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Serenity Spa at Seaham Hall, Seaham - 5 bubbles
Single Spy was invited to the perfectly designed spa that is Serenity at Seaham Hall and found it difficult to leave.
Was it easy to book?
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?
Any special features?
Who do you think would like it?
Why did you give the spa this rating?
Would you go again?
Was it easy to book?
Everyone we spoke to from booking the treatments to paying the final bill was very helpful and friendly. As I was making a flying visit from Spa HQ, they also arranged for a car to meet me at Newcastle Airport.
First impressions?
The setting for Seaham Hall is the expansive and exhilarating north-east coast, so you're onto a winner already. As soon as you turn in through the gates in the fantastically named Lord Byron's Walk (the mad and bad poet married the owner's daughter, Annabella, at Seaham Hall in 1815), you get the sense that you're arriving somewhere special. There is a water sculpture outside the entrance to the hotel, a blue cylinder that rises and falls rhythmically, which is something you don't see every day.
How did they welcome you?
Reception was so low-key, I hardly noticed it. A member of staff whisked me enthusiastically straight through to my room. This sort of welcome makes you feel at home rather than in a hotel. Except that my home doesn't have an intricate lighting system that needs a five-minute tutorial before you can operate it, as my room did. But my friendly guide showed me how everything worked, from the TV (a lot of channels) to the taps on the roll-top bath. He also pointed out the French doors that led onto a garden, and the way through the hotel gardens to the lake, and explained that the church spire I could see belonged to the oldest church in England. Impressive. He then asked if I would like some tea or coffee, and this was quickly fetched.
As it was such a lovely evening, I decided to walk to the oldest church in England, that not being something most of us can do every day. The beach is just a little further, and the hillside view from the hotel is breathtaking.
After the fresh air, I had a long dip in the bath, with some of my favourite Aromatherapy Associates products, had a rather grand dinner in Michelin-starred restaurant The White Room, then floated off to sleep in my squishy white bed.
What happens next?
In the morning, after a delicious breakfast served in my room, I set out for the spa, which is in a separate, dedicated building. You can check out of your room, leave your luggage with Reception, then feel free to enjoy the spa for the rest of the day. Nice.
To reach the spa from the hotel, you go down a wooden staircase and then through the famous underground walkway. As the staff tell you, "Follow the sound of the water, then the elephant's tail." There is a water-wall at the entrance to the tunnel, pebbles and running water on each side of the wooden and glass walkway, and a huge carved elephant greets you on the other side. It's a brilliant and inspired way of joining the hotel to the spa, and of psychologically cutting off from the everyday, leaving behind mobile phones and worries. Following the tail, I went up the stairs into the light and bright spa reception area.
Here, they directed me to a treatment reception area, where the receptionist issued me with a robe, flip-flops, high-tech locker-opening device, and a health consultation form. I filled in the first and fourth pages, overlooked the bit in the middle, then tagged onto two other people who were having the tour of the facilities. This is a useful part of the day, as it does give you an orientation of where things are and what you can enjoy. Once I had seen it all, I was keen to spa.
The changing rooms: These are okay. There are three showers, two private changing cubicles -- one with an uncomfortable background noise that sounds like someone is doing industrial cleaning behind the wall. I asked a passing towel-collector what on earth it was and she had no idea. The showers have Aromatherapy Associates body wash, shampoo and conditioner, but they do have problems with the brackets that hold these to the walls. (I've seen this in other spas using these products.) On my first inspection of the showers in the morning, all three showers had three lots of broken bottles, meaning you couldn't actually pump anything out of them. In one shower, someone had wrested the conditioner right out of its bracket, which must be a sign of really needy hair.
The gym: Whenever I can, I start a spa day with a workout. The gym at Serenity Spa is upstairs and overlooks the pool. It has a good variety of TechnoGym equipment, as well as resistance machines and free weights. There is water provided, and you can also slot in a class -- ranging from Pilates to circuit training -- if you plan in advance.
