Review of Clarice House Bury St Edmunds

Clarice House Bury St Edmunds - 3 bubbles

Clarice House invited Shy Spy and her mother to stay in their Bury St Edmunds spa, the only one of the three Clarice House locations to offer accommodation. Good food, treatments and service made it worth the trip. A great place for groups on a budget, but a spa-goer used to luxury may find this location more health club than spa.

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?

Clarice House Bury St Edmunds is a refurbished manor house that sits amongst woodland in the peaceful Suffolk countryside. The car park is right outside the entrance. We parked and a member of staff instantly greeted us and offered to carry our bags.

The main door could have perhaps benefited from some flowers in the planters that sat beside it. It was summer, and it would have been easy to brighten up guests' arrival. We walked inside to a large main reception area, decorated in a traditional manner with wooden panelling and tapestry-style upholstery. There was a central seating area with huge sofas around a wooden table beside a fireplace, and a wide, sweeping wooden staircase to the left of the reception desk.

How did they welcome you?

Friendly George at the reception desk greeted us warmly, checked us in swiftly, and took us up to our room. The "Clarice" in the name refers to British ceramic artist Clarice Cliff, and the rooms are all named after a Cliff range. Mine was "Bizarre". Rather than bizarre, the room was spacious and clean, but a little dingy. There wasn't much Art Deco in the décor, either. There was a traditional four-poster bed, a dresser, a couple of chests of drawers and bedside tables, all in a dark wood, and heavy curtains against a dull orange wall.

The large bathroom was slightly incongruous next to the classically styled bedroom. The room was covered in glossy tiles, top-half black, bottom-half white. There was a large corner bath, separate shower and a rather spangly black-glitter toilet seat.

The leaded windows looked right onto the car park, so I made sure I closed the curtains before getting changed!

What happens next?

We went downstairs to meet George and take a quick tour of the facilities. George was delightfully friendly and polite, and walked us through the building. He showed us where to find the airy and well-equipped gym, the wet facilities and the spa reception desk, complete with extra towels and locker keys, and the spa treatment waiting area. He also gave us a couple of documents on the history of the house, and a map of the building and gardens, recommending a walk marked out through the woodland and grounds.

After our tour, we changed for dinner. The dining room, where all meals are served, is to one side of the main reception, past the bar. The restaurant manager greeted us with a smile and took us to our table. The dining room is another traditionally decorated room with wood panelling and classic furniture. The walls were covered with an array of large and small artworks, presumably from local artists both professional and amateur, judging by the mixture of skills and styles. Some paintings were rather nice, some were rather forbidding.

The evening menu caters for all tastes, with a good range of healthy and indulgent options. I had asparagus spears to start, followed by cod with chorizo and prawns, washed down with a crisp rose wine. The food was well-presented, very tasty and the service excellent.

After a good night's sleep, mother and I went for a light breakfast. Again served in the dining room, there were plenty of tempting cooked dishes, but we went for croissants and fruit, preparing for a morning swim. Already in our robes, we drank some water and wandered towards the pool area at the back of the building.

We collected towels from the reception desk for the pool, gym and thermal facilities, then made our way through the main doors and around the swimming pool to the Jacuzzi. We also spent some time in the sauna, swam in the even-depth pool, steamed in the steam room, and bubbled away. All the facilities were clean and there were plenty of poolside loungers to relax on. We had chosen a perfect time of day to have peace and quiet in the pool. After showering, we re-robed and went to the spa treatment reception.

The spa treatment reception is a separate lounge area with sofas and retail shelves showcasing the ESPA and Germaine de Capuccini products, as used in the spa treatments. When we arrived, the area was busy with some guests waiting to be collected and others queuing to book treatments.

Which treatments did you have?

We had the Germaine de Cappucini Classic Care facial (60 minutes, £49) and a full-body massage (60 minutes, £46).

What were the treatments like?

Our therapists, Debbie and Zoe, collected us from reception and walked us along a quiet corridor into our dimly lit, spacious double treatment room. The therapists checked if we had any special areas of concern (I mentioned my computer shoulders, as usual), then left us to change. We wiggled under towels on the quite lightly padded treatment beds.

The therapists began with our massage, first working on our backs. My therapist was perceptive in noticing that I had tension in my lower back, despite my focus on my shoulders. She used a mixture of concentrated kneading into my knots and long strokes, as you would expect from a standard Swedish massage. The therapists worked down our legs and arms before we turned over onto our backs, then they worked up to our necks, before letting us relax for a moment before the facial.

The facial was tailored to our skin type, so while Mother had an age-focused and calming facial, I had a brightening and reviving one. Our facials followed a similar routine, but used slightly different products to fit our skin's needs. The facial began with a cleanse, followed by a gentle exfoliation. Our therapists then massaged our facial pressure points until we were both so relaxed we almost fell asleep. The therapists applied a mask while we relaxed, then returned to remove the mask and apply moisturiser.

After we had come to and got back into our robes, our therapists returned to the treatment room to offer us a drink. I gulped down plenty of water before returning to my room.

What happens afterwards?

As there is no dedicated relaxation room, you will only be able to lie down and have a post-treatment snooze if you're staying and can go to your room. There are plenty of seating areas, including the bar, by the pool and a couple of other nooks, so this Clarice House would suit sociable groups perfectly. There appeared to be a couple of sedate hen parties going on while we were there.

We dressed and returned downstairs for a light lunch of chicken salad and more water. We also went for George's suggested walk around the grounds. Although the gardens aren't landscaped with ornamental shrubs or flower borders, Clarice House does have plenty of open space. It was a sunny day when we left, and spa-goers were tanning themselves all around the lawns. Behind the house is a very secluded lawn surrounded by trees, and if you're feeling adventurous, a path through the woods.

Was it worth it?

Clarice House offers a decent standard of facilities, from the pool area to the gym. The bedrooms could do with a little brightening-up, though they were spacious and clean. The food and treatments were of a good standard and the staff were all very friendly and polite. When you consider that you get all of this for a very reasonable price, Clarice House is definitely worth it. Just don't expect any extras to be included.

What else could you have?

A whole host of treatments from Germaine De Capuccini, ESPA and CACI. There are facials, massages and body treatments in abundance.

The Bury St Edmunds location also offers complementary therapies including osteopathy, acupuncture, homeopathy, light therapy and hypnotherapy.

Who do you think would like it?

Clarice House would be a good location for couples to enjoy a relaxing overnight stay with a treatment and a tasty three-course dinner. It is perfect for groups to enjoy a day out, although perhaps a sedate day out chatting to friends rather than the more raucous sort of hen party.

Why did you give the spa this rating?

We gave Clarice House Bury St Edmunds 3 bubbles. The treatments, food, and level of service were all very good given the affordable price. To raise the level of luxury from "health club" to "spa", Clarice House would benefit from some added comforts. For example, there is no relaxation room, so day guests could miss out on peace and quiet. There is one central set of basic toilets which have no soft touches. They had more the look of a swimming pool's toilets than those you usually see in a spa or restaurant.

Though the rooms were clean, they were quite dingy and old fashioned. The accommodation, dining area and spa reception were in more need of rejuvenation than the customers. A bit of modernisation and redecoration wouldn't go amiss, even if keeping the traditional look. Even just some fresh flowers would add a splash of colour and scent.

See more on how we rate the spas.