I think I might have to stop getting massages at general-purpose spas. When I want a relaxing afternoon with a friend I'll just do the cheap thing and get a spa pass without a treatment, or get a facial or a wrap. I'll save my massage money for someone who can actually do a proper job (ie Jutika or Flora).
My old friend Zoe was visiting from Dahn Sahf last week and, Lastminute having sold out of its special offers at Titanic, we decided to stay closer to home and get something in Manchester. The £40 per person offer for a massage and spa at Nu Spa in the Park Inn hotel (a scarily modern shiny black monstrosity round the back of Victoria Station) looked like a good bet.
Hmmm. Very odd massage indeed. No pressure, no depth, no finding a knot and kneading it out. Just 50 minutes of vaguely pleasant but slightly frustrating and ultimately slightly pointless stroking. The leg and arm bits were ok, but if anything the back massage, ie the most useful/necessary bit for most of us, was worse than nothing, because my therapist went nowhere near my shoulder muscles at all, concentrating instead on the surface of my back. This meant that at the end my back was sort of a bit relaxed, but by contrast my shoulders just felt even more tense. It almost felt like the sort of massage various clueless boyfriends used to dole out on a night when you've got a headache and they're hoping that a bit of back massage might make it go away enough for them to get laid...
Zoe also noted that they used one of the massage balms that seem to be becoming popular at many mainstream spas at the moment, and commented that you don't get that feeling that your skin is being nourished that comes with a good-quality massage oil. Zo is used to getting extremely good massages off a friend of hers who is a professional herbalist and all-round alternative treatment type, and like me, she found this one pleasant enough but slightly pointless.
The spa facilities here, however, are quite nice, despite the dire grammar on the website. I'd certainly pay the kind of rates that Sienna at the Radisson charge (£12) to spend a day lounging by the rather elegant pool and using the sauna and steam room. The one drawback here is that, oddly, the two showers in the pool area are both hot, so you can't do the sauna/cold shower routine which is the whole point... doh. The showers in the changing room were a bit weird as well, with a scarily clingy internal shower curtain that gave poor Zo a right fit of a heebie jeebies. But there was a pleasingly large collection of trashy mags by the loungers :-)
A closing recommendation is for one of Manchester's best-kept secrets, the (fairly recently launched) afternoon teas served between 2 and 3.30 in the Sculpture Hall cafe, just to your right inside the main doors of the Town Hall on Albert Square. Proper, served-on-a-three-tier-stand, finger sandwiches, scones, jam and fancy cakes style cream teas. £8.95 for more than even the two of, eating as a late lunch and utterly ravenous, could put away. Superb.
Massage and spa day, £80 for two people, Nu Spa at the Park Inn, 4 Cheetham Hill Road. Tel: 0161 837 8377, email: Pace.Manchester@rezidorparkinn.com
Tuesday, 27 July 2010
Monday, 26 July 2010
Country hotel spas
It seems like the latest trend in new spas – now that every shiny identikit urban hotel has shoehorned one into the basement – is small country hotels gluing on an extension or remodeling a back room to fit in at minimum a therapy room, and in some cases a fuller range of spa facilities. So while the two main spa choices (and marketing angles) were 1) shopping/partying city-break with the girls (a la MacDonald Hotels) or 2) stately home isolation (a la Thoresby Hall), there is now a third – elegant, upgraded hotels in rural destinations where, for example, you can go walking and then wind down with a massage, or one partner can go and do scary things on mountain bikes while the other gets wrapped in mud or seaweed. This seems like a positive development; presumably it creates/preserves local jobs, provides good options for people who might otherwise take gas-guzzling short flights abroad (unless of course they're the really evil types who take internal UK flights), and encourages visitors in the British rural economy to spend money locally. All Good.
The highest-profile example of this trend in the North seems to be Verbena Spa at the Feversham Arms in the insanely cute Yorkshire village of Helmsley. The news that started me writing this post was a press release (complete with horrible punctuation errors) about the Swan, a converted seventeenth-century alehouse in Newby Bridge, on tip of Lake Windermere. You can tell the release was written for and probably by southerners – it doesn't mention the name of the village at all, just the Lake. Ho hum. But the hotel – where I'm pretty sure I've stopped for a brew, years ago, and which seems to have benefited from a major facelift – looks lovely and well-suited for short breaks, especially since (unlike Helmsley) it would be easy to do by public transport from Manchester. Some of these places say 'spa' when they mean treatment rooms offering massages, facials, wraps etc, but the Swan does have a gym, pool, sauna and steam room too. Not quite competition for Verbena's full battery of 'monsoon showers', ice room, juice bar and saunarium, but probably enough for a relaxing weekend away. I'm sure I had one of those, once upon a time...
The highest-profile example of this trend in the North seems to be Verbena Spa at the Feversham Arms in the insanely cute Yorkshire village of Helmsley. The news that started me writing this post was a press release (complete with horrible punctuation errors) about the Swan, a converted seventeenth-century alehouse in Newby Bridge, on tip of Lake Windermere. You can tell the release was written for and probably by southerners – it doesn't mention the name of the village at all, just the Lake. Ho hum. But the hotel – where I'm pretty sure I've stopped for a brew, years ago, and which seems to have benefited from a major facelift – looks lovely and well-suited for short breaks, especially since (unlike Helmsley) it would be easy to do by public transport from Manchester. Some of these places say 'spa' when they mean treatment rooms offering massages, facials, wraps etc, but the Swan does have a gym, pool, sauna and steam room too. Not quite competition for Verbena's full battery of 'monsoon showers', ice room, juice bar and saunarium, but probably enough for a relaxing weekend away. I'm sure I had one of those, once upon a time...
Thursday, 8 July 2010
Victoria Baths - spa of the past and future
A couple of months ago, I was commissioned to copywrite a series of case studies for Togetherworks, a social enterprise network for Greater Manchester. One of my subjects was Victoria Baths, the spectacular partly-restored Grade II listed Edwardian public baths on the edge of Longsight. Manchester residents may remember the building from the BBC's Restoration programme, presented by Griff Rhys Jones, which Victoria Baths won in 2003, giving a huge boost to both its public profile and the fund-raising campaign.
The best-known parts of the Baths are the three swimming pools (one of them now covered over to form a sports hall), with their glass roofs and original, seaside-blue changing stalls. But more exciting to me, and more pertinent to this blog, is that fact that the old Turkish Baths, with their glorious coloured tilework, have now been largely restored, and may even be the first part of the building to be brought back into public use. As well as the various hot and cold rooms of the Turkish baths, with their long tiled and wooden benches for relaxing on, there are also a pair of 'Aerotones,' the first public jacuzzis installed in the UK (in 1952). They look to me more like my Grandad's old twin-tub washing machine and not something I'd want to climb into for pleasurable purposes, but they're not likely to be on offer in a hurry.
After years of fund-raising and wading through the bureaucracy of restoring a listed building, the Victoria Baths Trust, which is licensed to look after the Baths on behalf of the owners, Manchester City Council, is only now in a real position to think about how to make the facilities available to the public. According to Mike Franks of the Victoria Baths Trust, they're hoping to find a similarly environmentally- and socially-minded organisation, perhaps a not-for-profit, to run the operation for them. Fingers crossed the find one soon. In the meantime, anyone interested in the building and its history can join a range of tours and open days.
As part of the case studies, Dave Gee, a marvellous Manchester photographer, took a range of photos of the Baths. Here are some of the thumbnails:
The best-known parts of the Baths are the three swimming pools (one of them now covered over to form a sports hall), with their glass roofs and original, seaside-blue changing stalls. But more exciting to me, and more pertinent to this blog, is that fact that the old Turkish Baths, with their glorious coloured tilework, have now been largely restored, and may even be the first part of the building to be brought back into public use. As well as the various hot and cold rooms of the Turkish baths, with their long tiled and wooden benches for relaxing on, there are also a pair of 'Aerotones,' the first public jacuzzis installed in the UK (in 1952). They look to me more like my Grandad's old twin-tub washing machine and not something I'd want to climb into for pleasurable purposes, but they're not likely to be on offer in a hurry.
After years of fund-raising and wading through the bureaucracy of restoring a listed building, the Victoria Baths Trust, which is licensed to look after the Baths on behalf of the owners, Manchester City Council, is only now in a real position to think about how to make the facilities available to the public. According to Mike Franks of the Victoria Baths Trust, they're hoping to find a similarly environmentally- and socially-minded organisation, perhaps a not-for-profit, to run the operation for them. Fingers crossed the find one soon. In the meantime, anyone interested in the building and its history can join a range of tours and open days.
As part of the case studies, Dave Gee, a marvellous Manchester photographer, took a range of photos of the Baths. Here are some of the thumbnails:
Saturday, 26 June 2010
Massage and facial, Lowry Hotel spa, April 2010
It's now late June and I've only just got round to blogging this visit to the Lowry Hotel's spa... which is perhaps a measure of how underwhelmed I was by this experience. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't terribly good either.
I am, perhaps, being a bit unfair. Maybe my expectations of the Lowry had been built up too much by comments like that of Manchester Confidential, which calls it “arguably the finest hotel in the North West” (admittedly in the middle of the blurb for a special dining offer at the Lowry's River Restaurant), and by the the fact that it is a rather lovely building in a great location and with a pretty high reputation.
So, as usual I was there on a special offer deal – again from Manchester Confidential, and consisting of £80 for a full body massage and a full hour-long facial – ie £40 each for two treatments which would normally have been upwards of £60 each, plus use of the spa facilities.
Aaah yes, the spa facilities. The Lowry website claims to offer the “ultimate world of luxury and relaxation” in an “innovative urban spa.” The site's description then lists the facilities as a gym, relaxation rooms, saunas and “Complimentary hot and cold drinks, daily newspapers and magazines.” This isn't striking me as a description of an 'ultimate world...' blahdy-blah, and it wasn't. It was a couple of rooms (admittedly quite pleasant ones with good views) filled with big squishy floor cushions, beanbags and loungers and with a range of mags (the two which spring to mind being a Cheshire set lifestyle one and the stunningly smug and fatuous Intelligent Life from the Economist group. If that represents intelligent life, the heaven help us all, we are scientifically, culturally and economically truly shafted. But I digress.)
The saunas were very small and very hot. If anyone else had been there it would have been quite unnervingly intimate. Fortunately I was alone, so I didn't have to brush naked knees with any strangers, and no-one got to see how quickly I turned purple and had to head for a cool shower.
I was pretty glad to see my therapist turn up soon after, as I could have got quite bored in that relaxation room without a nice sauna to distract me. And after the usual little legal-arse-covering form and chat, it was into the massage. Which was, to be frank, quite odd. Whether I'm with a serious therapeutic massage professional like Jutika at Bodywise or Flora at Neal's Yard, or just having a standard pleasant spa massage, I'm used to people employing a range of techniques – strokes, pressure points, effleurage etc etc – to achieve different results on various parts of the body. Here, however, with the exception of a bit of effleurage at the end, we had one setting – Rub. Hard. The effect of this was a reasonably effective if not entirely enjoyable massage on the arms, legs and lower back. But then she found my knotty, impregnably tensed-up upper and back and shoulders, and commenced a weird, even harder rubbing which felt like she was just trying to scrub away the knots – as if finding them one by one and just rubbing away at them with her thumbs would make them go away. No use of elbows or forearms, no pressure points or long, restful strokes. Just a determined rubbing, as if her thumbs were an eraser and the knots in my muscles were offensive pencil markings. Weird. My muscles certainly felt looser afterwards, but the following day I felt really quite bruised, which is something one often gets warned about after massages but which I've never actually experienced before.
