Just six miles from the Regency city of Bath, the new Spa at Lucknam Park country house hotel is all the rage with locals and spa junkies in the know.
Thermal and wet rooms
You can easily spend two or three hours lounging around the pool and using the thermal cabins.
- indoor-outdoor hydrotherapy pool - great fun with several different areas providing jets, massage showers, etc
- 20-metre indoor swimming pool - gorgeous, with natural daylight streaming through the roof
- amethyst room - I've never understood the point of these, but the light is pretty
- aromatic steam room - soothing
- sauna - so new, it's still filled with the heady aroma of fresh-cut wood
- tepidarium - nice and relaxing, but the stylish mosaic beds look better than they feel
Changing rooms
Bathrobes, slippers, fluffy towels and lockers are provided. It's all new and slick, with wood lockers, nice showers, hair dryers, etc.
Who goes?
A mix of well-off locals, aristos and European families looking for that traditional country house hotel experience. Lounging around the pool were couples in their 30s to 50s, single men and single women and a family with well-behaved young teens.
Dining
The excellent, buzzy Brasserie, open from 7.30am to 10pm, provides a mix of healthy and hearty dishes, and a lounge area for coffees and juices. Michelin-starred chef Hywel Jones, usually in the hotel's fine dining restaurant, also oversees the Brasserie. The atmosphere is laid-back and casual, and there's an open kitchen, wood-burning fires in winter and a wood-fired oven.
Fitness centre
The gym is a decent size, with a range of cardio, weights, etc, but the most unique equipment is the wall gym. There are two of these, and depending on which levers you use and where you pull, it can give you pretty much a full-body weight workout. It's very high tech, with a digital dial to choose your weights.
Treatments
There are nine therapy rooms, including a couple's suite, but the spa is very popular locally, so it's best to book treatments in advance. The products are Anne Semonin, a luxury spa and beauty brand, and Carita, a luxury skincare brand. Both Anne Semonin and Carita have created a range of treatments for the spa. I tried the signature Anne Semonin Herbal Pumice Oil Body Experience (£140/two hours), which uses heated herbs wrapped in muslin combined with hot basalt stones to massage and soothe the skin. This fell into the category of 'relaxing' massage rather than deep or sports. The treatment was excellent and I felt thoroughly chilled out afterwards. If you're planning to go on any long rides on the horses from the hotel's equestrian centre, you might want to book the Made To Measure Massage (£75/60 minutes) or the Deep Release Massage With Hot Stones (£105/90 mins) for a more intensive muscle treatment.
Tip: Ask to use the saltwater plunge pool before your treatment. It's exclusive for those having treatments, but you might not want to use it afterwards because it will wash off any special skin-conditioning oils the therapist has used.
Unexpected pleasure
The indoor-outdoor hydrotherapy pool is wonderful, especially at night. Even in the midst of winter, you feel warm and cosy in the hot water, staring up at the starry, starry sky.
Could do better
Changing room amenities: there's no hair conditioner in the shower, no cotton buds or balls, and lotion is provided only by the sinks, not the changing area. Also, the products in the shower need labelling so you know what is shampoo and what is shower gel.
Worth flying in for?
Definitely. This is one of the best spas in Britain and right up there with the finest spas in Europe. Lucknam Park hotel is fabulous, and the hotel's excellent equestrian centre a bonus, making this a destination spa par excellence. If you want a romantic or girly weekend away, this is the place to go. The country house hotel has old-world glam, while the spa is totally Sex and the City chic.
The Spa at Lucknam Park, Wiltshire, +44 (0) 1225 740537, lucknampark.co.uk
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