spoke to took our names, then passed us to one of Clarice House's spa concierges, Gill. Friendly Gill then gave us a quick tour of the facilities, advising on the route to the changing rooms and where to wait for treatments.

Clarice House is made up of treatment rooms, a good-size gym, a pool area, and a restaurant and lounge. The pool area has a hydrotherapy pool as well as the swimming pool, a Jacuzzi, steam room, sauna and aromatherapy room. There isn't any space for quiet relaxation away from the masses, so this area feels more "health club with treatment rooms" than "day spa".

What happens next?

We went to get changed. We found our bright white robes and slippers in our lockers in the clean and tidy changing rooms. Again, the changing area did feel like a health club. There were a number of lockers, but they weren't particularly spacious. The linen was clean but basic and there were no other provisions that you would expect to see in a spa. No toiletries or spa products were provided and there were no decorative touches.

Robed, we went to the lounge to have a cup of tea whilst filling out our consultation forms. One of the reception staff gave us our forms on a clipboard (complete with two-for-one spa- deal vouchers under the form). We went to the spa reception to meet our therapists, Vicky and Laura.

Which treatments did you have?

I had a "full manicure"(45 minutes, £27) and a Germaine de Capuccini Mediterranean Delight candle massage, which is part of the Mediterranean Glow day package (massage is one hour, currently £50 Tuesday to Thursday, £57 any other day, usually £100/£115). My package also included use of the pool area and a two-course lunch.

What were the treatments like?

Vicky and Laura took Mother and Me to a double treatment room on the ground floor. The spacious room had large shuttered windows and was decorated in calm, neutral tones. Vicky and Laura left us to change out of our robes and get comfortable on the massage beds.

When our therapists returned, they began our synchronised candle massage. This obviously sounds a little scary as melted candle wax is perhaps a tad too scalding for a relaxing massage. The candle in question is actually a "candle" made up of a solid body-balm of beeswax and essential oils. The lit wick turns the balm to oil, which our therapists drizzled over us and massaged in whilst warm. Our therapists began the massage at our shoulders and gradually worked around our bodies from left to right. The wax was quite warm, but the heat was very soothing as it helped ease up tense muscles to make the massage more relaxing. The gentle fragrance of lavender and mandarin oils lingered until the oil had cooled.

When our therapists had concluded the massage, they offered us water and left the room while we changed back into our robes. While we popped outside to choose our nail colours, they prepared the same treatment room for our manicure. The therapists opened the shutters and the curved floor-to-ceiling windows to let in fresh air and sunshine.

Mother and I moved to two chairs in front of the manicure units and displayed our digits. We had a chat to our therapists as they cleansed, corrected our cuticles, and painted away. Nails a lovely shade of coral, we thanked our therapists and made our way to the restaurant for lunch. There are sofas in the lounge area if you want to relax after a treatment, but no dedicated quiet relaxation room.

What happens afterwards?

Still slightly dazed from our massage, we made it to our table. Lunch was two courses of very tasty food. I was very impressed with my duck and raspberry salad. The dish was carefully cooked and struck a perfect balance between healthiness and indulgence. There were plenty of options on the menu ranging from hearty steak or sausages through to salads and sandwiches.

After we had eaten, and taken some time to relax at our table, we went to check out the pool facilities and the gym. Relinquishing in a shower the massage oil that our therapists had applied, we tried the pool and thermal facilities. The pool at Clarice House is 20 metres long and an even, shallow depth, designed for gentle swimming. The water was at "swimming temperature" -- slightly cooler than a spa pool. The pool is housed in a wood-framed extension to the main building and has large windows at one end to stream in the light and the view of the grounds. The hydro pool didn't have multiple stations with varying jets to try, but it did have a swan tap to pummel our shoulders and seat jets for the lower back.

The sauna and steam room were both of a decent size and temperature, and everywhere was perfectly clean. The aromatherapy steam room didn't smell particularly fragrant and some of the ceiling lights appeared not to be working. When we visited, the pool area wasn't very busy, so we had plenty of space to steam and relax in the Jacuzzi.

Was it worth it?

Clarice House offers spa days at very reasonable prices that include lunch, treatments, and use of the facilities. The food and treatments we had were definitely worth the price.

What else could you have?

A whole host of treatments from Germaine De Capuccini, ESPA and CACI. Thirteen whole pages of them on the Clarice House website. There are facials, massages and body treatments in abundance, but Clarice House Colchester also offers a full range of beauty treatments, hairdressing, and male treatments, plus there is a rasul in a double treatment room.

The day packages at Clarice House are quite extensive, and most include a two-course lunch and use of the pool facilities.

Who do you think would like it?

Clarice House isn't a place to come for complete relaxation unless you visit during quiet off-peak times. Clarice House is perfect for groups wanting to socialise and catch-up over a meal, after a massage.

Why did you give the spa this rating?

We gave Clarice House Colchester 3 bubbles. If you book on a spa deal, you can get fantastic value for money in a lovely setting. If you don't book on a spa deal, though, then you may judge this spa differently. There are no luxury touches, so Clarice House feels more health club than spa. If you are a health-club member, that's fine. If you're a spa guest, you may not be impressed by the lack of soft touches. The food at Clarice House was very good, the spa concierge and therapists were polite and friendly, and the treatments were of a professional standard. But I do get the impression that you need to visit at off-peak times to make the most of the facilities. We visited during the week, and the spa wasn't too busy. But we have heard from many readers who have had a different experience at weekends.

See more on how we rate the spas.