Then came the facial. I can't remember ever having had a spa facial. I got a facial in the treatment rooms at the Clarins counter in Debenhams once, years ago, mainly because it was only fifteen quid and you then got a £15 voucher for Clarins products, which seemed like a pretty good deal. So I don't have a lot to compare my Lowry one against, but again it was a rather mixed experience. I think I explained fairly clearly that although my skin is quite oily, it's also getting on a bit and if you treat it like teenaged greasy skin it promptly dries up into delicate, painful flakiness. Despite this (and despite this being advertised as a 'skin-specific facial' using Elemis products) I got the distinct feeling that I was getting the standard oily-skin treatment, which at some points felt pretty astringent and harsh. The hardier bits of my face came out of the experience looking glowing and rejuvenated, but the delicate patches round my chin were red and felt raw for a good couple of days after.
Having finished writing this up, it all looks pretty negative. I don't think I felt quite so hostile when I walked out of the Lowry – perhaps because the doorman was so lovely and smiley and assiduous in clearing my way of anything that might impede my cripple progress. But if I'd forked out full whack for any of this experience I'd have been well hacked off, and I shall remember in future that the Radisson is still top of my list for Manchester city centre hotel spas.
I am, perhaps, being a bit unfair. Maybe my expectations of the Lowry had been built up too much by comments like that of Manchester Confidential, which calls it “arguably the finest hotel in the North West” (admittedly in the middle of the blurb for a special dining offer at the Lowry's River Restaurant), and by the the fact that it is a rather lovely building in a great location and with a pretty high reputation.
So, as usual I was there on a special offer deal – again from Manchester Confidential, and consisting of £80 for a full body massage and a full hour-long facial – ie £40 each for two treatments which would normally have been upwards of £60 each, plus use of the spa facilities.
Aaah yes, the spa facilities. The Lowry website claims to offer the “ultimate world of luxury and relaxation” in an “innovative urban spa.” The site's description then lists the facilities as a gym, relaxation rooms, saunas and “Complimentary hot and cold drinks, daily newspapers and magazines.” This isn't striking me as a description of an 'ultimate world...' blahdy-blah, and it wasn't. It was a couple of rooms (admittedly quite pleasant ones with good views) filled with big squishy floor cushions, beanbags and loungers and with a range of mags (the two which spring to mind being a Cheshire set lifestyle one and the stunningly smug and fatuous Intelligent Life from the Economist group. If that represents intelligent life, the heaven help us all, we are scientifically, culturally and economically truly shafted. But I digress.)
The saunas were very small and very hot. If anyone else had been there it would have been quite unnervingly intimate. Fortunately I was alone, so I didn't have to brush naked knees with any strangers, and no-one got to see how quickly I turned purple and had to head for a cool shower.
I was pretty glad to see my therapist turn up soon after, as I could have got quite bored in that relaxation room without a nice sauna to distract me. And after the usual little legal-arse-covering form and chat, it was into the massage. Which was, to be frank, quite odd. Whether I'm with a serious therapeutic massage professional like Jutika at Bodywise or Flora at Neal's Yard, or just having a standard pleasant spa massage, I'm used to people employing a range of techniques – strokes, pressure points, effleurage etc etc – to achieve different results on various parts of the body. Here, however, with the exception of a bit of effleurage at the end, we had one setting – Rub. Hard. The effect of this was a reasonably effective if not entirely enjoyable massage on the arms, legs and lower back. But then she found my knotty, impregnably tensed-up upper and back and shoulders, and commenced a weird, even harder rubbing which felt like she was just trying to scrub away the knots – as if finding them one by one and just rubbing away at them with her thumbs would make them go away. No use of elbows or forearms, no pressure points or long, restful strokes. Just a determined rubbing, as if her thumbs were an eraser and the knots in my muscles were offensive pencil markings. Weird. My muscles certainly felt looser afterwards, but the following day I felt really quite bruised, which is something one often gets warned about after massages but which I've never actually experienced before.
Then came the facial. I can't remember ever having had a spa facial. I got a facial in the treatment rooms at the Clarins counter in Debenhams once, years ago, mainly because it was only fifteen quid and you then got a £15 voucher for Clarins products, which seemed like a pretty good deal. So I don't have a lot to compare my Lowry one against, but again it was a rather mixed experience. I think I explained fairly clearly that although my skin is quite oily, it's also getting on a bit and if you treat it like teenaged greasy skin it promptly dries up into delicate, painful flakiness. Despite this (and despite this being advertised as a 'skin-specific facial' using Elemis products) I got the distinct feeling that I was getting the standard oily-skin treatment, which at some points felt pretty astringent and harsh. The hardier bits of my face came out of the experience looking glowing and rejuvenated, but the delicate patches round my chin were red and felt raw for a good couple of days after.
Having finished writing this up, it all looks pretty negative. I don't think I felt quite so hostile when I walked out of the Lowry – perhaps because the doorman was so lovely and smiley and assiduous in clearing my way of anything that might impede my cripple progress. But if I'd forked out full whack for any of this experience I'd have been well hacked off, and I shall remember in future that the Radisson is still top of my list for Manchester city centre hotel spas.
Saturday, 3 April 2010
Aromatherapy massage, Flora, Neals Yard Remedies, March 2010
I've always had a soft spot for Neal's Yard Remedies. I like the lovely smell their shops have. I like the fact that their products actually work on my horrible temperamental skin. And I particularly like it that their sourcing policies take environmental sustainability and equitable trade seriously – certainly a lot more seriously than many of the other premium 'natural' cosmetics brands out there.
Apart from anything else, they were one of the first 6 companies to sell Fairtrade Foundation certified cosmetics when a proper fair trade standard was launched for the sector in 2009, and have been pioneering attempts to bring the benefits of FT and organic premiums to producers even in such hard-to-reach areas as Somalia. The website is a bit disappointingly heavy on pseudo-scientific waffle about detox, anti-aging properties, free radicals etc etc (see the marvellous Bad Science by Ben Goldacre for more on this) but it shouldn't detract too much from basically nice, good quality products.
So when their website told me years ago that Neal's Yard's Manchester branch offered therapies I was quite excited, and rather disappointed to be told that it was an error. So I was pleased to find that, second time round, they had actually included a treatment room on the premises. Spurred on by an about-to-expire voucher, I headed down to John Dalton Street.
The massage I got from Flora Croal confirmed that if you want a fancy all-round experience of saunas and steam rooms etc you head to a spa, but often if what you're after is a really good massage, you head for somewhere with fewer bells & whistles. The treatment room at Neal's Yard is a bit unprepossessing and smacks of a former storeroom behind the shop, with some (admittedly very pretty) wallpaper and a massage couch added. Well, I guess when you're lying face-down having your back worked on you don't really care that much about the surroundings (although I could hear slightly too much of the shop goings-on to relax totally into my surroundings). But certainly no random Buddha heads strewn about the place here.
The massage itself was truly top-notch. There were the usual basic health/requirements questions at the beginning, and then onto the couch. Flora was using Neal's Yard products for the aromatherapy massage including some very nice neroli essential oil (and that of course meant that I got to feel better about the ethics of what was being used on me than if it was more mainstream spa offerings like Decleor, eSpa or Elemis. And, for the record, I wouldn't touch Estee Lauder-owned Aveda with a bargepole). She worked my back and shoulders over brilliantly, finding lumps and bumps quickly and intuitively and kneading and untangling them with fingers, thumbs and elbows. She also responded to some particularly stubborn knots in my back with the suggestion that I could combine a massage with a little bit of acupuncture at the end, which is another therapy she provides, so who knows? Maybe I'll engage with the idea of actually allowing someone to stick a load of needles in me and then lie still. Who knows? The arm and hand massage included some welcome joint manipulations and the whole thing finished up with a firm but gentle scalp and face massage that left me smiling.
Sacrilegious as it may be, Flora delivers a massage which gives the usually all-surpassing Jutika at Bodywise a run for her money. Neal's Yard is slightly more expensive and Bodywise is a slightly nicer environment. But if Jutika's not available sometime when I really need a massage, or I happen to be very much over the Neals Yard side of town, I know where I'm going.
Aromatherapy massage £40, Neal’s Yard Remedies, 29 John Dalton Street, Manchester, M2 6NY, Email: manchester@nealsyardremedies.com, Telephone: 0161 835 1713
Apart from anything else, they were one of the first 6 companies to sell Fairtrade Foundation certified cosmetics when a proper fair trade standard was launched for the sector in 2009, and have been pioneering attempts to bring the benefits of FT and organic premiums to producers even in such hard-to-reach areas as Somalia. The website is a bit disappointingly heavy on pseudo-scientific waffle about detox, anti-aging properties, free radicals etc etc (see the marvellous Bad Science by Ben Goldacre for more on this) but it shouldn't detract too much from basically nice, good quality products.
So when their website told me years ago that Neal's Yard's Manchester branch offered therapies I was quite excited, and rather disappointed to be told that it was an error. So I was pleased to find that, second time round, they had actually included a treatment room on the premises. Spurred on by an about-to-expire voucher, I headed down to John Dalton Street.
The massage I got from Flora Croal confirmed that if you want a fancy all-round experience of saunas and steam rooms etc you head to a spa, but often if what you're after is a really good massage, you head for somewhere with fewer bells & whistles. The treatment room at Neal's Yard is a bit unprepossessing and smacks of a former storeroom behind the shop, with some (admittedly very pretty) wallpaper and a massage couch added. Well, I guess when you're lying face-down having your back worked on you don't really care that much about the surroundings (although I could hear slightly too much of the shop goings-on to relax totally into my surroundings). But certainly no random Buddha heads strewn about the place here.
The massage itself was truly top-notch. There were the usual basic health/requirements questions at the beginning, and then onto the couch. Flora was using Neal's Yard products for the aromatherapy massage including some very nice neroli essential oil (and that of course meant that I got to feel better about the ethics of what was being used on me than if it was more mainstream spa offerings like Decleor, eSpa or Elemis. And, for the record, I wouldn't touch Estee Lauder-owned Aveda with a bargepole). She worked my back and shoulders over brilliantly, finding lumps and bumps quickly and intuitively and kneading and untangling them with fingers, thumbs and elbows. She also responded to some particularly stubborn knots in my back with the suggestion that I could combine a massage with a little bit of acupuncture at the end, which is another therapy she provides, so who knows? Maybe I'll engage with the idea of actually allowing someone to stick a load of needles in me and then lie still. Who knows? The arm and hand massage included some welcome joint manipulations and the whole thing finished up with a firm but gentle scalp and face massage that left me smiling.
