A Massage At Greenwoods Hotel and Spa

Last week I was invited along to the newly refurbished Greenwoods Hotel and Spa for a massage. Greenwoods has been under new management since early this year and there has been a lot of work done to upgrade and improve the facilities there. Their Facebook page is constantly being updated to show what is being achieved and giving details of upcoming events.

The hotel and spa are set in a 17th Century, Grade II listed manor house surrounded by extensive landscaped gardens. Greenwoods Spa offers guests an impressive range of more than 50 of the latest beauty treatments and techniques, inspired by leading names such as Jessica and Voya. The facilities are just as impressive; Jacuzzi, cleansing saunas, steam rooms, an invigorating Monsoon shower and an enticing, deep blue 20 metre lap indoor pool are all available to complement any treatments that you have. There is more than enough here to keep you busy during a spa day!

Indoor Pool at Greenwoods Hotel and Spa

I arrived in plenty of time for my massage and was greeted in the hotel reception before being given directions down to the spa. On arrival at the spa I was taken through to a waiting area, offered a drink and asked to fill in a questionnaire to determine whether I had any medical conditions that might affect my treatment.

Whilst I was waiting for my therapist I also had a look through the visitors book to see comments from previous guests and I was extremely impressed - everybody had been really pleased with their treatments; ranging from manicures and pedicures through to full spa day experiences. More impressive still was that there was not one negative comment in a book spanning the five months since the newly refurbished spa has been open.

Treatment Room

Every member of staff I came into contact with was very friendly and welcoming, and my therapist was no exception. She went through my health and medical questionaire very thoroughly and made me feel at ease by explaining what I would need to do at each stage in my treatment. I’d not have a massage prior to this for a very long time but did remember feeling quite awkward about when to undress, when to get under the towel and when to turn over so I was very relieved that time was taken to ensure that I felt comfortable.

I had the La Touche Verte full body massage; a 50 minute ‘Greenwoods Spa’s own specialised full body massage incorporating Swedish, Thai and Aromatherapy techniques’ and promising to be a ‘truly relaxing experience’. To be completely honest (and I can’t imagine that I am alone in this!) it did take me a while to achieve the ‘truly relaxing’ part of this massage. With so many things going on in my life and constantly being able to check emails, facebook, twitter etc I find it very difficult to ‘switch off’ and during the first 15 minutes of the massage my head was still swirling with ‘I need to pick up the dry cleaning!’ and ‘What am I going to cook for dinner tonight?’

But I then tried really hard to clear my head and just enjoy the massage. And I really did -  at one point I was so relaxed I was almost asleep! The essentials oils used were lovely and really added to the whole experience. It was also clear that the therapist was experienced as she concentrated on the areas of my body where I get tense even though I had not mentioned these to her previously. At the end of the massage she also spoke to me about problem areas that I have and I was amazed that she was able to tell this just from the massage.

I hadn’t expected to feel so light afterwards either; it was as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I would certainly recommend a treatment at Greenwoods Hotel and Spa and will be adding some treatments to my birthday wish list!

More information about Greenwoods Hotel and Spa can be found here.

Have you been to Greenwoods Hotel and Spa recently? Let me know what you thought!