 |
 |
 |
 |
Tor Spa Retreat, Canterbury - 4 bubbles
A Good Spa Guide reviewer had a healthy and homely experience at this small spa specialising in ayurvedic treatments.
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?
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?
Tor Spa have a good website and friendly staff at the end of the phone.
First impressions?
I went by public transport. Bekesbourne station, the nearest to Tor Spa Retreat, is about an hour and a half from Victoria. When I arrived at the station, I couldn't believe how deeply rural and quiet the surroundings were.
I was met by Ky, the owner and manager of the spa, who drove me through the small village to the spa, showing me on the way the large house his parents used to own, now in the grounds of the spa. This pick-up service is something offered to all guests arriving by train, and it sets the friendly, personal tone of the spa.
The spa retreat itself is really a low-rise, slightly suburban dwelling, adjacent to farmland. A well landscaped garden with a pond surrounds the building, and although attractive, it is really more of a domestic garden than traditional "grounds".
How did they welcome you?
The welcome is friendly and very personal. Ky and I chatted about the history of the spa, which is four years old, and very much a family project.
The reception, just inside the porch, is where I met Linda, Spa Adminstrator, who had prepared a personalised menu for me, as for all guests. This is very helpful and has timings and things you need to do or expect.
What happens next?
Activities are centred around a large lounge which combines homely comforts with Indian symbolism. There are large beige sofas with cushions and up-to-date magazines on the coffee tables.
Men and women have small, separate communal changing rooms off this lounge. There are small lockers to put your stuff in and everyone receives a robe and towels. There is a tiny "chill out room" which has lots of fluffy rugs on the floor and low-level lighting in pyramid shapes. Another lounge overlooks the garden. Ky showed me how to work the water machine so I could make myself herb teas from the large selection.
Next, I realised I had forgotten my swimming suit, so luckily they have some just in case (very good idea). I changed into the suit and robe and went to investigate the heated indoor pool. I was having what would normally be a seven-hour package squeezed into four hours (oh, the trials of a spa reviewer!). So, before lunch, I was planning to try out the facilities and then have my treatments in the afternoon.
I wasn't sure about the heated pool. It was large enough to swim in - which I wanted to do - but too hot really to swim properly. It was in a kind of wooden conservatory, with pot plants, painted murals and wooden icons from India hanging from the walls. Three female friends were relaxing in the pool. They weren't swimming, so I stopped my efforts and went to check out the sauna.
This was a small, wooden Finnish sauna, perfectly good, although there was a sign to say beware of burning on the coals as you alight from the bench, which partly ruined my relaxation. The shower afterwards was very much a home-style shower, slightly more basic than my one at home, a bit tired, but perfectly clean. The facilities here all worked well, but the blue slatted mats, such as you might get in public swimming baths, tended to counteract the floaty, eastern ambience.
I sat down for lunch at 1pm at the large communal dining table in the main lounge. The table was laid for four people and I was joined by the three ladies who had been in the pool with me. We were served by one of the Southern Indian therapists, who left large serving dishes for us to help ourselves to. All the food is vegetarian, prepared in the kitchen onsite (you can spy the cooks working in the home-style kitchen down the corridor from the garden-facing lounge).
The lunch was absolutely delicious - vegetable stir-fry, garlic mushrooms, spinach and cauliflower curry, brown rolls and butter and new potatoes. We had fruit juice and fruit salad for dessert. I am an enthusiastic healthy eater, so this went down extremely well with me, and the menu underlines the sense that you are trying to improve your overall health and well-being, rather than just doing the beauty thing skin-deep. Some people find communal dining a bit awkward. I like it and I enjoyed chatting with the other guests. The ladies were together for the day for a treat, and a guy who joined us had booked himself in for a whole week after finishing an important contract.
Which treatments did you have?
I had the Abhyanga full-body massage, Ayura Facial and Foot Massage. These comprise the Relax Package, which would normally be done during a seven-hour visit, with the body massage in the morning, a break for lunch and then the facial in the afternoon.
What were the treatments like?
My therapist, Lyssi, was from South India, and wore traditional dress, as did the other therapists, all from South India. She met me in the lounge at 2pm as outlined on my personal menu.