Sacrilegious as it may be, Flora delivers a massage which gives the usually all-surpassing Jutika at Bodywise a run for her money. Neal's Yard is slightly more expensive and Bodywise is a slightly nicer environment. But if Jutika's not available sometime when I really need a massage, or I happen to be very much over the Neals Yard side of town, I know where I'm going.
Aromatherapy massage £40, Neal’s Yard Remedies, 29 John Dalton Street, Manchester, M2 6NY, Email: manchester@nealsyardremedies.com, Telephone: 0161 835 1713
Sunday, 14 March 2010
Bristol Lido, March 2010
Bristol Lido is one of an encouragingly increasing number of restored and active Lidos – outdoor swimming pools – around Britain. Its facilities include the pool itself, an outdoor hot tub, a 'sun deck' outdoor seating area, a sauna and steam room and a restaurant-cafe. And in 2009 it won a South West England Green Energy Award for best small renewables project, for its solar heating.
Friend V and I were booked in for an afternoon's pampering – me for a massage and use of the facilities; V, who is pregnant, for a good swim and chill out. However, things were not to go quite as as planned. Due to some unidentified screw-up on the booking system, my 3.30 massage appointment had disappeared into the ether, and no slots were available until 5pm – too late to fit in with the rest of our plans. I'd already been a but disappointed that the only slot left when we'd booked was staffed by a therapist who wasn't qualified to deliver the very attractive sounding 'winter warmer' scrub and massage, and had opted for a standard full body massage instead. So it seemed this appointment was destined not to go right from the start...
Some spas might have quibbled over whether the booking had been properly done or simply given us a flat 'no.' Bristol Spa is too classy for that; instead we were offered complimentary access to the pool and spa facilities (normal cost: £15) and free tea and cake afterwards. Result. The massage should have cost £50, which is steepish by my standards but then this is an upper-range destination in Bristol, after all.
V had been looking forward to a nice swim in a heated pool, the warmth contrasting with the chilly spring air, so she wasn't pleasantly surprised to find that the pool was extremely not-warm. Braving it out she got a few lengths in, but had to thaw herself out in the hot tub after a shortish time. I, meanwhile, had been having a very nice time in the sauna, reading my rather entertaining book on the joys of NOT having children. Horses for courses... The sauna itself was perfectly adequate, standard pine benches and a water scoop to up the humidity. The smaller steam room could have got crowded pretty quickly, but I had that to myself and it was very steamy indeed, with a lung-cleansing tang of wintergreen and teatree. The hot tub was the highlight – blue skies and cold snappy air above, hot churning water below.
One day I'll be able to afford the restaurant at the Lido (if my beloved husband wins the lottery, anyway), but until then the tea and cakes will do nicely. The two floors have long windows looking out over the pool (slightly disconcerting while you're actually outside in the hot tub or hobbling in your cozzie through the freezing air back to the changing rooms) and the menus have a wide range of contemporary dishes on offer. Our unexpected freebie ended up including the Guinness cake, a rich, moist chocolate cake with a slight tang of stout and a creamy white icing to complete the effect. V's freshly-squeezed blood orange juice was gorgeous, if a bit steep at £3, and the teas came in satisfyingly generous pots.
The one (possibly churlish under the circumstances) criticism I'd have was that the co-ordination between staff wasn't great – the new shift on the Lido reception hadn't been told of the comps we'd been offered by the previous staff member and we had to explain, and then the (occasionally rather brusque and stroppy) restaurant staff seemed a bit floored to be presented with unorthodox arrangements.
It's great to see an old Lido like this restored and obviously busy and popular, and with a high quality offer that could make a great afternoon or day's relaxation. Next time I head down that way, I hope to be able to comment on the quality of the massage therapies too...
Bristol Lido, Oakfield Place, Clifton, Bristol BS8 2BJ. Reception: 0117 933 9530, restaurant: 0117 933 9533. Email: spa@lidobristol.com
Friend V and I were booked in for an afternoon's pampering – me for a massage and use of the facilities; V, who is pregnant, for a good swim and chill out. However, things were not to go quite as as planned. Due to some unidentified screw-up on the booking system, my 3.30 massage appointment had disappeared into the ether, and no slots were available until 5pm – too late to fit in with the rest of our plans. I'd already been a but disappointed that the only slot left when we'd booked was staffed by a therapist who wasn't qualified to deliver the very attractive sounding 'winter warmer' scrub and massage, and had opted for a standard full body massage instead. So it seemed this appointment was destined not to go right from the start...
Some spas might have quibbled over whether the booking had been properly done or simply given us a flat 'no.' Bristol Spa is too classy for that; instead we were offered complimentary access to the pool and spa facilities (normal cost: £15) and free tea and cake afterwards. Result. The massage should have cost £50, which is steepish by my standards but then this is an upper-range destination in Bristol, after all.
V had been looking forward to a nice swim in a heated pool, the warmth contrasting with the chilly spring air, so she wasn't pleasantly surprised to find that the pool was extremely not-warm. Braving it out she got a few lengths in, but had to thaw herself out in the hot tub after a shortish time. I, meanwhile, had been having a very nice time in the sauna, reading my rather entertaining book on the joys of NOT having children. Horses for courses... The sauna itself was perfectly adequate, standard pine benches and a water scoop to up the humidity. The smaller steam room could have got crowded pretty quickly, but I had that to myself and it was very steamy indeed, with a lung-cleansing tang of wintergreen and teatree. The hot tub was the highlight – blue skies and cold snappy air above, hot churning water below.
One day I'll be able to afford the restaurant at the Lido (if my beloved husband wins the lottery, anyway), but until then the tea and cakes will do nicely. The two floors have long windows looking out over the pool (slightly disconcerting while you're actually outside in the hot tub or hobbling in your cozzie through the freezing air back to the changing rooms) and the menus have a wide range of contemporary dishes on offer. Our unexpected freebie ended up including the Guinness cake, a rich, moist chocolate cake with a slight tang of stout and a creamy white icing to complete the effect. V's freshly-squeezed blood orange juice was gorgeous, if a bit steep at £3, and the teas came in satisfyingly generous pots.
The one (possibly churlish under the circumstances) criticism I'd have was that the co-ordination between staff wasn't great – the new shift on the Lido reception hadn't been told of the comps we'd been offered by the previous staff member and we had to explain, and then the (occasionally rather brusque and stroppy) restaurant staff seemed a bit floored to be presented with unorthodox arrangements.
It's great to see an old Lido like this restored and obviously busy and popular, and with a high quality offer that could make a great afternoon or day's relaxation. Next time I head down that way, I hope to be able to comment on the quality of the massage therapies too...
Bristol Lido, Oakfield Place, Clifton, Bristol BS8 2BJ. Reception: 0117 933 9530, restaurant: 0117 933 9533. Email: spa@lidobristol.com
Monday, 1 March 2010
Gina, MacDonald Hotel Spa, February 2010
It's probably a sign of our recessionary times that about half the spas in the country seem to be doing some kind of BOGOF or other special offer. This trip to the Macdonald Hotel spa, down the road from Piccadilly station, came via ManchesterConfidential rather than my usual source of bargains, lastminute.com, and at £80 for two people to have hour-long treatments and use of the spa facilities it seemed like a decent deal.
Both Ruth and I went for full body massages as our treatments (I think the alternative was some kind of facial). Ruth seemed to find hers fine, and commented that she particularly liked the warm Decleor 'detox balm' which was used instead of oil for the massages, and leaves you less oily and smelling nicely of essential oils including lemongrass, patchouli and rosemary. My therapist was Gina, and she was excellent – more flexible in adapting the massage to my needs than most hotel spa massage-givers I've encountered. I got a perfectly good back and shoulder massage, concentrating on my horrible knotted upper back, and then an exceptionally good leg and arm massage, more comprehensive than others I've had and using lots of twisting motions and bracing to really get into the muscles, but without pinching the way some limb massages can. Finishing the massage off with eye pads soaked in something cool and soothing was a nice touch.
So, that was the good bit. Unfortunately the rest of the experience didn't particularly live up to it. The Macdonald Hotel spa itself is in a separate section of the building from the main reception, and I guess if you're coming from the hotel it would be fine – you'd simply go along the building and get the lift down. But coming from the outside as non-residents, we had to come into a sterile-looking little foyer that felt like an unstaffed office black (and let's face it, the building is a refurbished BT office), pressing a buzzer to be let in and then having to figure out that the lift was tucked into corner (or go up a set of car-park-like steep, narrow stairs).
The reception and décor of most of the place was what I'm coming to recognise as Generic Hotel Spa – lots of dark wood (hopefully stained FSC approved pine; worst case but very possible scenario illegally logged topical hardwood), some bamboo bits and cushions, a couple of stands full of overpriced cosmetics and toiletries, and a selection of random 'stone' Buddha heads and items of mass-produced south-east Asian artwork. Although the reception staff were friendly enough they were also rather scatty and disorganised, apparently forgetting for a while that we might need towels and slippers, announcing that the ManchesterConfidential deal didn't include bathrobes (not their fault but fairly tight and petty of whoever fixed the deal) and generally not giving much sense of being on the ball. The relaxation room – more Buddhas heads and rattan, plus couches, fat furry throws and a rather caffeine-heavy selection of teas – was pleasant enough but nothing special.
The really annoying bit was discovering that the spa area – basically a heat experience area like a mini-version of the one at Titanic I reviewed earlier – was back down the stairs/lift, into a cold and draughty foyer, and set between the two changing rooms down there. This meant that starting with the spa and then coming up for a treatment wouldn't be a very pleasant option, at least in winter, and would involve a certain amount of walking round a fairly public and unattractive entrance area in your bathrobe. The heat experience itself was a tiled wet-zone affair, with a couple of types of sauna (including an infra-red one), an 'experience shower' which was basically a heavy shower with changing lights, and an ice room. Fairly small – it felt a bit weird with the two of us plus a couple who'd obviously been quite pleased to have it to themselves (and who were busy hogging the two heated loungers). And that was it – no pool or larger relaxation area close to the saunas, just the one upstairs in the treatment area. Unfortunately, this spa feels poorly planned and laid, out, shoehorned into the corner of a huge hotel which surely could have spared the space to provide better facilities.
So, I suppose my summary would be that if you're staying at the Macdonald or work in the immediate area and want a good massage, book here and ask for Gina. If, however, you want a spa experience where you can chill out for a few hours and do some serious relaxation, head for the Radisson Sienna over on Peter Street or, for a proper treat, Titanic in Huddersfield. And don't bother with packages that combine the two, because the layout of the building simply isn't suitable for it.
Macdonald Hotel & Spa, London Road, Manchester, M1 2PG, spa phone 0161 272 3280
Both Ruth and I went for full body massages as our treatments (I think the alternative was some kind of facial). Ruth seemed to find hers fine, and commented that she particularly liked the warm Decleor 'detox balm' which was used instead of oil for the massages, and leaves you less oily and smelling nicely of essential oils including lemongrass, patchouli and rosemary. My therapist was Gina, and she was excellent – more flexible in adapting the massage to my needs than most hotel spa massage-givers I've encountered. I got a perfectly good back and shoulder massage, concentrating on my horrible knotted upper back, and then an exceptionally good leg and arm massage, more comprehensive than others I've had and using lots of twisting motions and bracing to really get into the muscles, but without pinching the way some limb massages can. Finishing the massage off with eye pads soaked in something cool and soothing was a nice touch.
