UK FOCUS
“We converted a little building in the
grounds to a smokehouse when Lime Wood fi rst opened, to smoke and cure our own fi sh and meat. We came up with this concept of serving raw and cured meats and fi sh, alongside salads prepared in front of the spa guest.” T e hotel and spa use as much New Forest produce as possible, and a dedicated for- ager has been employed to search for food in the surrounding woodlands.
FINDING PARTNERS
Having decided that they wanted the spa to be as natural as possible in décor and the treatments on off er, Hutson began to look for suitable product houses. “We wanted prod- ucts that were a bit diff erent, that weren’t available on the high street, from the Brit- ish Isles and as natural as possible,” he says. T e team settled on natural skincare brand NUDE by Fresh & Wild founder Bryan Mee- han and Bono’s wife Ali Hewson; Irish spa brand Voya, which uses hand-harvested seaweed to create organic beauty products certifi ed by the Soil Association; ayurvedic specialists Tri-Dosha (see p60); and Dayles- ford Organic’s Bamford range. Herb House is the fi rst spa to off er Bam-
ford Body treatments outside of Daylesford’s own Hay Barn spa and the partnership is something of a coup for Lime Wood. “It’s a very happy relationship,” says Hutson. Muds, herbs, salts and sauna/steam essences were supplied by Blue Spa and Leisure, a con-
SPA BUSINESS 1 2011 ©Cybertrek 2011
sultancy which also worked on the spa’s feasibility studies, operational budgets and space planning. Treatments include the ayurvedic For-
est Dream, which costs £215 (us$345, €252) for 180 minutes and includes a dosha con- sultation, samvahana (synchronised four hands massage), mukhabhyanga (face mas- sage), shirodhara, a steamroom session and a lifestyle sheet to take home; and the 120-minute Bamford Signature Treatment at £125 (US$200, €146) which includes an oil foot bath, body exfoliation, full body mas- sage and Indian head massage.
A BUSY YEAR AHEAD
“T e year ahead should be a year of consol- idation for Lime Wood,” says Hutson. “It should be about getting the spa established. I’d like to see the membership properly bed- ded in – we’re aiming for 400 members and currently have around 150. I’d like to see the
occupancy and room rate for the hotel climb, so we have a really solid business.” An annual membership at Herb House
costs £1,800 (us$2,900, €2,100) – or £3,000 (us$4,850, €3,500) for a joint membership – with a £250 (us$403, €293) joining fee. It’s early days, but Hutson estimates that
around 75 per cent of hotel guests will use the spa in some capacity. T e majority of the guests come from the UK, with around 90 per cent from London. From early 2011, Lime Wood will appear in Relais & Chateaux guides, which should result in an increase in guests from outside the UK. Occupancy for 2010 stands at around 70 per cent, which Hutson says is “pretty pleasing for our fi rst year” and the average room rate is about £240 (us$387, €282) net. Hutson expects Herb House to drive bookings for the hotel.
“I think the spa will help with bookings dur- ing our off season and in the week. Herb House completes the picture here.” ●
Read Spa Business online
spabusiness.com / digital 41
Herb House was designed to be British, natural and organic in both its design and its treatment off ering. T e spa’s building features a herb-covered roof garden (above); while the 16m ozone-treated indoor pool supplied by Barr + Wray has retracting doors opening on to the gardens (right)
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