Everything is designed around the thermal spa pool. There is the gorgeous relaxation room beautifully scented with a NEOM Wellbeing Pod and complete with colouring books and pencils if you like a bit of mindful colouring, treatment rooms which can also be booked out as private rooms for couples and groups up to four. Two of the smaller rooms had their own, private hot tub. There is a steam cabin, a Himalayan salt sauna, a fire pit to sit round (we didn’t ask for this to be put on as it was a bit too cold even when we our bodies had acclimatised), an outside seating area perfect for spring and summer days and an ice barrel experience. Even on a cold night it was cold.
Bee Tranquil Holistic Therapies
Spa Garden at Iveridge Hall
It’s the month of love and a time of as well as showing others our love to show some of that love to ourselves. So, deciding to take a leaf out of my own book, last month I accepted my sister’s offer of going with her to a spa evening she had won in a competition. This was for a Twilight Spa experience at the lovely Spa Garden at Iveridge Hall near Oulton.
I’ve been to a couple of spas before so thought I knew what to expect, but this was totally different – in a wonderful way. I wondered why the lovely ladies looking after us were wearing beautiful thick coats and it soon became apparent as this spa is outside – or as the website says “a beautiful, natural outdoor environment” and this is exactly what it is.
You walk into the welcoming reception area with the restaurant placed at the rear, a members area was to the left and the yoga studio to the right. We were taken through a door and it was like walking through the wardrobe into Narnia. As we had our experience in January it really was getting twilight when we arrived and the place looked magical with the subdued lighting offering enticing glimpses of the delights in the rooms beyond.
The morning and twilight experiences include a gentle yoga class so we donned our leisure wear and started our evening of relaxation. The yoga instructor was lovely as she guided us through the moves to stretch our bodies and ease away any tension and the beautiful, warming yoga room set the scene perfectly.
I have to admit, it did take me by surprise going back outside and it was a bit chilly when we changed into our swimming costumes and towel robes. My sister took advantage of the amazing thermal spa pool, sauna and steam room while I had a hot stones massage. This is one of three massages you can book either on the day or in advance of your visit. I knew my shoulders were tense but was surprised at the size and number or knots that were actually there. I didn’t know if the sound was coming from the hot stones clacking together or the cracks were coming from my knots breaking down. The treatment room was beautiful with a luxurious heated bed and the therapist used one of the Garden Spa’s pre-blended massage oil – in my massage she used the detox massage oil. I even loved the little bowl with the floating candles you could watch while having your massage. It definitely reminded me what it’s like to be at the other end of a massage instead of giving them all the time. I was very tempted to do my ‘massage dance’ as I left the room due to my shoulders being much looser and more relaxed.
We had our power bowl healthy supper with a glass wine before returning to the spa garden to float between the thermal spa pool, steam cabin and sauna. It was bliss, absolute bliss. We even got used to being out in the chilly evening air and there was definitely less teeth chattering as the evening moved on. One of us even dared to take a couple of dips into the ice barrel and lasted a whole 20 seconds. It was pointed out that the suggested time to stay in was between four and eight minutes but the person pointing this out didn’t take up the offer of trying it out.
It was a beautiful evening and because it was January there was only the two of us in the spa. It’s been a long time since I caught up with my sister, just the two of us and the environment and whole experience made it a very special evening.
The big question is would I go back? The answer is yes and the sooner the better.
Bee Tranquil Holistic Therapies
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