So, that was the good bit. Unfortunately the rest of the experience didn't particularly live up to it. The Macdonald Hotel spa itself is in a separate section of the building from the main reception, and I guess if you're coming from the hotel it would be fine – you'd simply go along the building and get the lift down. But coming from the outside as non-residents, we had to come into a sterile-looking little foyer that felt like an unstaffed office black (and let's face it, the building is a refurbished BT office), pressing a buzzer to be let in and then having to figure out that the lift was tucked into corner (or go up a set of car-park-like steep, narrow stairs).
The reception and décor of most of the place was what I'm coming to recognise as Generic Hotel Spa – lots of dark wood (hopefully stained FSC approved pine; worst case but very possible scenario illegally logged topical hardwood), some bamboo bits and cushions, a couple of stands full of overpriced cosmetics and toiletries, and a selection of random 'stone' Buddha heads and items of mass-produced south-east Asian artwork. Although the reception staff were friendly enough they were also rather scatty and disorganised, apparently forgetting for a while that we might need towels and slippers, announcing that the ManchesterConfidential deal didn't include bathrobes (not their fault but fairly tight and petty of whoever fixed the deal) and generally not giving much sense of being on the ball. The relaxation room – more Buddhas heads and rattan, plus couches, fat furry throws and a rather caffeine-heavy selection of teas – was pleasant enough but nothing special.
The really annoying bit was discovering that the spa area – basically a heat experience area like a mini-version of the one at Titanic I reviewed earlier – was back down the stairs/lift, into a cold and draughty foyer, and set between the two changing rooms down there. This meant that starting with the spa and then coming up for a treatment wouldn't be a very pleasant option, at least in winter, and would involve a certain amount of walking round a fairly public and unattractive entrance area in your bathrobe. The heat experience itself was a tiled wet-zone affair, with a couple of types of sauna (including an infra-red one), an 'experience shower' which was basically a heavy shower with changing lights, and an ice room. Fairly small – it felt a bit weird with the two of us plus a couple who'd obviously been quite pleased to have it to themselves (and who were busy hogging the two heated loungers). And that was it – no pool or larger relaxation area close to the saunas, just the one upstairs in the treatment area. Unfortunately, this spa feels poorly planned and laid, out, shoehorned into the corner of a huge hotel which surely could have spared the space to provide better facilities.
So, I suppose my summary would be that if you're staying at the Macdonald or work in the immediate area and want a good massage, book here and ask for Gina. If, however, you want a spa experience where you can chill out for a few hours and do some serious relaxation, head for the Radisson Sienna over on Peter Street or, for a proper treat, Titanic in Huddersfield. And don't bother with packages that combine the two, because the layout of the building simply isn't suitable for it.
Macdonald Hotel & Spa, London Road, Manchester, M1 2PG, spa phone 0161 272 3280
Wednesday, 30 December 2009
New eco-spa in Glasgow?
Since I did a post for Blog Action Day on eco-spas and the possible environmental impacts of spa and therapy activities, I've found myself getting more interested in this aspect of things. Having spent most of my working life dealing with these issues, and having realised that eco-spas are a lot easier to find than I'd expected, I'm keeping more of an eye out for more...
One of the upshots of this has been that I also spotted a press release recently about a new spa in Glasgow. The Spa at the new five-star Blythswood Square Hotel opens in February 2010 and as well as the usual blurb about luxury and 'discreet havens,' the media release includes the information that the spa will be using Ila (organic skincare) products and 'indigenous Scottish' beauty ingredients. It seems to be going for the 'local' trend that has swept food markets and other products areas, emphasising in this case the use of "organic seaweed sourced direct from the Hebrides" (good if it's being produced/harvested sustainably and shipped in low-carbon ways) and "Scotland’s purest ingredients including Scotch Thistle extract, seaweed and sea lavender, with healing therapies to provide a complete body and mind experience."
The food on offer is also apparently heavy on the “ locally sourced, organic dishes.”
All this is, of course, commendable and on the right track, and sustainable sourcing of all these consumables is an important step in the right direction.
But in terms of big environmental impacts I was also interested to find out more about the press release's statement that “Blythswood Square will be one of Scotland’s most environmentally-friendly hotels through the incorporation of renewable energy technologies to achieve reduced carbon emissions.” For this I had to head to the hotel company's own website, which lists a range of measures taken to reduce the hotel's carbon footprint, including:
- heating systems which combine Combined Heat & Power, geothermal and solar panels;
- “ highly efficient micro double glazing which is 300% better than the original sash windows at eliminating draughts” - which sounds like a useful resource for historical buildings, which are often constrained by conservation requirements when it comes to energy-efficient fittings;
- “energy efficient lighting” - which I'm guessing is a fancy way of saying low-energy light bulbs;
- additional insulation on internal walls and a heat recovery system in the roof;
- a rain water recovery system to supplement water supplies;
- some members of the same hotel chain also donate leftover food to FareShare, a stunningly common-sense scheme which distributes good-quality surplus food to homeless people, helping them to access better quality food and helping to reduce the shocking amount of food wasted every day in this (and other affluent) countries.
Unfortunately the actual information on the company website seems to have been written by a PR person who doesn't know anything about the subject and has got their terminology mixed up, so they've got geothermal down as meaning 'solar panels,' which doesn't do a great amount for its credibility. But it does look like this particular hotel is going beyond the pitiful and very annoying stickers that seem to have multiplied across many hotels, which point out how much water, heat and detergent is wasted in hotel laundries across the world by washing towels that have only been used once, and urging guests to only leave towels on the floor if they actively need them washing again. OK, fair enough on its own, but said sticker does not make a 'green hotel'. I hope that things have progressed since I wrote a report on the hotel sector for Ethical Consumer magazine in 2007, but at that time most hotel chains seemed to think that that was their environmental responsibilities covered...
One of the upshots of this has been that I also spotted a press release recently about a new spa in Glasgow. The Spa at the new five-star Blythswood Square Hotel opens in February 2010 and as well as the usual blurb about luxury and 'discreet havens,' the media release includes the information that the spa will be using Ila (organic skincare) products and 'indigenous Scottish' beauty ingredients. It seems to be going for the 'local' trend that has swept food markets and other products areas, emphasising in this case the use of "organic seaweed sourced direct from the Hebrides" (good if it's being produced/harvested sustainably and shipped in low-carbon ways) and "Scotland’s purest ingredients including Scotch Thistle extract, seaweed and sea lavender, with healing therapies to provide a complete body and mind experience."
The food on offer is also apparently heavy on the “ locally sourced, organic dishes.”
All this is, of course, commendable and on the right track, and sustainable sourcing of all these consumables is an important step in the right direction.
But in terms of big environmental impacts I was also interested to find out more about the press release's statement that “Blythswood Square will be one of Scotland’s most environmentally-friendly hotels through the incorporation of renewable energy technologies to achieve reduced carbon emissions.” For this I had to head to the hotel company's own website, which lists a range of measures taken to reduce the hotel's carbon footprint, including:
- heating systems which combine Combined Heat & Power, geothermal and solar panels;
- “ highly efficient micro double glazing which is 300% better than the original sash windows at eliminating draughts” - which sounds like a useful resource for historical buildings, which are often constrained by conservation requirements when it comes to energy-efficient fittings;
- “energy efficient lighting” - which I'm guessing is a fancy way of saying low-energy light bulbs;
- additional insulation on internal walls and a heat recovery system in the roof;
- a rain water recovery system to supplement water supplies;
- some members of the same hotel chain also donate leftover food to FareShare, a stunningly common-sense scheme which distributes good-quality surplus food to homeless people, helping them to access better quality food and helping to reduce the shocking amount of food wasted every day in this (and other affluent) countries.
Unfortunately the actual information on the company website seems to have been written by a PR person who doesn't know anything about the subject and has got their terminology mixed up, so they've got geothermal down as meaning 'solar panels,' which doesn't do a great amount for its credibility. But it does look like this particular hotel is going beyond the pitiful and very annoying stickers that seem to have multiplied across many hotels, which point out how much water, heat and detergent is wasted in hotel laundries across the world by washing towels that have only been used once, and urging guests to only leave towels on the floor if they actively need them washing again. OK, fair enough on its own, but said sticker does not make a 'green hotel'. I hope that things have progressed since I wrote a report on the hotel sector for Ethical Consumer magazine in 2007, but at that time most hotel chains seemed to think that that was their environmental responsibilities covered...
Tuesday, 29 December 2009
Titanic, Huddersfield: 'Britain's first eco-spa'
Titanic Spa in Huddersfield was launched with a flurry of broadsheet reviews in 2007 as 'Britain's first eco-spa,” and its website lists some pretty impressive environmental credentials. It has invested £1.5 million in making the building 'carbon neutral,' including installing a Combined Heat & Power (CHP) plant. CHP systems use the same generator to produce both heat and electricity, so less energy is wasted, and Titanic's CHP unit runs on a biomass boiler, meaning that wood chippings are used as fuel. The trees themselves also absorb CO2 as they grow, so this is a method of power generation with a much lower carbon footprint than fossil fuel boilers, although there are some questions about the effects on biodiversity and food production of growing tree plantations for fuel.
As well as the CHP plant, Titanic also has photovoltaic solar panels to generate additional electricity, a swimming pool which uses salt instead of chlorine to keep the water clean, and an Otex laundry system which claims to “make typical average savings of 60% in electricity, 35% in gas and 80% in hot water.” And Titanic's water supply doesn't come from mains water, but from the spa's own borehole stretching 100m down into the limestone aquifer below.
So when I spotted a 2-4-1 offer for Titanic Spa on Lastminute.com, at the same time as my co-author on my first book and I were discussing treating ourselves to a post-manuscript weekend away, it seemed like the chance to find out what an eco-spa might look like.
Apart from the pleasant no-chlorine atmosphere of the swimming pool, the only discernible effect of these environmental measures are the little plaques explaining the pure borehole water, positioned above the drinking fountain in the Heat Experience area. This is a full-on luxury spa, offering a huge range of massages, wraps, scrubs, manicures, pedicures, facials, hydrotherapy and hammam treatments. The swimming pool incorporates a large jacuzzi and is surrounded by loungers in which to while away the hours or to sprawl on in between visits to the adjacent sauna or steam room. And the fabulous Relaxation Room is home to a squadron of vast, squashy armchairs and loungers, a huge sunken pit full of giant beanbags (just be careful not to fall asleep in there...) and an impressive collection of trashy magazines.
The accommodation for those lucky enough to be staying over at Titanic is also pretty plush. According to a local we got chatting to, the guest apartments were originally designed as flats in this vast renovated nineteenth century mill building, but didn't sell. This means they have top-of-the-range kitchens and nice bathrooms, as well as TVs and DVD players for those too exhausted to do anything but flop after their spa day.