The pool: This is a large, light, glass-walled part of the building. The pool is a very pleasant temperature and has bubbly bits at various stations to massage backstroke-weary muscles, but is just long enough to get a good swim in. As it is ozone treated, there isn't the chlorine sting of many pools, but I am not sure I felt like I was swimming in Evian water, as the literature promised.
It was a sunny day and the pool was very popular. Because of this, I spotted a little lounger crunch as the morning wore on. People wandered into the pool, found nowhere to sit, and wandered out again. Perhaps they went to the Ozone restaurant, also in the building, or installed themselves on one of the various massage chairs...
The outdoor hot tubs: Do make some time for these during your stay. There are two, just outside from the main pool area. There is something so divine about sitting in warm water, perhaps having a pleasant chat with your co-occupants about childcare, as I did, while the green day unfolds about you.
The heat areas: At the far end of the pool, you will find a sauna, a steam room, a sanarium, two cold plunge pools, foot baths, snail showers, and a rather splendid hydrotherapy bath. When you get in this and turn the floor button on, it's like Vesuvius. The steam room has enough room for about four people in comfort; the sauna a couple more. There's also a hammam area with steam, and a rather dark Jacuzzi which, I must confess, I wasn't brave enough to try. But there is plenty to occupy you with a whole day of warming up and cooling down if traditional spa-ing is your thing. Water dispensers at the far end of the pool mean you can keep yourself nicely hydrated.
The relaxation room: I arrived here ten minutes before my treatment time, with my completed health consultation form, as instructed. I was glad to see that I could help myself to water and a fresh-fruit platter. The room is actually divided into two parts -- a small ante-room with some chairs and sofas, then a further room with loungers (and more fruit). You'd expect the ante-room to be where people wait before their treatments, the relaxation room the bit where they do the relaxing, but there was no demarcation line between the two.
People lurked about eating watermelon, then the therapists came in all at once and started calling people by name to come for their treatments.
Which treatments did you have?
I had an Aroma Stone Back Ceremony. This is one of Serenity's signature treatments, so I was looking forward to it.
What were the treatments like?
The treatment started off well. The treatment room was neatly kept and had a shower for aquatic-based treatments (wrap lovers will note: no shuffling off into corridors here).
My therapist, Shelly, consulted my consultation forms, and asked if I had any particular areas of tension (shoulders). She then instructed me take off my robe, keep my pants on, and slide under some towels. I couldn't remember whether I should start face-down or face-up and chose the wrong one. But when Shelly returned and asked me to turn onto my face, I realised that there was no face-holder. I had two alternatives: turn my head to 90 degrees for the entire treatment, or suffocate.
I tried the 90-degree option to the left. Shelly sprinkled some essential oil around my head. I have no idea what it was, but it smelled nice. I tried the 90-degree option to the right. While I was experimenting, Shelly placed some warmed stones on my chakra points. I couldn't concentrate on relaxing as I was far too busy trying to stop my shoulders (I had mentioned these) hurting. Eventually, I could stand it no longer and we had to regroup. Shelly fished a face-holder from under a trolley and I shuffled up the treatment couch to -- at last! -- a comfortable position. Shelly mentioned that they didn't normally use face-holders for this treatment but I can't understand why.
When she got to the massaging my shoulders part of the treatment, it was great! I felt she was able to get some real traction on my tense shoulder muscles and worked away at them diligently. The hot stones felt nicely hot and very soothing. The only one I missed was the one that had been on my lower back. With all the shuffling, this was now warming whatever chakra point lives between my knees.
Halfway through, I turned onto my front, with Shelly professionally holding the towel so my modesty was preserved, and I relaxed into this part of the treatment, too. My shoulders and back felt well massaged.
At the end, Shelly chimed some Buddhist-style bells around my body. This is, in part, a polite way of waking up spa-goers who have drifted off to sleep completely, but also a definite sense of an end.
