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.jpg "Pool at Cowshed, Babington House") |
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Babington House, Frome - 5 bubbles
Cowshed Relax is a spa for members (and local members must live within 30 miles) and for House guests only. This keeps the Cowshed spa private, comfortable, and within reach of the well heeled, although individual treatments are fairly priced. The outdoor pool is a dream, the massage remarkable, and the relaxation factor hits the spot. We'll be back to chill again.
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?
First impressions?
Buzzy and busy. We arrived just as the Glastonbury festival ended. Babington House is in the Somerset countryside, almost within earshot of the festival. Many people book at Babington for a night or two after the festival to enjoy a hot shower, a decent meal, and a soft bed. The pool room was stacked full of rucksacks, and the bar and lawn area outside were busy with chatty groups enjoying the sunshine.
How did they welcome you?
With an offer to park the car and take our luggage to our room. All good news. Someone then took us on a much needed tour. The buildings are quite spaced out, so it helps to get the layout of the place established in your mind. The main house has most of the bedrooms, the bar, the lounge, the pool room, the library and the restaurants.
We followed a path to Cowshed Active, which has indoor and outdoor pools, a gym, steam room, sauna, aroma rooms, and even a cinema! We passed the small gym on the way down, which has a glass wall overlooking the grounds so you can jog to your heart's content without feeling like you are in a proper gym. Further away from the main house is the spa; the spa is called, appropriately enough, Cowshed Relax. The footpaths are well laid-out and we quickly got our bearings, though we were glad it wasn't raining because you would have to grab one of the many umbrellas by the doors and jog between the buildings.
What happens next?
We went back to the main house and to our lovely bedroom. Babington House has been running for ten years, and the rooms had a makeover in 2010. Our large room had cream, grey and red Japanese-inspired wallpaper, a huge bed with plenty of soft pillows, and a very well equipped bathroom with a stylish sit-up bath and walk-in shower. The bathroom was also very well equipped with Cowshed products, which are all 100 per cent vegetarian and made using hand-picked herbs from the walled garden right there at Babington. There was also a wooden box of things you might have forgotten, from tampons to condoms.
The fridge is stocked with complimentary still and sparkling water. There was also champagne, just in case you get an urgent need to celebrate something -- which, sadly, is not free of charge.
We went for a walk round the lake, admired the open-plan kitchen in the house which was still busy providing food even though it was late afternoon, and then headed back over to the pool area to swim.
It is a rare delight to be able to swim outside comfortably in the UK. The 18-metre pool is large enough to let you stretch out and enjoy swimming a few laps. In the early evening, the water was still warm enough so that we didn't have to swim energetically to avoid goose-bumps.
The indoor pool is 15 metres long and the steam room, aroma steam room and sauna are housed in huge curved metal chambers. All very trendy. The main steam room wasn't working on our visit, but the sauna was hot and the aroma steam room nicely fragrant. There are plenty of loungers beside the pool and a café area where you can have drinks and snacks and meals.
The lockers in the changing rooms use code numbers to lock them and it was obvious that some people had forgotten their codes, as a couple of doors had been pulled off their hinges. Apart from this small niggle, the changing rooms were clean and well equipped with hairdryers and plenty of Cowshed products. The showers were large and powerful.
Which treatments did you have?
I had a full-body massage (60 minutes, £65), and my husband had a manicure (30 minutes, £28).
What were the treatments like?
The treatment room was finished in Scandinavian colours of pale wood and white, and the treatment bed was firm and wide. Sensibly, the south facing windows were lined with both curtains and heavy blinds so that the daylight could be reduced, or cut out completely.
My therapist, Chantelle, was quite matter-of-fact (no airy fairy-welcome ceremony for this treatment) but gave a brilliant massage. Massage is the most popular treatment at Babington, and I'm not surprised. I asked for firm and I got firm. I breathed through while Chantelle worked on my tensed-up shoulders but wimped out when she started on my calves; I had to ask her to ease off, which she did immediately.
When I turned over, Chantelle worked hard on my neck muscles which had been so tense that I could hardly turn my head. She succeeded in unknotting everything, so the next day I was both taller and much more mobile.
My husband booked in for a manicure. I should explain that he is much more at home working in the garden than sitting in a white leather armchair overlooking the garden, surrounded by women having their nails painted. He had his nails trimmed, the cuticles sorted, his arms and hands massaged and his nails buffed to shining perfection. I thought he might hate it. However, when I arrived to meet him, I found him in deep discussion with his therapist and the woman in the neighbouring chair. Topics had apparently ranged from the delights of Glastonbury to the difficulties of getting tattoos removed. His hands looked better than I have ever seen them and my normally taciturn man had obviously had a great time!