The half-hour Target Massages we got as part of the Lastminute offer package were more than adequate, and in my case surprisingly effective for such a short time. My therapist was confident and able, delivering a back and shoulder massage using forearms and elbows as well as hands, and finishing off with a slick of circulagel to make the effects of the massage last longer.
The biggest reason to head for Titanic, though, is the Heat Experience. This is a dimly-lit circular room with the feel of a Middle Eastern hammam, where you can spend hours working your way around a range of small rooms ranging from a gorgeously tiled blue Steam Room, a roasting sauna or milder saunarium, a clean-scented aromatherapy room or a row of bubbling foot spas, to an ice room or a freezing plunge pool. After a few rounds of this your skin feels fabulously clean, your muscles relaxed, and if you've braved the cold plunge pool after some time in the sauna, your circulation and endorphins are racing.
Titanic is, in my estimation, pretty damn good, and its environmental investments are very impressive. But it's not quite there yet. The small eco-failings seem odd; there things that even hotels that haven't grasped the bigger environmental picture manage to do (if only for PR reasons) which Titanic doesn't. The tea, sugar and orange juice in the apartment kitchens, for example, are neither organic nor Fairtrade, although they all easily could be switched over as coffee is already FT. There are no recycling bins in the apartments or around the drinking fountains, and although there are some paper cones to drink from, there were also plastic cups by many of the fountains. The freebie toiletries in the bathrooms, while pleasant-smelling, weren't from any of the widely available eco or fair trade brands, and were labelled 'made in China.' The products on sale and used in treatments were good quality but not eco or fair trade, and although the Decleor saleswoman in the foyer was lovely, she was totally baffled by our questions about the ethics of the company behind the brand. And the Directions page on the Titanic website only gives instructions on how to get to the spa by car, not by public transport from Huddersfield train and coach station, which are a ten minute cab ride away.
Titanic Spa should be justly commended for its major environmental investments, for using serious renewable energy, energy-efficient and low-chemical technologies and for introducing debates on these subjects into the spa world. And as a destination spa it's well worth heading for (by public transport!) for a top-notch relaxing break. But there are still some changes – and not necessarily big ones - which management could make to achieve ethical perfection. I'm certainly looking forward to going back to see if they've made any of them...
Titanic Spa, Low Westwood Lane, Linthwaite, Huddersfield HD7 5UN, 01484 843 544, enquiries@titanicspa.com. Lastminute.com special offer £129 for two people for lunch, dinner, bed & breakfast, full use of the spa and pool/gym facilities and a half hour treatment.
A version of this article was also published in the Ethicsgirls online magazine in January 2010.
As well as the CHP plant, Titanic also has photovoltaic solar panels to generate additional electricity, a swimming pool which uses salt instead of chlorine to keep the water clean, and an Otex laundry system which claims to “make typical average savings of 60% in electricity, 35% in gas and 80% in hot water.” And Titanic's water supply doesn't come from mains water, but from the spa's own borehole stretching 100m down into the limestone aquifer below.
So when I spotted a 2-4-1 offer for Titanic Spa on Lastminute.com, at the same time as my co-author on my first book and I were discussing treating ourselves to a post-manuscript weekend away, it seemed like the chance to find out what an eco-spa might look like.
Apart from the pleasant no-chlorine atmosphere of the swimming pool, the only discernible effect of these environmental measures are the little plaques explaining the pure borehole water, positioned above the drinking fountain in the Heat Experience area. This is a full-on luxury spa, offering a huge range of massages, wraps, scrubs, manicures, pedicures, facials, hydrotherapy and hammam treatments. The swimming pool incorporates a large jacuzzi and is surrounded by loungers in which to while away the hours or to sprawl on in between visits to the adjacent sauna or steam room. And the fabulous Relaxation Room is home to a squadron of vast, squashy armchairs and loungers, a huge sunken pit full of giant beanbags (just be careful not to fall asleep in there...) and an impressive collection of trashy magazines.
The accommodation for those lucky enough to be staying over at Titanic is also pretty plush. According to a local we got chatting to, the guest apartments were originally designed as flats in this vast renovated nineteenth century mill building, but didn't sell. This means they have top-of-the-range kitchens and nice bathrooms, as well as TVs and DVD players for those too exhausted to do anything but flop after their spa day.
The half-hour Target Massages we got as part of the Lastminute offer package were more than adequate, and in my case surprisingly effective for such a short time. My therapist was confident and able, delivering a back and shoulder massage using forearms and elbows as well as hands, and finishing off with a slick of circulagel to make the effects of the massage last longer.
The biggest reason to head for Titanic, though, is the Heat Experience. This is a dimly-lit circular room with the feel of a Middle Eastern hammam, where you can spend hours working your way around a range of small rooms ranging from a gorgeously tiled blue Steam Room, a roasting sauna or milder saunarium, a clean-scented aromatherapy room or a row of bubbling foot spas, to an ice room or a freezing plunge pool. After a few rounds of this your skin feels fabulously clean, your muscles relaxed, and if you've braved the cold plunge pool after some time in the sauna, your circulation and endorphins are racing.
Titanic is, in my estimation, pretty damn good, and its environmental investments are very impressive. But it's not quite there yet. The small eco-failings seem odd; there things that even hotels that haven't grasped the bigger environmental picture manage to do (if only for PR reasons) which Titanic doesn't. The tea, sugar and orange juice in the apartment kitchens, for example, are neither organic nor Fairtrade, although they all easily could be switched over as coffee is already FT. There are no recycling bins in the apartments or around the drinking fountains, and although there are some paper cones to drink from, there were also plastic cups by many of the fountains. The freebie toiletries in the bathrooms, while pleasant-smelling, weren't from any of the widely available eco or fair trade brands, and were labelled 'made in China.' The products on sale and used in treatments were good quality but not eco or fair trade, and although the Decleor saleswoman in the foyer was lovely, she was totally baffled by our questions about the ethics of the company behind the brand. And the Directions page on the Titanic website only gives instructions on how to get to the spa by car, not by public transport from Huddersfield train and coach station, which are a ten minute cab ride away.
Titanic Spa should be justly commended for its major environmental investments, for using serious renewable energy, energy-efficient and low-chemical technologies and for introducing debates on these subjects into the spa world. And as a destination spa it's well worth heading for (by public transport!) for a top-notch relaxing break. But there are still some changes – and not necessarily big ones - which management could make to achieve ethical perfection. I'm certainly looking forward to going back to see if they've made any of them...
Titanic Spa, Low Westwood Lane, Linthwaite, Huddersfield HD7 5UN, 01484 843 544, enquiries@titanicspa.com. Lastminute.com special offer £129 for two people for lunch, dinner, bed & breakfast, full use of the spa and pool/gym facilities and a half hour treatment.
A version of this article was also published in the Ethicsgirls online magazine in January 2010.
Thursday, 17 December 2009
Jutika, Bodywise, December 2009
OK, so I've been tarting it round various other massage providers in Manchester, largely lured by spa facilities and Lastminute.com 2-for-1 offers. But a pilates class just across the hallway and some seriously sore shoulder muscles from hauling myself around on crutches has seen me hurrying back to Manchester's finest.
As usual, Bodywise is just a lovely, calming environment to walk into, with its faint scent of incense and aromatherapy and strangely soothing curved walls. Jutika, as usual, dug out her file of notes on me – now going back the best part of ten years – and checked for any new clinical issues, as well as talking through my general mental and emotional health.
The massage was, as usual, spot on – plenty of pressure point work and good firm strokes using forearms and elbows. The muscles down the side of my neck and along my shoulders were predictably bunched into a big knot, so after trying to get into them with her hands and thumbs out came Jutika's elbows, leaning slowly and firmly into the sorest points, breaking down the tension and pain and returning my shoulders to somewhere around their natural position rather than the previous sense that they'd been stuck somewhere near my earlobes.
And hey, back again tomorrow. Lucky me!
The great addition to this particular massage was that Jutika is currently doing a 20% off recession-busting offer, but I don't know how long for so it's well worth getting in touch asap...
Bodywise Natural Health Centre, Manchester Buddhist Centre, 16 - 20 Turner Street, Manchester M4 1DZ, 0161 833 2528, health [at] bodywisenaturalhealth.co.uk. C. £30 including discount.
As usual, Bodywise is just a lovely, calming environment to walk into, with its faint scent of incense and aromatherapy and strangely soothing curved walls. Jutika, as usual, dug out her file of notes on me – now going back the best part of ten years – and checked for any new clinical issues, as well as talking through my general mental and emotional health.
The massage was, as usual, spot on – plenty of pressure point work and good firm strokes using forearms and elbows. The muscles down the side of my neck and along my shoulders were predictably bunched into a big knot, so after trying to get into them with her hands and thumbs out came Jutika's elbows, leaning slowly and firmly into the sorest points, breaking down the tension and pain and returning my shoulders to somewhere around their natural position rather than the previous sense that they'd been stuck somewhere near my earlobes.
And hey, back again tomorrow. Lucky me!
The great addition to this particular massage was that Jutika is currently doing a 20% off recession-busting offer, but I don't know how long for so it's well worth getting in touch asap...
Bodywise Natural Health Centre, Manchester Buddhist Centre, 16 - 20 Turner Street, Manchester M4 1DZ, 0161 833 2528, health [at] bodywisenaturalhealth.co.uk. C. £30 including discount.
Friday, 27 November 2009
Massage and the recession
I was chatting to a friend today about the impacts of the recession on her massage business - and they've not been good. Some regular customers have, she says, cut their visits - from weekly to monthly, or monthly to every two months. Some have fallen away altogether, and new clients are not appearing at a fast enough rate to replace them. Customers she's spoken to about it have either been hit directly by job losses or are simply afraid to spend what money they do have. Tough times, and a pity because with the additional stress of the current economic situation it's probably the time when many of us most need a good kneading.
Wednesday, 18 November 2009
Real Aromatherapy Massage, Jessica, the Treatment Rooms, Brighton, November 2009
OK, so it's Brighton not Manchester. But hey, people from Manchester go on holidays don't they? And in this era of 'staycations,' Brighton has to be a potential destination?
Well if it is, the Treatment Rooms, on a picturesque little street right next to the splendidly hideous Brighton Pavilion, should definitely be on this list. This is a classy joint, full of warmly attentive staff and fabulous-smelling things in bottles, and worth adding onto any city break.
Reception is downstairs in the shop where treatments such as manicures also take place. But for massages and the like, you're ushered upstairs to a wood-and-wicker furnished waiting room with aspirational books about Zen and spa holidays strewn on the low tables. While the staff pour you a glass of water or cup of soothing herbal tea, you're shown into the (separate men's and women's) changing rooms, where there are lockers for your clothes and bags and cosy brown waffle robes and slippers (hurrah! A place with the sense not to insist on showing off how good their laundry system is by having everything white! It always terrifies me that I'm going to spill something, and makes me think they must be using a lot of environmentally-unfriendly washing powder and scalding hot water).