How did you feel afterwards?
My shoulders and back felt like they had enjoyed some much-needed relaxation. Shelly commented that my shoulders were quite tense and said that the muscles might feel worse before they felt better, but this was the body healing itself.
What happens afterwards?
I went back to the relaxation area, drank a lot of water, and read a Daily Mail which I'd filched from the Ozone. I was in a mood for reading, and this was A Good Thing as I don't know how anyone ever gets any relaxation done in there. The loungers are adjustable and comfortable, the fresh fruit is lovely, the music bearable, and the views terrific if you lift up the blinds. But there are no magazines, no green tea and it's noisy. People sit and chat, and therapists wander in every so often and shout things like, "Is Mr West here? Mr West for the three o'clock appointment?"
Luckily, I wasn't bothered. But I might have been.
You could, of course, return to the pool, frolic in the hot tubs, or have a snack in the Ozone. I went and got changed, ready for my car journey to the airport and home. No spin-dryer in the changing rooms! I had to cart my sodden cossie on the plane, although, thankfully, the spa does provide a plastic bag to put it in.
Long-term effects
A general yearning to return to Seaham Hall. The massage did me good, too. I did feel a bit worse before I felt better, as Shelly had promised.
Was it worth it?
Absolutely. To stay at Seaham is expensive, but then everyone ought to have a real treat sometime, and you get your money's worth. The spa offers good-value day packages from £75, which includes lunch and use of all of the facilities, but no treatments. Considering the facilities on offer and the delightfulness of the surroundings, this is a spa bargain.
What else could you have?
There are many treatments on offer, including massages, body treatments, facials and wraps, with Elemis and Karin Herzog the featured products. There are also specific treatments for men, for mums-to-be, and for teenagers. You can round your spa bliss off with manicures, pedicures, waxing, and eyelash and brow treatments.
I spoke to a couple of other spa-goers while I was there, and was reassured to hear that the therapists had adjusted a treatment for one of the women (she was in her eighties) who did not feel comfortable lying face down. They both reported that all the therapists had been very caring and that they would definitely be coming back. As the spa also offers teen treatments, all ages and tastes are well catered for.
What do you wish you'd known before you went?
To stay longer.
Any special features?
The underground walkway: it's a great way to journey to a spa, no matter how inclement the weather.
The outdoor hot-tubs. Try them with the person you love and a glass of champagne. If you've booked a spa day at Serenity that includes lunch in The Ozone, which serves drinks and snacks throughout the day, you can have the first two courses of your lunch, and come back for dessert later. I thought this was a great idea, as you can space your heating up with chilling out.
Also, one of the nicest things if you're staying at Seaham Hall is that they offer an early-morning hot-drink service. You can have a tea of all flavours, or coffee of all kinds delivered to your room half an hour before your main breakfast arrives. If you're feeling brave enough, you can even tick the option to have someone bring it straight into the room rather than knocking and waiting, so you can drift back into the real world from dreamland. Only to find that your dream of having a private butler is real...
Who do you think would like it?
Seaham Hall will appeal to everyone who can afford it. I could have sworn that one of the people at the next table at dinner was the younger brother of the heir to the throne. The Serenity Spa will appeal to everyone else. It offers excellent value for a spa escape.
Why did you give the spa this rating?
We gave Serenity 5 bubbles because the spa designers have thought about what a spa should be like and made it so. The spa building and the facilities are impressive and expansive, and the treatments of good quality. There are one or two places where the offering could be better -- the changing rooms, for example, and the non-relaxation room. It would be great to see fewer knots of staff standing round at a loose end, too. But the whole experience won through.
See more on how we rate the spas
Would you go again?
To the hotel, definitely. To the spa for a day? If I was local, then yes. But I'd really like to book in for a week.
We visited Serenity at Seaham Hall in April 2008
See also:
* Contact Details for Serenity Spa at Seaham Hall
* All Spa Reviews
* Hot stone therapy
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