How did you feel afterwards?
Chantelle had warned me to drink plenty of water or I would have a headache. She also advised me to use the sauna or steam room to help loosen up my muscles next day if they were sore. She was right on all counts. I did have a headache, despite plenty of glasses of water, and was pretty sore in key places, but warmth helped. Over the next few hours, the soreness abated and I felt much, much better. My husband's nails went on shining for days!
What happens afterwards?
You can sit in the reception area and have a cold drink or herbal tea. My chamomile tea arrived in its own little pot with a tub of honey and a wooden dipper. Sitting overlooking the garden is peaceful, but there is no real relaxation area at the spa, so we headed up the track to the pool where we could bag a lounger and enjoy the sunshine.
Later, we ate in the main restaurant. My guinea-fowl was rich and moist, my husband's fish was nicely crisp on top and juicy inside. There was a good choice of wines by the glass and the bottle, and the service was friendly and quick.
Long-term effects
The massage certainly helped me loosen up. The overall effect of even just 24 hours at Babington House was that we were very relaxed and ready to face the real world again.
Was it worth it?
Well, this unwinding and relaxing can be pricy. Babington is for members and House guests only, so there are no day-spa groups filling up the spa. If you are a House member, you get a discount on the room rates which start at about £350 a night. You can also be a local member if you live within 30 miles of Babington House. Spa treatments are well priced, such as that £65 for my 60-minute Cowshed massage.
What else could you have?
A range of massages and facials, the usual manicures and pedicures, plus wraps, of course. The wet area of the spa also offers mud, soak and scrub packages. The mud chamber lets two of you slather each other in various muds, steam gently in your very own steam chamber, and then shower everything off in the huge drench shower.
Soaks take place in the large zinc tubs with plenty of room for two, and scrubs are carried out on heated, black-marble slabs. You can try various combinations of these treatments. A 120-minute Scrub, Soak and Massage costs £149 per person while the Mud Room, Cowshed Massage and Speedy Facial takes 150 minutes and costs £270 for two people.
For real spa bunnies, there are three rooms built alongside the spa and these have their own outdoor zinc tubs. You can book treatments in your room if you stay here, or just wander along in your robe to the spa.
What do you wish you'd known before you went?
That there is simply so much to do at Babington House: tennis, pools, walks, bike rides, pool table, plus the spa treatments. Babington is child-friendly with family rooms in the coach house, and no one fusses about kids and dogs running around. I thought Babington would be achingly trendy, but it was relaxed and fun.
Any special features?
You have heard of "shabby chic". Meet "potting-shed chic". The Cowshed Relax spa is built alongside the walled kitchen garden and the garden theme is carried through to the spa. The spa reception area looks rather like a village shop with Cowshed products on display alongside wellies and flower-pots. The treatment rooms and the waiting / relaxation area are all along the south-facing side of the building where there are huge windows and doors to let light in. The changing rooms are on the north side and each has its own shower, and a "bench seat" loo with a wooden seat and lid. Stone floors, slate walls, zinc and wood complete the garden feel; it's all done with the sort of understated elegance that takes flair and skill to achieve.
Who do you think would like it?
Anyone who wants a laid-back, relaxed sort of country house. There is no chintz and no uniformed staff at Babington. Everyone is very informal, but they manage to deliver a very high quality product. Families will love the family rooms, and the crèche in the Little House run by qualified nannies. Daytime care is free, while paid-for babysitting is available in the evenings.
I wouldn't come to Babington on my own, but the spa would be a great place to come with a partner, friend or family group.
Why did you give the spa this rating?
Babington House earns 5 bubbles for having a delightful, stylish spa and excellent treatments. The hotel is comfortable and the food interesting and well cooked without being overly fancy. The place could all be very affected and self-admiring. After all, you have to be pretty well heeled to be a member or to stay at Babington House.
But the relaxed and friendly staff, and the laid-back attitude, encourage a chilled vibe. Breakfast is served until noon, food is served all day, and you can eat where you like, in the dining room, in the log room, out on the terrace, in your room, by the pool... whatever! There are no rules about how you dress or what you do. The idea is to relax and just enjoy -- and it works.
See more on how we rate the spas
Would you go again?
Yes, please! I just wished I lived nearer. Within 30 miles, possibly.
We visited Babington House in June 2010
See also:
* Contact Details for Babington House
* Follow this link to purchase Cowshed products from lookfantastic.com
* Body treatments
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