Spa spy
Armathwaite Hall, UK
Our journalist has nothing but praise for this new
spa, so what makes it stand out from the crowd?
SARAH TODD guillemotright.cap JOURNALIST guillemotright.cap SPA BUSINESS
THE EXPERIENCE
Midway through my facial I had a reac-
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Described by the novelist Sir tion to one of the products. Jenna swif_t ly
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Hugh Walpole as “a house of My visit to Armathwaite Hall Country removed the cream and applied a calming
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perfect and irresistible charm”, House Hotel & Spa was exceptional – most tonic, before f_i nding a gentler alternative
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the elegant Armathwaite Hall notably for the excellent staf_f . and continuing. T_h roughout my facial, f_i rm,
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Country House Hotel certainly On arrival, the receptionist was friendly Esalen-style strokes [which are intended to
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harks back to a gentler era. and polite, I was taken to the changing room help harmonise the body] were used.
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Bordered by Bassenthwaite and told that for my facial I could remove my Following my treatment, I was given
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Lake, Armathwaite Hall is one bra, or keep it on, which I appreciated. af_t er-care advice and a couple of minutes
R of the original stately homes I was lef_t in the relaxation area with a to gather my thoughts. Slippers were
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of England dating back to one.fittedfive.fittedfour.fittedeight.fitted. herbal tea and asked to f_i ll in a consultation placed at the side of my bed, and essential
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Currently privately owned by the form. Jenna, my therapist, then escorted oils were thoughtfully sprinkled on the
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resident Graves family, the prop- me to the treatment room and gave me a neck of my robe.
erty is surrounded by four.fittedzero.fittedzero.fitted acres thorough appraisal to f_i nd out which type I was escorted to a Hush Room, where
(one.fittedsix.fittedtwo.fitted hectares) of park and woodland. of facial would suit me. She explained each silence was encouraged. I was lef_t in one of
T_h e hotel of_f ers four.fittedtwo.fitted bedrooms as part of the six.fittedzero.fitted-minute process and chose the chaises longues, tucked in with a duvet,
well as wood-panelled public rooms a combination of sensitive products and a faux fur throw, and a glass of water.
with log f_i res and a conference centre. some with more active ingredients. T_h e Hush Room is set up to welcome
In two.fittedzero.fittedzero.fittedseven.fitted, plans were unveiled to add T_h e treatment room was soundproofed, both men and women, with men’s maga-
a sterling.fittedfive.fittedm (USdollar.fittedeight.fitted.three.fittedone.fittedm, Euro.fittedfive.fitted.eight.fittedone.fittedm) spa to the tidy and clean, and felt spacious. T_h e zines such as Esquire sitting alongside the
hotel. T_h e interiors were created by temperature was perfect. T_h e room had women’s titles and more general publica-
designers Douglas Wallace and the a row of wall-mounted, colour-changing tions such as Condé Nast Traveller.
spa consultant was Gill Haines. T_h e light boxes and during my treatment, the T_h e spa in general is male-friendly. T_h e
spa opened in late January two.fittedzero.fittedzero.fittednine.fitted. lights were visible, even through closed overall décor appeals to both sexes and
eyelids, greatly encouraging relaxation. other essential elements of the experience –
such as the robes and slippers – were large
enough for the average man.
I felt the spa lacked cross-promotion
within the adjoining hotel: traf_f_i c could
be boosted if the spa’s product houses,
Terraké and Comfort Zone, had a stronger
presence both in the spa itself – in the
changing room and swimming pool show-
ers – and also, more importantly, if they
were used as bedroom amenities, instead
of the current brand.
In spite of this, there was lots of positive
marketing and highlighting of the spa – it
was even promoted on the back of the
breakfast menus in the hotel – but there’s
the potential for more cross-marketing to
build business even further.
Before the spa opened, operations man-
ager Jenni Paling told her staf_f that the spa
was a beautiful building, but that was all it
was. Creating the rest of the experience for
visitors was up to her team. From my stay,
it was clear that T_h e Spa at Armathwaite
has transcended the bricks and mortar
and is well on its way to becoming a suc-
T_h e spa has one.fittedzero.fitted treatment rooms, one of them is a double for couples’ treatments cessful and high-level wellness of_f ering.
5856 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.comm // digital SpSPa BuA BUSINESS 4 2009SineSS 4 2009
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