We went into one of the five treatment rooms. It was warm, smelled beautifully of sandalwood, and was decorated in restful lilacs. I took off my robe, was covered in towels by Lyssi and laid down on the couch for my facial. This began with a scrub, and then Lyssi applied oils to my skin and massaged my head, turned my face from side to side and massaged down each side of my neck. After the oils, she applied a herbal mask to my face, which was made from ingredients brought from India. Finally, she applied a saffron moisturiser.
Next came an Ayurvedic foot massage, which differs from a reflexology foot massage, as it is intended to be purely relaxing. I love having my feet massaged, and Lyssi's technique was very skilled. She has worked at the Tor Spa since its founding and has 15 years' experience of ayurvedic practice.
After she had left me for a short while to relax, we transferred to a special therapy room for my Abhyanga massage. This was richly decorated in deep reds and gold, with a large, wooden massage bed from India in its centre. A wooden sculpture of the Hindu god Ganesh was a visual focus for the room, which smelled deeply of incense. I sat first and had a wonderful head massage, before lying face down on the bed for the body massage. This is done naked except for paper pants and is quite intimate in that the buttocks and inner thighs receive a thorough massaging, as well as the stomach. The oils used were camphor, which smelled exotic and slightly medicinal. The massage lasted around an hour and was vigorous and deep.
When the massage was complete, Lyssi explained I was to sit naked except for my paper pants in the steam bath; this was like a large wooden cupboard with my head poking out of it. This had come direct from India, and was in the same room as the massage had taken place. I hopped in, it was switched on and I cooked in the aromatic steam. Apparently, this helps detoxify and cleanse the body, by allowing the oil to penetrate thoroughly.
How did you feel afterwards?
I felt relaxed, my body felt pleasantly achy, and my skin felt soft and slightly shiny. I enjoyed the company of Lyssi, who was gently spoken, despite her vigorous massaging technique!
What happens afterwards?
After about 10 minutes in the steam bath, Lyssi took me to a shower adjacent to the massage room, where I washed off the oil and shampooed my hair several times. I changed back into my clothes, had some water to rehydrate me after the massage, and sat and read a magazine whilst I waited for my return lift to the station.
Long-term effects
Massage of this kind is intended to tone muscles, improve circulation and repair worn-out tissues. I think you would need several massages to notice the long-term effects, but a sense of general well-being lasted a few days for me after visiting Tor Spa.
Was it worth it?
A relax package costs £130. If you spent seven hours at the spa, this would seem worthwhile, and there is no doubt about the authenticity and quality of the Ayurvedic treatments practised. However, as the spa literature itself states, the atmosphere is homely, rather than luxurious, so you are paying for the uniqueness of the Ayurvedic ethos, rather than state-of the art surroundings.
What else could you have?
Spa Find face and body treatments; YogAyuvedic Healing package; Body Prayer - a meditative massage designed to open the nadis (pranic pathways); a whole range of spa day retreats including various ayurvedic treatments; Uswarthanam - a combination of massage, exfoliation and steam carried out by two therapists.
Any special features?
The whole focus on Ayurveda, the ancient health science of India that has been practised for 5,000 years. The fact that an Ayurvedic Doctor is in residence, and that residential packages can be individually customised according to your particular constitution. The fact that you can stay for 21 days and have a Panchakarma - a total body overhaul!
Who do you think would like it?
People of all ages interested in holistic healing, healthy food, yoga, and ayurveda. There are two ensuite bedrooms which were both booked when I was there. The main emphasis of the spa is on residential packages, and you really would be getting away from it there in the absolute middle of nowhere in the Kent countryside (although some people apparently fall off the wagon and end up in the nearby pub on occasion!) However, the spa is popular with hen parties, so it obviously does appeal to the local spa-going clientele. I think one of the huge strengths of the spa is the friendly and down-to-earth atmosphere.
Why did you give the spa this rating?
It was so tricky rating this spa, because it is totally different from the 5 bubblers I have reviewed, and yet it scored highly against most categories, doing what it said it was going to do very well, and fulfilling expectations. So, 4 bubbles.
It almost defied categorisation, though, since it was so homely, resembling a family-run guest house. It could do with some attention paid to the showers, but otherwise everything was spot on and the staff were excellent.
See more on how we rate the spas
Would you go again?
Sadly, probably not, because it is rather a long journey by train and I don't drive. But I would recommend it highly to my neo-hippie friends who have access to a car.
We visited Tor Spa Retreat in October 2006
See also:
* Contact details for Tor Spa Retreat
* Ayurvedic treatments
* Facials
|
|
|