London in summer can be wonderful. It can also be hell - hot tubes, annoying tourists, don't get me started... If you need to get away but can't bear the thought of travelling, the answer could like in an indulgently relaxing weekend break at Champneys.
With four UK locations, all within a couple of hours of London (plus one in Marbella should you fancy a dose of sunshine...) Champneys is one of the UK's best-known spa brands. I decided to get out of the city for a weekend and headed to Henlow Grange, near Arlesey in Bedfordshire. After a mere 45 minute train ride and five minutes in a cab, I arrived to a sprawling English manor house at the end of a sweeping driveway, surrounded by woodland and rose gardens. So far so good.
If you like your spa breaks sleek and modern, Henlow Grange might not be for you. However for the country/chintzy/olde worlde lover that I am, it was perfection. I was greeted at reception and given my little introduction pack, containing a schedule for the weekend of treatments I had booked, other activities that might be of interest and information about the spa, wellbeing a fitness centres. Spa, definitely of interest. Fitness, not so much - should you wish to use it there is a well-equipped gym on site, I however was there for relaxation!
A blend of contemporary and traditional, Henlow has 71 luxurious rooms all designed with comfort in mind. Mine, on the ground floor, overlooked a gorgeous lawn, pond and weir, with french doors opening onto a little patio with wrought iron furniture and a trellis of roses. Beyond gorgeous.
After exploring the surroundings, I headed to the restaurant for a buffet lunch. The ethos of Champneys is healthy, healthy, healthy, so lunch reflected this with a super-healthy, yet delicious, spread of soups, pastas, salads, meat and fish, followed by fruit pots. Scrummy. Post-lunch was spent mooching around the grounds, strolling through the surrounding woodland and rose gardens before heading to the pool, steam room and sauna. A host of things are available on the Champneys menu, such as personal training, nutritional therapy, fitness classes or a bike ride around the grounds, but the rest of my afternoon was spent snoozing and reading in the conservatory - the perfect setting in which to bask in such unadulterated relaxation. Squishy sofas, comfy cushions, blissful silence and the distant trickle of the weir - I was out like a light. The gorgeous old decor of the house lends itself perfectly to total relaxation; it feels like being at home, and it's the only place I have ever been where it's totally acceptable to walk around - and, incidentally, go to lunch - in your dressing gown.
Saturday evening in the restaurant was another gastronomic sensation. Starters were a choice of butternut squash soup, caesar salad, chicken liver parfait, grilled sea bass or Greek salad. Mains were roasted guinea fowl, gilled hake, asparagus and mushroom stroganoff or char-grilled vegetable ravioli, followed by leche plan, blackberry & manog ice cream, yoghurt and compote or a fruit salad. It was a hard choice to make, but I went for parfait, guinea fowl and leche plan - all of which were exceptionally delicious, followed by a nice little glass of vino. After dinner I decided to visit the talk in the boardroom about palm-reading, one of many weekend activities put on by Champneys, before retiring for a bubble bath and a DVD borrowed from reception.
After sleeping like a log, I rose for breakfast in bed (muesli, yoghurt, OJ - no fry-ups here!) before heading to the spa for my treatment. The treatment menu is incredible, it would be easy to spend the entire weekend in the spa. Facials, massages, manis and pedis, acupuncture, hypnotherapy, rasul, colonic hydrotherapy - you name it, they have it. I indulged in the Thai Royale Treatment - an hour of ecstasy. A rebalancing, rhythmic massage using heated coconut poultices, which are applied to the body to relax the muscles, release tension and nourish the skin. Soothing facial pressures provide a meditative introduction whilst the oil and poultices are being heated. Gently warmed oils are drizzled all over the body to enhance the treatment. The steamed compresses are then tapped, pressed and used to complement various massage techniques. Massage and gentle stretching techniques are combined to create a flowing and nurturing journey into well-being, liberating the areas of the body which have already been warmed. When the compress is heated it provides skin conditioning benefits as coconut is a source of anti-oxidants plus an excellent moisturiser. Coconut is integral to Thailand and is renowned for its main properties of conditioning the skin and hair, having been used traditionally in treatments there since the 14th century.
I came out of there glowing, superbly relaxed. Though classes such as yoga and Zumba were on offer, I spent the rest of my day swimming, lounging, snoozing a reading in the conservatory again (sensing a theme? I read a whole novel in two days...) before check out at 4pm. I left Champneys completely refreshed and revived, with a spring back in my step, ready to face a new week at work in the city. I cannot recommend the experience highly enough, it was utter bliss and I can't wait to go back with my girlfriends!
For more information visit www.champneys.co.uk
Love Laurel x