You are collected from the waiting room by your therapist and taken down a subtly-lit corridor to one of the candlelit treatment room. These are very nicely turned out; no stacks of towels on the massage couches but soft sheets, again in warm brown, and glittery Indian-looking throws.
I was there – courtesy of my lovely friend Zoe – for a 70 minute Real Aromatherapy body, face and scalp massage. Before I got as far as the couch I was invited to sit down and have my feet washed in scented water, while Jessica discussed whether I wanted a relaxing or an invigorating experience from my massage. Having narrowed it down to relaxing, I was then presented with a choice of three types of blended oils, ranging from the usual lavender-based relaxation preparation to an ylang and sandalwood, which I chose for the sake of interest as well as because it smelt lovely. We then had a discussion about skin types for the facial massage, and we came up with a rose and sandalwood blend for that. She also checked whether or not I wanted her to do the scalp massage without oils in case I needed to look presentable after I'd left! And she asked sensible, perceptive questions about what she should and shouldn't do to work around my hip injury.
The massage itself was a firm but gentle experience, using a lot of pressure point techniques. She started with my back and shoulders, using her strongest pressure here, and then went over my lower back, arms, hands and then legs and feet. I was invited to turn over for the gorgeous-smelling face and scalp massage, which included the intriguing technique of little pulling bunches of my hair. Odd, but effective. She then worked her way over my stomach and down to the front of my legs and finally feet again. By the end of the 70 minutes several months' worth of pain and tension from sitting writing books and articles hunched over various computers had been spirited away and I was feeling fantastic.
Continuing the top-class experience, although the Treatment Rooms isn't a spa per se, there is no pressure to rush back out into the real world. The relaxation room, on the same corridor as the treatment rooms, is a candle-and-fairylight-lit room with recliners, cushions and chairs where you can lie back for as long as you like, borrowing those aspirational books from the waiting room or bringing some trashy magazines yourself, or simply lying and enjoying the sensation of being supremely relaxed and smelling lovely.
Real Aromatherapy Body, Face & Scalp Massage, 70 minutes for £64
The Treatment Rooms, 21 New Road, Brighton BN1 1UF, www.thetreatmentrooms.co.uk, 01273 818444
For anyone planning a break in Brighton, other parts of your holiday could very well include (depending on budget):
- The White House 'boutique hotel' in Kemptown, a very charming place to stay with gorgeous rooms, fab breakfasts and a supremely helpful and friendly owner;
- Terre a Terre: one of the UK's best vegetarian restaurants, for top-notch yet healthy food and great service - with a special mention to Milo for his great etiquette at dealing with customers on crutches;
- Kemptown Bookshop: for a great range of good books and a cute little cafe that does great sandwiches (just make sure Megan the soppy dog doesn't wheedle them out of you);
- the Lion & Lobster pub in Hove – friendly staff, decent beers, good food.
Well if it is, the Treatment Rooms, on a picturesque little street right next to the splendidly hideous Brighton Pavilion, should definitely be on this list. This is a classy joint, full of warmly attentive staff and fabulous-smelling things in bottles, and worth adding onto any city break.
Reception is downstairs in the shop where treatments such as manicures also take place. But for massages and the like, you're ushered upstairs to a wood-and-wicker furnished waiting room with aspirational books about Zen and spa holidays strewn on the low tables. While the staff pour you a glass of water or cup of soothing herbal tea, you're shown into the (separate men's and women's) changing rooms, where there are lockers for your clothes and bags and cosy brown waffle robes and slippers (hurrah! A place with the sense not to insist on showing off how good their laundry system is by having everything white! It always terrifies me that I'm going to spill something, and makes me think they must be using a lot of environmentally-unfriendly washing powder and scalding hot water).
You are collected from the waiting room by your therapist and taken down a subtly-lit corridor to one of the candlelit treatment room. These are very nicely turned out; no stacks of towels on the massage couches but soft sheets, again in warm brown, and glittery Indian-looking throws.
I was there – courtesy of my lovely friend Zoe – for a 70 minute Real Aromatherapy body, face and scalp massage. Before I got as far as the couch I was invited to sit down and have my feet washed in scented water, while Jessica discussed whether I wanted a relaxing or an invigorating experience from my massage. Having narrowed it down to relaxing, I was then presented with a choice of three types of blended oils, ranging from the usual lavender-based relaxation preparation to an ylang and sandalwood, which I chose for the sake of interest as well as because it smelt lovely. We then had a discussion about skin types for the facial massage, and we came up with a rose and sandalwood blend for that. She also checked whether or not I wanted her to do the scalp massage without oils in case I needed to look presentable after I'd left! And she asked sensible, perceptive questions about what she should and shouldn't do to work around my hip injury.
The massage itself was a firm but gentle experience, using a lot of pressure point techniques. She started with my back and shoulders, using her strongest pressure here, and then went over my lower back, arms, hands and then legs and feet. I was invited to turn over for the gorgeous-smelling face and scalp massage, which included the intriguing technique of little pulling bunches of my hair. Odd, but effective. She then worked her way over my stomach and down to the front of my legs and finally feet again. By the end of the 70 minutes several months' worth of pain and tension from sitting writing books and articles hunched over various computers had been spirited away and I was feeling fantastic.
Continuing the top-class experience, although the Treatment Rooms isn't a spa per se, there is no pressure to rush back out into the real world. The relaxation room, on the same corridor as the treatment rooms, is a candle-and-fairylight-lit room with recliners, cushions and chairs where you can lie back for as long as you like, borrowing those aspirational books from the waiting room or bringing some trashy magazines yourself, or simply lying and enjoying the sensation of being supremely relaxed and smelling lovely.
Real Aromatherapy Body, Face & Scalp Massage, 70 minutes for £64
The Treatment Rooms, 21 New Road, Brighton BN1 1UF, www.thetreatmentrooms.co.uk, 01273 818444
For anyone planning a break in Brighton, other parts of your holiday could very well include (depending on budget):
- The White House 'boutique hotel' in Kemptown, a very charming place to stay with gorgeous rooms, fab breakfasts and a supremely helpful and friendly owner;
- Terre a Terre: one of the UK's best vegetarian restaurants, for top-notch yet healthy food and great service - with a special mention to Milo for his great etiquette at dealing with customers on crutches;
- Kemptown Bookshop: for a great range of good books and a cute little cafe that does great sandwiches (just make sure Megan the soppy dog doesn't wheedle them out of you);
- the Lion & Lobster pub in Hove – friendly staff, decent beers, good food.
Monday, 16 November 2009
Fairtrade ingredients - coming to a beauty product near you
Between various events I've been to and articles I've researched recently, I've come across an encouraging number of initiatives bringing ethical ingredients to beauty products.
One of the most exciting of these is organic certified Somali incense, being used in the gorgeous-smelling frankincense range from Neal's Yard Remedies. The frankincense is a tree resin gathered by the women from semi-nomadic pastoral tribes, whose families mainly depend on their livestock - cows, goats and camels - to make a living. Despite the long-running unrest in Somalia, wholesalers have managed to get accreditation for frankincense gathered by women from the Samburu people. More information from here and here.
The second project that caught my notice was from Tropical Wholefoods which, as its name suggests, usually sells dried fruit and nuts. But as a by-product of this, it has started sourcing from its dried apricot growers in the Gilgit area of Northern Pakistan other parts of the apricot, with Fairtrade certified crushed apricot stone hulls going to Boots for Fairtrade body scrubs, and apricot kernel oil again heading for Neals Yard's lovely products. And, of course, most of this comes from parts of the fruit that would normally go to waste.
One of the most exciting of these is organic certified Somali incense, being used in the gorgeous-smelling frankincense range from Neal's Yard Remedies. The frankincense is a tree resin gathered by the women from semi-nomadic pastoral tribes, whose families mainly depend on their livestock - cows, goats and camels - to make a living. Despite the long-running unrest in Somalia, wholesalers have managed to get accreditation for frankincense gathered by women from the Samburu people. More information from here and here.
The second project that caught my notice was from Tropical Wholefoods which, as its name suggests, usually sells dried fruit and nuts. But as a by-product of this, it has started sourcing from its dried apricot growers in the Gilgit area of Northern Pakistan other parts of the apricot, with Fairtrade certified crushed apricot stone hulls going to Boots for Fairtrade body scrubs, and apricot kernel oil again heading for Neals Yard's lovely products. And, of course, most of this comes from parts of the fruit that would normally go to waste.
Thursday, 15 October 2009
Eco-spas and environmental massages
Inspired by Blog Action Day on climate change, I've been thinking about the environmental impacts of spas and treatments. All that heating up saunas, steam, treatment rooms and pools, the chlorine that goes into cleaning them, the various resources that get put into making the things we get wrapped in and rubbed down with.
Titanic Spa in Huddersfield (not so very far from Manchester) claims to be 'the UK's first eco-spa' and has been the subject of umpteen newspaper and online articles to that effect. There are plenty of places nowadays that claim environmental credentials, but looking at Titanic's, it does go beyond the usual Ecover surface cleaner and recycled paper. It's got a biomass CHP plant and solar photovoltaics for energy generation and a chlorine-free, salt-regulated swimming pool, and uses a cold-water laundry system for its towels, robes etc.
I'm slightly less bowled over by its statements about using product supplies with 'authentic green statements' as I've never had Decleor or Elemis down as green pioneers, but given the extent of some of their other initiatives, I'm willing to let that one slide.
A spa break at Titanic, however, is not cheap, so I was also interested to find this article suggesting ways that a home bathroom can be made into the setting for luxurious DIY spas, in an eco-fashion. It's got some good tips, ranging from sustainable flooring, which tallies with reliable sources such as Ethical Consumer's report on floor coverings, and covers other DIY issues as well as the products you might use in a home spa.
In terms of products, since I'm particularly interested in massage the main product involved is of course the oil used, so I want to finish by flagging up two ethical examples – Neals Yard, which supplies sustainably-sourced (often organic or sustainably wild-crafted) carrier and essential oils as well as ready-mixed versions, and Visionary Soap, which makes lovely ready-mixed massage oils using Fairtrade certified olive oil from Palestine (grown on often ancient trees which generate an environmentally sustainable income for farmers under military occupation by the Israeli state) and sesame oil from Nicaragua.
Titanic Spa in Huddersfield (not so very far from Manchester) claims to be 'the UK's first eco-spa' and has been the subject of umpteen newspaper and online articles to that effect. There are plenty of places nowadays that claim environmental credentials, but looking at Titanic's, it does go beyond the usual Ecover surface cleaner and recycled paper. It's got a biomass CHP plant and solar photovoltaics for energy generation and a chlorine-free, salt-regulated swimming pool, and uses a cold-water laundry system for its towels, robes etc.
I'm slightly less bowled over by its statements about using product supplies with 'authentic green statements' as I've never had Decleor or Elemis down as green pioneers, but given the extent of some of their other initiatives, I'm willing to let that one slide.
