...book a spa day for Mum's birthday

Alltheloginsaretakenappar · 16 July 2006 at 4:37PM

It's my Mum's 60th and we had a party for my Dad's 60th so we'd like to make a fuss of her also but a party isn't really her thing, so we still want a special day out.

Has anyone been on a spa day? I've seen those package red-letter type deals are they any good or is it better to arrange with the spa directly?

My main question is what was your experience like?
Some offer 1 or 2 treatments and "full use of the facilities. Is 1 or 2 treatments enough or should I budget for extra treatments? What exactly is "use of the facilities", is it just using the sauna etc and will this be boring or or keep us occupied enough for a whole day?

Any advice or tips welcome. Thanks

CarolnMalky · 16 July 2006 at 6:38PM

Hello,
I havent been on a spa day, but my friend took her mum for her 50th birthday, they booked directly with the spa, who were very helpful.
She opted for things like manicure, massage, lunch etc and they had a fab day!
Good luck and Im sure your mum will love it.

fesdufun · 16 July 2006 at 9:15PM

Hi, Which area are you looking for?

I have been to Nirvana Spa (Wokingham) three times and have loved it each time. I have had two day spas with a couple of treatments each time and one evening spa with a float. My advice would been not to worry too much about the treatments perhaps one or two but certainly not more. It is nice to enjoy the atmosphere and the facilities without feeling rushed between treatments.

I got a two for one deal through lastminute.com so it is worth checking around to see if any deals are around. Find out the prices directly from the spa first and then shop around. I have found red letter days to be over priced and it is cheaper to go direct.

HTH

Alltheloginsaretakenappar · 17 July 2006 at 7:07PM

fesdufun wrote:

It is nice to enjoy the atmosphere and the facilities without feeling rushed between treatments.

What exactly do you do between treatments then?

We live in SW London, so it's probably best if we go somewhere outside of London, Surrey etc. Somewhere picturesque in the country would be nice, but not as important as the price/package. I had a bit of a look around online a while ago, but it's slipped my mind for a bit and now her birthday is approaching fast (19 August, but a week or two later would be ok).

Thanks for your replies

Claudie · 17 July 2006 at 7:18PM

Le Spa in Cirencester are doing a Special Buy One Get One Free offer - £60 is a day for two people with 1 half hour treatment each included...there are loads more options and add ons. Went there a few years ago and really loved it.

The day includes gym, sauna, jacuzzi, pool and a nic ecafe restaurant - you can easily pass a lovely day imo..

http://www.lespa.com/special_offers.html

This was for M-T only but they had an add in the weekend paper to say weekends may now be included.

Hope she has a great day.

rawk · 17 July 2006 at 10:05PM

Hi there,

My wife is into these in a big way, and after trying a couple in central london, and then, more recently, http://www.amidaclubs.com/home/spa, I can only say that nothing... nothing (!) compares with:

http://www.centerparcs.co.uk/discover/spas/index.jsp

Seriously - in terms of costs, surroundings and features (the aqua sauna spa itself is a great treat that nothing comes near), nothing comes even close.

You can go for day spas now at centerparcs, so if you are anywhere near one I'd heartily recommend this.

Last time I spent 150 quid on a day at amida for her birthday, and although it was very nice, it has other things (like a golf course) that would be great if you lived near, but you don't benefit from.

fesdufun · 18 July 2006 at 2:15PM

Alltheloginsaretakenappar wrote:

What exactly do you do between treatments then?

We live in SW London, so it's probably best if we go somewhere outside of London, Surrey etc. Somewhere picturesque in the country would be nice, but not as important as the price/package. I had a bit of a look around online a while ago, but it's slipped my mind for a bit and now her birthday is approaching fast (19 August, but a week or two later would be ok).

Thanks for your replies

On the last one which was an evening spa. We arrived got into our swimsuits and robes. Had a relaxing coffee by the pool. Had a little swim. Had another sit down and read a magazine. Went into the Spa pool and enjoyed the 33 different water jets stations and a cool down in the plunge pool. Then we had a relaxing buffet style tea. We then visited the aromatherapy sauna and monsoon showers! Time for a little relax on the heated loungers before our float which lasted about 45 minutes. After the float we enjoyed another coffee and a swim in the fitness pool followed by a jazucci. Then we went home! Arrived at 5.30 pm and left at 10.30 pm.

The atmosphere at Nirvana is so relaxing it is nice to have time just to sit and read. The time goes really fast and we would have enjoyed some more time just relaxing but wanted to try all the different spa experiences as well.

HTH

JDE_4 · 19 July 2006 at 5:24PM

rawk wrote:

Hi there,
I can only say that nothing... nothing (!) compares with:

http://www.centerparcs.co.uk/discover/spas/index.jsp

Seriously - in terms of costs, surroundings and features (the aqua sauna spa itself is a great treat that nothing comes near), nothing comes even close.

You can go for day spas now at centerparcs, so if you are anywhere near one I'd heartily recommend this.

I would very much agree with you, Aqua Sana at Centre Parcs is just great. They do a 3 hour session in the spa area for approximately £60 each and then you can pay for extra treatments if you wish. It was sooooooooooo relaxing, we're going again next month before we go away on holiday just to unwind.

Oh and you get to spend the rest of the day at the Village as well if that's your thing.

frizz_head · 19 July 2006 at 7:17PM

Alltheloginsaretakenappar wrote:

What exactly do you do between treatments then?

We live in SW London, so it's probably best if we go somewhere outside of London, Surrey etc. Somewhere picturesque in the country would be nice, but not as important as the price/package. I had a bit of a look around online a while ago, but it's slipped my mind for a bit and now her birthday is approaching fast (19 August, but a week or two later would be ok).

Thanks for your replies

What do you do in between treatments? Absolutely nothing!!! That is the beauty of them. You just lay on a sun lounger and chill! Its bliss! If you can summon up the energy, you can go for a swim, sauna, jacuzzi, steam room!

I used to be a member at Nirvana - it is very nice! Also, have tried the Aqua Sanas in Longleat and Sherwood Centerparcs. In my opinion, Aqua Sana has the edge, they have several different types of steam rooms, japanese themed, tyrolean, greek, foot spas etc etc, each one offering totally differing experiences. They also have an ice room to cool off in :eek:. Also, you have the beautiful surroundings of Centerparcs to enjoy too.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

Alltheloginsaretakenappar · 4 August 2006 at 2:56PM

Thanks again to everyone! :beer: I finally got my act together and booked it!

We're going to Grayshott spa

It's exactly what I was looking for: it's a bit posh with beautiful grounds, they do holistic therapies as well as the regular beauty treatments, it's in Guildford which is just a short drive away from home in Putney. And best of all they had a two-for-one offer (which I would have let moneysavers know about if I hadn't spotted it only hours before it expired), so 4 of us are going for £200 instead of £400.

Thanks to all your responses I had a better idea of what I was looking for. We've just booked one extra treament each and will spend the rest of the day at the gym/sauna/swimming/exercise classes/walking the grounds/relaxing etc. We can alway go again just for treatments.

My Mum isn't one for suprises so I've shown her the brochure (with the prices blacked out) and she's impressed. We're all really looking forward to it :T

...book a spa day for Mum's birthday

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