Helen Annetts goes chilled in the country for The Spa at Breedon Priory.
From the complimentary shot of hot chocolate on arrival and the warm, soothing, welcome to the afternoon zoned out watching sheep and pheasants roam around the beautiful countryside, The Spa at Breedon Priory was a real treat. It felt exclusive and fancy but in the most accessible way and 24 hours later, I am still feeling pleasantly zonked out.
Set in the middle of the countryside – not far from East Midlands Airport, off the M42 – but feeling miles away from anywhere, The Spa at Breedon Priory has been opened for a year and everything about it feels fresh, contemporary and well thought out.
My friend and I headed to The Spa at Breedon Priory for a Wellbeing Day which gave us access to the Wellbeing Suite where you can experience showers, an ice fountain and cabins offering different strength heats. There was an outdoor Infinity Edge Relaxation Pool and a Vitality Pool along with a Pure Relaxation room where guests can watch the world go by, quiet Slumber Lounge for pure calm, and a relaxation room to enjoy post treatment tranquillity.
Once we were suitably attired in complimentary robes and flip flops we headed into the Spa, I went straight for the heated outdoor Infinity Edge Relaxation Pool – bliss, like a warm bath (especially after you’d shivered your way into the pool) overlooking the duck pond, so I could float and gaze at the horizon and my friend, who prefers more heat headed to the cabins to try out the steam rooms.
We convened for a coffee on the beds in the relaxation room before heading off for our treatments. I opted for a Tribe 517 Signature Peaceful Sanctuary treatment with my friend choosing a Temple Spa Energy Boost Treatment.
The Tribe 517 Signature Peaceful Sanctuary is described as an indulging treatment which involves a ‘heavenly’ full body massage, face and scalp massage. And it was heavenly, although the back massage did involve a little of the pleasure/pain principle as the brilliant therapist Natalie worked hard on releasing the stress in my shoulders. I have to say with the mixture of warmth, the lovely smells and oils (the whole Spa smelt gorgeous, every time you entered a new space it smelt lovely), and the skills of Natalie meant once the hour had passed I felt loose, de-stressed, relaxed, zoned out, incapable of putting a sentence together – all in the best possible way.
My friend reported that the Temple Spa Entergy Boost Treatment – which promises a full body boost for total body wellness and renewed energy – involved body brushing along with massage to the legs and upper body. My friend was as zoned out and relaxed as I was when we reconvened post treatment for lunch and was equally impressed with her therapist who – like mine – listened to and responded to particular skin requirements and areas that needed less or more attention.
Lunch took us both by surprise, at a Spa you expect something light, perhaps sandwiches or salads but this offered three hearty – and delicious – courses. It felt like real fine dining and whilst in our zoned out states a salad would have done the job we were of course more than happy to make the most of the menu in the Terrace Restaurant.
Lunch started with warm brioche tolls and a delicious courgette and roquefort dip along with a complimentary Prosecco. We then shared a starter – crab arancini – again completely delicious and perfect for sharing (in a less posh environment I would have run my finger round the plate for the crab bisque!). For mains I went with the Mezze Platter which included chermoula vegetable tagine, mejadra, hummus, crispy chickpeas, moutabel, autumn tabouleh and a flatbread and was all incredibly tasty and filling. My friend opted for cod, I think on what looked like mashed cauliflower with potato, I had a taste of the cod and it was lovely. Despite being full to bursting we felt it only right to share a pudding and opted for a spiced marmalade steamed pudding with custard AND cream – it was the perfect pudding, so good, we are fans of ‘proper’ puddings.
We managed to make it back to the beds in the relaxation room, got comfy under some blankets and spent most of the rest of our afternoon gazing out of the huge windows at the countryside and I have to say, who needs a TV or a phone when you’ve got good conversation and amazing views. We saw sheep, a gang of pheasants running backwards and forwards and my friend spotted a large hare. It felt like such luxury to just stop, have no interruptions from work, children or husbands and to just gaze out at the world.
In an effort to make the most of everything on offer, I did make it back out to try the Vitality Pool, as lovely as it was the air was noticeably cooler and I wanted to keep the sensation of warm relaxation so I headed back in to try out the saunas and steam rooms for myself. Whilst all four options were lovely my favourite was the Himalayan Salt Sauna.
The Spa at Breedon Priory is a treat, a place of luxury, that feels warm and welcoming. It was quiet – they purposefully keep the number of guests at any one time to a minimum so there isn’t a feeling of being crowded – and was literally the perfect way to spend the day. It’s a high end Spa that feels accessible and welcoming and instantly puts you at ease. We both said we would visit again, and would both recommend it to friends, and 24 hours later we are both still feeling the effects of the lovely treatments.
If you are looking for a luxury day away from it all, head to The Spa at Breedon Priory.