A spa break at Titanic, however, is not cheap, so I was also interested to find this article suggesting ways that a home bathroom can be made into the setting for luxurious DIY spas, in an eco-fashion. It's got some good tips, ranging from sustainable flooring, which tallies with reliable sources such as Ethical Consumer's report on floor coverings, and covers other DIY issues as well as the products you might use in a home spa.
In terms of products, since I'm particularly interested in massage the main product involved is of course the oil used, so I want to finish by flagging up two ethical examples – Neals Yard, which supplies sustainably-sourced (often organic or sustainably wild-crafted) carrier and essential oils as well as ready-mixed versions, and Visionary Soap, which makes lovely ready-mixed massage oils using Fairtrade certified olive oil from Palestine (grown on often ancient trees which generate an environmentally sustainable income for farmers under military occupation by the Israeli state) and sesame oil from Nicaragua.
Wednesday, 24 June 2009
Tash, Hot Stone massage, Sensory at Bannatyne's, central Manchester, April and May 2009
I've always fancied trying a hot stone massage, but they often seem to be prohibitively expensive and until recently, were largely to be found on the treatment menus of pricey spa resorts.
So, having already encountered the delightful Tash at the Sensory, I was interested to note that hot stone massages there came in at less than forty quid, which is easily what you'll pay for the standard version in the city centre, so despite it sounding a little like something they'd do to witches in Medieval times, I booked.
I'm definitely now a convert, not so much for a soothing and relaxing experience, but for the kind of times when your back feels like a big tangle of knotted rope and no amateurish efforts from friends or lovers are going to relieve the pain. As far as I'm concerned, hot stone massages are the efficient, fast way to sort out scrunched-up back muscles.
I'm not sure what I was expecting from the stones themselves – probably something quite large being heated up using, say, hot water or... something. Who knows. What was actually entailed was something more akin to one of those bread making machines that were fashionable a few years ago – a sort of table-top electrical device which could have been made by Tefal or Swan or some other distinctly unenchanting white goods brand. The stones were a lot smaller than I imagined, too, small enough for Tash to hold in her hand and basically use to deliver a massage, as if they were her hands and fists.
So the difference is not so much in the techniques of massage used, but simply in the heat – which was a bit of a shock and slightly too much for me to start with, but which can be controlled to an extent by putting the stones in cool water (I think; I was face-down at this point). Applying the hot stones in this way basically does what a nice, relaxing, warming massage does in terms of heating your muscles and causing them to relax – but it does so a damn sight quicker and more thoroughly, so if you're dealing with, for instance, a tree-root back like mine it can release hideous amounts of pain and tension in a fairly short period of time.
As I've kind of said, this isn't the most relaxing or pleasurable experience to be had on a massage table, but it is bloody effective and, certainly in this case, not much more expensive than a normal back and shoulder massage.
The one downside to the second of my two visits for hot stone massages here was the jobsworths who run Sunlight House – a rather impressive 1930s building on Quay Street. Apparently chaining bikes to their faux-heritage lamp-posts on the stone flagged area near the entrance is Forbidden, leaving little option but the use the less convenient – both for cyclist and pedestrian – signpost on the main street itself. Take note, Bannatyne's, your landlords are busy pissing off the customers.
Contacts: Bannatyne's Health Club, Sunlight House, Quay Street, Manchester, M3 3JU. Tel: 0161 8323227. Hot stone massage £38
So, having already encountered the delightful Tash at the Sensory, I was interested to note that hot stone massages there came in at less than forty quid, which is easily what you'll pay for the standard version in the city centre, so despite it sounding a little like something they'd do to witches in Medieval times, I booked.
I'm definitely now a convert, not so much for a soothing and relaxing experience, but for the kind of times when your back feels like a big tangle of knotted rope and no amateurish efforts from friends or lovers are going to relieve the pain. As far as I'm concerned, hot stone massages are the efficient, fast way to sort out scrunched-up back muscles.
I'm not sure what I was expecting from the stones themselves – probably something quite large being heated up using, say, hot water or... something. Who knows. What was actually entailed was something more akin to one of those bread making machines that were fashionable a few years ago – a sort of table-top electrical device which could have been made by Tefal or Swan or some other distinctly unenchanting white goods brand. The stones were a lot smaller than I imagined, too, small enough for Tash to hold in her hand and basically use to deliver a massage, as if they were her hands and fists.
So the difference is not so much in the techniques of massage used, but simply in the heat – which was a bit of a shock and slightly too much for me to start with, but which can be controlled to an extent by putting the stones in cool water (I think; I was face-down at this point). Applying the hot stones in this way basically does what a nice, relaxing, warming massage does in terms of heating your muscles and causing them to relax – but it does so a damn sight quicker and more thoroughly, so if you're dealing with, for instance, a tree-root back like mine it can release hideous amounts of pain and tension in a fairly short period of time.
As I've kind of said, this isn't the most relaxing or pleasurable experience to be had on a massage table, but it is bloody effective and, certainly in this case, not much more expensive than a normal back and shoulder massage.
The one downside to the second of my two visits for hot stone massages here was the jobsworths who run Sunlight House – a rather impressive 1930s building on Quay Street. Apparently chaining bikes to their faux-heritage lamp-posts on the stone flagged area near the entrance is Forbidden, leaving little option but the use the less convenient – both for cyclist and pedestrian – signpost on the main street itself. Take note, Bannatyne's, your landlords are busy pissing off the customers.
Contacts: Bannatyne's Health Club, Sunlight House, Quay Street, Manchester, M3 3JU. Tel: 0161 8323227. Hot stone massage £38
Foot massage, Ana, E-Rejuvenation Centre, Spitalfields, London 24th June 2009
Ok, so I know this is supposed to be about Manchester massages. But this one was fun, so I'm going to include it anyway.
Firstly it was fun because it was a freebie, and I'm on a low enough income to very much appreciate nice things I don't have to pay for. But the lovely folks at the Fairtrade Foundation were doling out free half-hour massages as part of the launch event for the new labelling scheme for Fairtrade beauty products. For a long time, individual Fairtrade ingredients could be labelled, but the actual product wasn't, unlike for instance food products where a bar or cake, say, containing over 20% Fairtrade ingredients could carry the well-known label. But now they have come up with rules for a scheme, and today was the day the press got let loose on it.
So, having done the meet & greet and tried to ask vaguely intelligent questions to some of the Fairtrade beauty product producers there (including some favourites of mine – Visionary Soap Company, Lush and Neal's Yard Remedies), I got spirited off down a long corridor to a very pleasant treatment room with ochre walls, harp music and some lovely scented candles.
A very smiley and terrifyingly young-looking girl called Ana (I'm guessing Scandinavian) was doing my foot massage, which was more of a foot and lower leg massage, using the gorgeous-scented jasmine body cream which was one of the newly branded Fairtrade products. It's from Neal's Yard so it's bloody expensive, but it smells absolutely amazing.
In terms of the massage, it was very able, and interesting in so far as I'd never quite grasped how having one part of you massaged can be quite so relaxing all over. Unlike the deep tissue massage I prefer on my knotted up back and shoulders, I've never been very good with my calves and feet and Ana had to resist the temptation to use her thumbs too much on me, but once we got the pressure sorted out having my calves, ankles, soles and toes firmly massaged was very therapeutic. The massage itself was followed up by effleurage up to thigh level. One of the skills that Ana had down very well was the practice of never letting a part of the client's body out of her reach – ie there was always a warm hand on my foot or ankle, which is a strangely comforting experience, something that Jutika taught at the classes I went to years ago but which not all therapists observe.
The full treatment lasted a half hour, which is a pretty fair amount of time to spend on one part of the body like this, and probably one of the reasons it was so relaxing.
The E-Rejuvenation Centre itself is a bit odd, seemingly combining ideas about total relaxation with some weird stuff like seminars on Sun Tzu's Art of War, perhaps to keep the city boys from just over the way on Bishopsgate interested. But I can't fault the quality of their massage therapy.
Contacts: E Rejuvenation Centre, 132 Commercial Street, London E1 6NG, T. 020 7650 0718
Firstly it was fun because it was a freebie, and I'm on a low enough income to very much appreciate nice things I don't have to pay for. But the lovely folks at the Fairtrade Foundation were doling out free half-hour massages as part of the launch event for the new labelling scheme for Fairtrade beauty products. For a long time, individual Fairtrade ingredients could be labelled, but the actual product wasn't, unlike for instance food products where a bar or cake, say, containing over 20% Fairtrade ingredients could carry the well-known label. But now they have come up with rules for a scheme, and today was the day the press got let loose on it.
So, having done the meet & greet and tried to ask vaguely intelligent questions to some of the Fairtrade beauty product producers there (including some favourites of mine – Visionary Soap Company, Lush and Neal's Yard Remedies), I got spirited off down a long corridor to a very pleasant treatment room with ochre walls, harp music and some lovely scented candles.
A very smiley and terrifyingly young-looking girl called Ana (I'm guessing Scandinavian) was doing my foot massage, which was more of a foot and lower leg massage, using the gorgeous-scented jasmine body cream which was one of the newly branded Fairtrade products. It's from Neal's Yard so it's bloody expensive, but it smells absolutely amazing.
In terms of the massage, it was very able, and interesting in so far as I'd never quite grasped how having one part of you massaged can be quite so relaxing all over. Unlike the deep tissue massage I prefer on my knotted up back and shoulders, I've never been very good with my calves and feet and Ana had to resist the temptation to use her thumbs too much on me, but once we got the pressure sorted out having my calves, ankles, soles and toes firmly massaged was very therapeutic. The massage itself was followed up by effleurage up to thigh level. One of the skills that Ana had down very well was the practice of never letting a part of the client's body out of her reach – ie there was always a warm hand on my foot or ankle, which is a strangely comforting experience, something that Jutika taught at the classes I went to years ago but which not all therapists observe.
The full treatment lasted a half hour, which is a pretty fair amount of time to spend on one part of the body like this, and probably one of the reasons it was so relaxing.
The E-Rejuvenation Centre itself is a bit odd, seemingly combining ideas about total relaxation with some weird stuff like seminars on Sun Tzu's Art of War, perhaps to keep the city boys from just over the way on Bishopsgate interested. But I can't fault the quality of their massage therapy.
Contacts: E Rejuvenation Centre, 132 Commercial Street, London E1 6NG, T. 020 7650 0718
Monday, 27 April 2009
Tash, the Sensory Spa at Bannatyne's Quay Street, February 2009
This trip was the result of finding the many two-for-one and other offers for spa afternoons and experiences on lastminute.com, especially if you're able to take up offers available only during the week. Friend Jess and I went for an afternoon – being a teacher she was able to do this during half term, and being a freelance writerI can just work weekends and take time out during the week. This offer worked out at about £28 each for use of the spa and for a 45 minute treatment, with both of us going for the back, neck and shoulder massage. Bannatyne's is a nationwide chain so the offer is available pretty widely.
