Review of Clarice House Ipswich

Clarice House Ipswich - 3 bubbles

Clarice House Ipswich invited Shy Spy to visit, and she took along her mother to try a double spa treatment. They both loved their massage and the friendly staff, but not the dated decor of the health club. A welcoming spa in need of a bit of a spruce up, we concluded.

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?

After finding the turn-off towards Clarice House (it's easy to miss), we drove up into the car park. Slightly higher up was the main building, which looked like an old Victorian house with a modern, Travelodge-style, one-storey extension. The building is set back from the road in greenery, and the surrounding lawns, bushes and trees gave an air of tranquillity.

How did they welcome you?

With big, friendly smiles. We first found the beauty reception (a desk and some display stands in a small room) then managed to find our way to the main health-club reception, where the lovely Gemma welcomed us.

The main reception is a part of the spa where the split between the old building and the new is quite evident. After walking through an old-fashioned hallway, you meet a modern, indoor pool. The pool extension may have been responsible for the stuffiness inside the main building, as the air felt a bit too warm and free of ventilation.

What happens next?

We had arrived late, so Gemma introduced us to our therapists, Julie and Claire, straightaway. Our therapists then took us upstairs to a double treatment room. Once you're away from the pool area, the rest of Clarice House Ipswich looks a bit like a retirement home where someone's added a lick of paint and some product display stands. The spa is clean and cosy, but looks very dated and cluttered with mismatching décor. The treatment room was long and narrow, but had plenty of space for two massage beds, a long counter, and for us to change. The room was clean and neat, with some products and decorations adorning the counter. Our therapists left the room for us to change and wiggle under towels on the massage beds.

Which treatments did you have?

We had a Germaine de Capuccini Spiced Sensual Paradise, a massage using warmed poultices (60 minutes, £65).

What were the treatments like?

We found it a little hard to get comfortable as the massage beds weren’t particularly padded. However, the synchronised massage soon had us relaxed. Julie and Claire explained that our treatment would involve hot pindas, which are poultices filled with a fragrant mixture, then warmed.

When the pindas met the massage oil, the warm, spicy scent was absolutely divine. Our therapists worked around our limbs and our torso, pressing and massaging the warmed pindas into knots. They also pushed the pindas into the soles of our feet, and in the palms of our hands whilst they massaged.

The therapists worked almost perfectly in time with one another. They checked we were comfortable, worked on each limb and applied poultices as if it were a rhythmic routine. They were friendly and polite and made us feel at ease.

Once the treatment had finished, the therapists left us to change and drink some water in our own time. Once we were ready, Julie and Claire returned to give us our pindas in bags to take home so we could use the scented poultices as a bath soak.

What happens afterwards?

After we had tidied our slightly oily hair, we made our way downstairs. There isn't a relaxation room as such, but there is a lounge with soft chairs and sofas. The lounge was comfortable, but the dated chintzy décor reminded me of a room in a retirement home. We sat down on a sofa near the windows. At the other end of the room, some clutter was peeking out from behind screens; a manicure area? Possibly.

A friendly member of staff brought us hot drinks and some biscuits. Whilst we relaxed, we chatted about our warming massage and the slightly odd building. We decided that all retirement homes should be like Clarice House. Old age wouldn’t be so daunting if it promised poultice massages and hot drinks delivered by lovely staff.

Before leaving, we had a peek at the pool. The wood-framed pool area was hot and steamy, with a few swimmers doing their lengths. Natural light flooded in from the large windows. There were loungers and chairs to relax in. At the far end of the pool, there is a sauna and steam room, and a Jacuzzi. Although basic, the heat experiences were all clean and heated to a good temperature.

Clarice House Ipswich doesn't have an actual restaurant, as its Colchester and Bury St Edmunds branches do, but the spa does have a small café area to eat in at lunchtime.

Was it worth it?

A visit to Clarice House Ipswich would be worth it for one of the spa treatments on special offer. But if you pay for a spa package, then you may notice a lack of “spa” outside the treatment room.

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.

Who do you think would like it?

Local people looking for spa deals and treatments in a friendly environment. Clarice House isn’t a spa to spend a whole day in, but would be fine to visit for a game of tennis and a swim, followed by a massage. The spa seems to be used mainly by locals as a health club.

Why did you give the spa this rating?

We gave Clarice House Ipswich 3 bubbles. If you book a spa deal, you can get good value for money in terms of treatments. The treatments were good, the staff friendly and professional, and everywhere was clean, if a little cluttered. But this Clarice House just didn’t feel like a spa; with no luxury touches, it felt more like a health club. The strange blend of buildings means that it felt only part health club, and part retirement home. Some redecoration and modernisation would improve the spa atmosphere, and would be necessary to earn an extra bubble. When you visit a spa, you want to feel like you are walking over the threshold to something special. You want to feel rejuvenated. You do not want to feel like you're there to celebrate your ninetieth.

See more on how we rate the spas.