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Wildmoor Spa and Health Club, Stratford-Upon-Avon - 4 bubbles
At Wildmoor's invitation, our Good Spa Reviewer took her daughter away from university for a day for a bit of mother-and-daughter spa bonding; a few hours at the spa followed by an evening at the theatre - a perfect Warwickshire combination.
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?
Yes, the website is really informative, enticing, clear and easy to navigate. I rang twice and each time spoke to someone who knew about the treatments and was able to give me extra information.
First impressions?
The Wildmoor is easy to find, on a major A-road outside Stratford. A modern brick and wood building set in large grounds with plenty of car parking. The main entrance looks much more health club than spa. You have to go through turnstiles to enter - very upmarket turnstiles, but turnstiles just the same. The spa reception is opposite the café and seating area.
How did they welcome you?
They were efficient, open, and friendly. We were expected (always good), and they had the details of the treatments we had booked to hand. We were offered a tour and then chose a light lunch as we had a while before our first treatment.
What happens next?
We were shown to the spa changing area: two changing rooms each divided into two areas with four lockers, a shower, vanity basin and mirror in each section. Towels, robes and slippers were in the lockers. Not sure there would have been room for four people at any one time, but it was ideal for the two of us.
Which treatments did you have?
I was booked in for a 90-minute Wildmoor Hot Stone Facial and a 45-minute Wildmoor Tiara Blossom For Your Hands Or Feet. My daughter opted for a 60-minute Elemis facial and a Jessica manicure.
What were the treatments like?
Delicious, and well done.
My hand and foot treatment involved soaking my feet in a low basin that looked a bit like a butler sink, but was made much prettier by the addition of lemon and orange slices and pebbles. Then they gave both sets of digits and palms a good massage and moisturise. It was really soothing and relaxing.
My hot stone facial was very much more than that: warm stones were placed on my chest while I had a neck and shoulder massage, a foot massage and then the main facial massage, also using warm stones. I love stone massages; the stones increase the area that can be massaged effectively and hold the heat of the oil which makes it all the more intense. I'd not had a stone facial before and was a bit wary, but in fact the warm stones were used to slide over my skin, warming it and opening the pores at the same time.
How did you feel afterwards?
Great. The warm stone facial really unwound me and made we feel quite floaty and relaxed. My feet and hands felt loved and loose.
What happens afterwards?
The spa area is a very relaxing place to be. There's a circular relaxation area with wild "black and white cow skin" patterned style loungers, and plentiful supplies of up-to-date magazines. Mother and daughter spent half an hour looking at pictures of celebrities and studying weird and wonderful fashions. As my daughter's studying for her English exams at Uni just now, this was a welcome and long way from our usual discussions at the moment which tend to veer around Samuel Beckett and how on earth she is going to write 14 poems before the end of term.
I then headed off to the pool for a swim and Dear Daughter headed for the gym - large, airy, well-equipped with up-to-date machinery, a good weights area and space for working on gym balls - all rather too energetic for me but she loved it.
Long-term effects
Well.. .I'm not sure that there are ever any real long-term effects from one-off treatments once you are out in the hustle and bustle of daily life. But my hands, feet and my face all felt glowingly clean and nourished... which is enough for me.
Was it worth it?
Absolutely. My daughter and I had some good treatments and a really nice afternoon together at a reasonable price. It was great to have fun with her and actually chat - it's often hard to find time to just hang out in the "outside world" as there's always something going on. And I really think it helped take her away from the stress of her university workload.
What else could you have?
An amazing array really, Wildmoor seemed to offer something for everyone, and in a range of combinations and packages - couples, mums-to-be, mothers-and-daughters, hen parties and more. I liked the sound of their range of treatments for men - ManSpace - the treatments are all macho-branded "Wildman" - which you just know is so they get to feel 100% man about getting a facial. There were some good-looking day packages and a featured Father's Day deal which looked great.
There's a very pretty rasul, beautifully tiled and patterned, where you can coat yourself or your partner with various muds, let them soak into your skin and then wash them off in a 'rainshower'.
Wildmoor also offers body wraps, and scrubs, La Prairie, Decleor CACI and Crystal Clear facials and they have a visiting cosmetic surgeon if you want to consult about something more major like peels and Botox and teeth whitening; though the treatments are actually done off site.
What do you wish you'd known before you went?
That the towel that came with the locker was the only one I would get. I left it in my locker for a final shower, went to swim, got out of the pool and realised there were no towels around.
And that there would not be any water to drink anywhere obvious. When we asked, someone brought us glasses of water, but in most spas there are jugs or bottles of water around all the time.
Any special features?
The spa is very restful. It's built around curved rooms and corridors which make it seem much larger than it actually is. It's decorated in soft, earthy tones which are very calming. Once inside, the spa is quiet and calm. Outside, it's a bit hectic with people coming and going from the health club.
They have lots of thoughtful touches including heaters over the loungers by the pool so when you get out and are feeling a bit chilly, you can pull the cord and warm up quickly.
There's also a studio for classes and a kinetic workout room where you exercise holding onto handles and wires that oppose your actions making you work harder.
You can also do specific exercise according to the sport you are training for; ski-ing or golf, for instance.
Who do you think would like it?
Almost anyone. There was a real mixture of young and old, male and female clients. The spa caters for different types of experience, too. They've really given their customers a lot of thought.
Why did you give the spa this rating?
I ummed and aahed about the rating for this one.
The spa itself is very well done, the facilities are great and they offer a wide range of treatments delivered to a very high standard, and in a lovely, calming atmosphere.
It's the health club side of things that detracts from the calm and quiet that a spa should ideally have. The plus-side of the health club is that the pool is large and the gym is enormous. But the main areas tend to be very busy with people coming and going and the whole feel of the place is more health club than spa. In fact, if I lived nearby I would certainly consider joining this health club as it's well equipped and has all the spa facilities to hand.
But this is its drawback, too, in terms of spa-ing. I'm not so sure that I would choose to come to this spa simply for its day spa, unless I wanted specifically to be near Stratford. I found the busy health club entrance off-putting and the main spa reception is just where people come and in and out of the main areas. Add a separate reception and area for eating for spa guests and maybe it would work better.
So in the end I gave it 4 bubbles out of five.
See more on how we rate the spas
Would you go again?
Yes. You could have a long, satisfying day here doing whatever you wanted, and you could be confident that whoever you took with you would have a good time, too.
See also:
* Contact Details for Wildmoor Spa and Health Club
* Is my teenage daughter too young to go to a spa?
* Hot stone therapy
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