The Quay Street Bannatyne's – which is also a gym and fitness centre – has a pleasant enough if slightly odd spa. The many corridors can be a bit baffling, and the changing rooms are a bit big and draughty – more school gym lesson than luxurious spa. The sauna and steam room were fine and enjoyable, and situated next to a decent sized, if bizarrely shaped and slightly under-lit, swimming pool. Apparently this used to be a big, well-known pool with art deco decorations, diving boards etc, but a mezzanine has now gone in to extend the space available for the gyms etc. There could have been more loungers and chairs and you really need to take your own drinking water if you don't want to have to shell out for bottles from a machine, but for the price I wasn't complaining. The vouchers sent for the offer were ambiguous as to whether we'd be supplied with things like towels and robes and I think the Bannatyne's website implied that these would not be included. But they were, although slippers weren't.
The massage itself was, to put it bluntly, surprisingly good. After my experiences at the Radisson I'd come to expect that what I'd get somewhere like this would be an adequate but uninspiring beautician-with-a-bit-of-massage-training kind of deal. But I was lucky enough to get Tash. Now, she's not Jutika – but she might be in 5 or 10 years' time, if she stays in the profession.
From chatting to her, I got the distinct impression that she knows her stuff and has a genuine interest in massage and relaxation therapies. Her main training was, she said, in massage, and she's topped it up with skills in things like facials and manicures because it makes her more employable. The setting she's working in isn't ideal for setting off her talent – it's very much the kind of place where you walk in and are overwhelmed with a range of overpriced (if nice-smelling) potions in bottles and millions of shades of nail polish and lipstick. I'm guessing the staff are either on commission or that selling the contents of those various bottles is a major part of their role. But nevertheless, Tash gives a damn good massage – in-depth without being painful, and asking the right kind of questions about needs, pain levels and sore spots - so anyone finding themselves here should try asking for her. Having said that, Jess was pretty happy with her experience too, so maybe this place is lucky with its staff.
Contact details: Bannatyne's Health Club, Sunlight House, Quay Street, Manchester, M3 3JU , 0161 832 3227
The Quay Street Bannatyne's – which is also a gym and fitness centre – has a pleasant enough if slightly odd spa. The many corridors can be a bit baffling, and the changing rooms are a bit big and draughty – more school gym lesson than luxurious spa. The sauna and steam room were fine and enjoyable, and situated next to a decent sized, if bizarrely shaped and slightly under-lit, swimming pool. Apparently this used to be a big, well-known pool with art deco decorations, diving boards etc, but a mezzanine has now gone in to extend the space available for the gyms etc. There could have been more loungers and chairs and you really need to take your own drinking water if you don't want to have to shell out for bottles from a machine, but for the price I wasn't complaining. The vouchers sent for the offer were ambiguous as to whether we'd be supplied with things like towels and robes and I think the Bannatyne's website implied that these would not be included. But they were, although slippers weren't.
The massage itself was, to put it bluntly, surprisingly good. After my experiences at the Radisson I'd come to expect that what I'd get somewhere like this would be an adequate but uninspiring beautician-with-a-bit-of-massage-training kind of deal. But I was lucky enough to get Tash. Now, she's not Jutika – but she might be in 5 or 10 years' time, if she stays in the profession.
From chatting to her, I got the distinct impression that she knows her stuff and has a genuine interest in massage and relaxation therapies. Her main training was, she said, in massage, and she's topped it up with skills in things like facials and manicures because it makes her more employable. The setting she's working in isn't ideal for setting off her talent – it's very much the kind of place where you walk in and are overwhelmed with a range of overpriced (if nice-smelling) potions in bottles and millions of shades of nail polish and lipstick. I'm guessing the staff are either on commission or that selling the contents of those various bottles is a major part of their role. But nevertheless, Tash gives a damn good massage – in-depth without being painful, and asking the right kind of questions about needs, pain levels and sore spots - so anyone finding themselves here should try asking for her. Having said that, Jess was pretty happy with her experience too, so maybe this place is lucky with its staff.
Contact details: Bannatyne's Health Club, Sunlight House, Quay Street, Manchester, M3 3JU , 0161 832 3227
Friday, 24 April 2009
Sienna spa at the Radisson Hotel, deep tissue massage, June 2008
I got married in September 2008, so this was a road test for the Sienna Spa at the Radisson in Manchester as a possible hen expedition venue. Also, friend Ruth was in the country for her one-and-only break from a year managing a diving conservation project in Madagascar, living in a village with very little in the way of creature comforts, so a little pampering was in order.
The Sienna Spa is, I think, a good bet for an afternoon off or a group thing like a hen night, because the spa itself – which has a sauna, steam room, jacuzzi and decent sized swimming pool – is free to use with treatments costing £40 or more, or is £12 for the spa alone. This means it's reasonably affordable for groups where some people are a bit more flush than others. There's also a gym, but let's not go there, and a full set of towels, robe and slippers is supplied, which is nice. And the spa is well-supplied with loungers and chairs where you can fall asleep, read fat trashy novels or do other things that might be lovely and relaxing.
Although there's no real chat about what you need or want from a massage, you do have to fill in medical conditions form, which is a little mechanistic and can feel like their main objective is to cover themselves in case they damage you, rather than actually understanding what the purpose of your treatment might be. But the little lounge overlooking the pool where you wait for treatments is nice enough, with jugs of water and complementary apples. Very healthy.
I have to say my experience of the deep tissue massage I went for on this visit wasn't terrific. It was satisfactory, but for £60 a pop I want pretty damn good, to be honest. I don't remember the name of the massage therapists Ruth and I had that day, but my overwhelming impression was that the therapists there tended towards the young, blonde beauty-therapists-who've-done-a-bit-of-massage-training type, rather than people interested in the more in-depth aspects of wellbeing and relaxation. I normally really enjoy a proper deep muscle massage – as I said in my review of Jutika I'm happy to have my back and shoulders worked on with elbows and knees as well as hands – but my experience at the Radisson was actually quite painful, especially on the calves, and when I tried to convey this to my therapist I didn't get the impression that what I was saying was really getting across. I felt I was in the hands of someone with fairly limited experience and a small repertoire, who had little skill or flexibility to adapt what they were doing to the client's needs. I needed the sauna and steam afterwards to recover from the massage! Which is a pity, especially at that price.
Contact details: Radisson Edwardian Manchester Hotel, Peter Street, Manchester M2 5GP, 0161 835 8964. Email sienna[at]radisson.com
The Sienna Spa is, I think, a good bet for an afternoon off or a group thing like a hen night, because the spa itself – which has a sauna, steam room, jacuzzi and decent sized swimming pool – is free to use with treatments costing £40 or more, or is £12 for the spa alone. This means it's reasonably affordable for groups where some people are a bit more flush than others. There's also a gym, but let's not go there, and a full set of towels, robe and slippers is supplied, which is nice. And the spa is well-supplied with loungers and chairs where you can fall asleep, read fat trashy novels or do other things that might be lovely and relaxing.
Although there's no real chat about what you need or want from a massage, you do have to fill in medical conditions form, which is a little mechanistic and can feel like their main objective is to cover themselves in case they damage you, rather than actually understanding what the purpose of your treatment might be. But the little lounge overlooking the pool where you wait for treatments is nice enough, with jugs of water and complementary apples. Very healthy.
I have to say my experience of the deep tissue massage I went for on this visit wasn't terrific. It was satisfactory, but for £60 a pop I want pretty damn good, to be honest. I don't remember the name of the massage therapists Ruth and I had that day, but my overwhelming impression was that the therapists there tended towards the young, blonde beauty-therapists-who've-done-a-bit-of-massage-training type, rather than people interested in the more in-depth aspects of wellbeing and relaxation. I normally really enjoy a proper deep muscle massage – as I said in my review of Jutika I'm happy to have my back and shoulders worked on with elbows and knees as well as hands – but my experience at the Radisson was actually quite painful, especially on the calves, and when I tried to convey this to my therapist I didn't get the impression that what I was saying was really getting across. I felt I was in the hands of someone with fairly limited experience and a small repertoire, who had little skill or flexibility to adapt what they were doing to the client's needs. I needed the sauna and steam afterwards to recover from the massage! Which is a pity, especially at that price.
Contact details: Radisson Edwardian Manchester Hotel, Peter Street, Manchester M2 5GP, 0161 835 8964. Email sienna[at]radisson.com
Thursday, 23 April 2009
The Hammam al-Shifa
Ok, I know that this blog was meant to be about Manchester, but I recently came back from the amazing city of Nablus and a quick visit to the Hammam al-Shifa, one of the few remaining traditional Turkish Baths in use in Palestine, and a very beautiful space. It was built in 1624 by the Tuqan family. So here are a few gratuitous photos...
Saturday, 18 April 2009
Manchester School of Massage, Whalley Range, June 2004?
I'm not sure how I arrived here. I think Jutika was away for the summer and I was desperate for a good kneading of my shoulders muscles. I think I was also skint and horrified by the price of the various city centre spa-type-places, and I found the Manchester School of Massage. It was cheap and close to home, did courses (which suggested to me that they should know what they're doing) and offered a bewildering array of different massages.
The Manchester School of Massage building itself was a little unprepossessing – an inter-war suburban house. Inside, the hallway-turned-waiting-area was a bit dingy and the absence of much in the way of a reception meant I wasn't sure where to wait or who I should be talking to, or indeed who was going to be actually performing my treatment.
I don't remember the name of the therapist I ended up seeing. She was capable, if rather the brusque. I think I'd booked something like a Thai massage, which sounded relaxing from the description on the website, but was firmly informed that from the questions she's asked me a sports massage was more appropriate. Far be it from me to disagree! The massage room itself, as I remember it was a fair-sized suburban living room, which meant that it was a bit big and draughty.
All in all, this was a very reasonably-priced and capable therapeutic experience, but with none of the pleasant or relaxing environment or interactions which make a massage a physically enjoyable and psychologically useful exercise. Looking at their current website, the prices are still some of the most reasonable I've seen in the city.
Contact: Manchester School of Massage, 77 Russell Rd, Manchester, M16 8AR; 0161 881 7171 or 0161 881 3863 or 0845 4582302 or 0845 4582303; dfranks[at]btinternet.com or lucy.j1[at]btinternet.com
The Manchester School of Massage building itself was a little unprepossessing – an inter-war suburban house. Inside, the hallway-turned-waiting-area was a bit dingy and the absence of much in the way of a reception meant I wasn't sure where to wait or who I should be talking to, or indeed who was going to be actually performing my treatment.
I don't remember the name of the therapist I ended up seeing. She was capable, if rather the brusque. I think I'd booked something like a Thai massage, which sounded relaxing from the description on the website, but was firmly informed that from the questions she's asked me a sports massage was more appropriate. Far be it from me to disagree! The massage room itself, as I remember it was a fair-sized suburban living room, which meant that it was a bit big and draughty.
All in all, this was a very reasonably-priced and capable therapeutic experience, but with none of the pleasant or relaxing environment or interactions which make a massage a physically enjoyable and psychologically useful exercise. Looking at their current website, the prices are still some of the most reasonable I've seen in the city.
Contact: Manchester School of Massage, 77 Russell Rd, Manchester, M16 8AR; 0161 881 7171 or 0161 881 3863 or 0845 4582302 or 0845 4582303; dfranks[at]btinternet.com or lucy.j1[at]btinternet.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
