Review: Indulge yourself at Thornton Hall “The Spa” Wirral

Posted on 9 October 2011
By Angela Johnson
  • Share:

Thornton Hall Hotel, located in Wirral’s beautiful countryside, is home to a luxurious dedicated leisure facility “The Spa”.

Unlike anywhere else on Wirral, Thornton Hall is an outstanding four-star venue offering a scenic backdrop for numerous events including weddings and conferences.

The Spa, which welcomes clients from all over Cheshire, provides a wide range beauty treatments along with holistic treatments and minor cosmetic treatments including Botox, teeth whitening and mesotherapy.

Visitors to The Spa can also indulge in full use of the spa’s swimming pool, sauna, steam room and hot tub. Greco-Roman pillars line the 20ft pool with plentiful space to relax in the hot tub for as long as you and your party wish to stay.

Having heard of Thornton Hall Spa’s success at the “Good Spa Awards” earlier this year, I visited with a friend for a birthday treat. Upon arrival at the spacious reception area we were offered complimentary tea or coffee in the Times Brasserie prior to our treatments. The decor is warm and welcoming, if a little dated, but gives you a lovely vantage point to look over the beautiful grounds at Thornton Hall. Once led up to the modern Spa treatment rooms it became clear that Thornton Hall is all about understated elegance.

I opted to immerse myself in the ESPA Aromatherapy Facial. (£55) “Suitable for all skin types, this deep cleansing, relaxing aromatherapy facial purifies, refines and hydrates. Specific active aromatherapy products are combined with acupressure massage, lymph drainage and oriental head massage to leave the mind clear and the skin radiant and moisturised.”

The treatment began with a 3 minute consultation on my skin needs in the calming atmosphere of my therapy room, as soothing music played softly in the background. With combination type skin, I expressed a desire for balance rather than being heaped with too many oils. My therapist offered two oils for me to smell, and the one which awakened my nasal passages most strongly was the ‘balancing’ oil she hoped I’d choose. “It’s incredible how our bodies crave what our skin needs,” she commented as I took my place on the extremely comfy “bed”.

Preparing to unwind, I had no idea exactly how easily my worries would melt away. For 60 blissful minutes my therapist gently massaged my face, neck and head while applying heavenly-scented oils to my skin. Drifting into a pleasant snooze, an hour simply isn’t enough, it seems!

While I came back to reality, my therapist carefully explained the benefits of leaving the oils on for as long as possible to keep my skin hydrated as I entered the spa’s facilities. Handed a leaflet with recommendations for the ESPA products best suited for my skin, staff at The Spa couldn’t be more helpful. My treatment ending in being shown to the Relaxation Room, a lovely space with wooden loungers, magazines and an ice-cold water jug for clients to help themselves to.

Here, I re-joined my friend who had enjoyed a Full Body Massage (£55) concentrating on the back, abdomen, arms and legs. She enthused that it had been thoroughly relaxing but expressed some disappointment that, although the treatment was described as lasting an hour, it felt a little rushed, ending at 45 minutes.

With plenty of time until we were booked in for lunch in the Times Brasserie, we procured two robes and slippers from Reception and slipped into our swimming costumes in the changing rooms. Clean, wooden surfaces with ample mirror and locker space, hair dryers and towels provided, the changing and shower area were most impressive, with a touch of class added in ‘Molton Brown’ Shampoo and Conditioner available in each cubicle. Occupying the indoor hot tub for a full twenty minutes undisturbed, with less than pleasant weather we avoided the outdoor jacuzzi and headed for the sauna and steam room. After a full hour lounging in the facilities, stomachs rumbling, we re-treated to the changing rooms to prepare for lunch.

Wholly uplifted by our morning’s ‘exertions’, we perused the Times menu and, although a Sunday Roast was on offer, we decided to create our very own Afternoon Tea. Beginning with Tuna and sweetcorn and Prawn marie rose sandwiches with a side of potato wedges with sweet chili sauce, we followed by ordering two lots of fruit scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam. Freshly prepared ingredients, and ever-so-tasty, we didn’t realise exactly how hungry we had been until the lot disappeared within minutes washed down nicely with two pots of English Breakfast tea.

The overriding impression of Thornton Hall’s Spa is that its staff recognise the importance of “me” time its clients are spending their hard-earned money to enjoy. Encouraging relaxation at every turn, all the Spa’s facilities are out-of-bounds to children under 6 with only the pool area open to young adults at specific times of the day. If you are looking for a spa day with a little extra something, you’ll find it within the grounds of Thornton Hall.

8/10

The Spa at Thornton Hall offers many Spa day experiences but at £185 Mon – Thurs and £210 Fri – Sunday the “Thornton Hall Signature Spa experience” could be the one to try, including:

Tea, coffee or fruit juice in the Times Bistro
ESPA Holistic Total Bodycare with Hot Stones
ESPA Luxury Aromatherapy Facial
ESPA Luxury Manicure
Wash & Finish within our Hair Spa
ESPA Candle for homecare use
Lunch in the Times Bistro
Full use of our exclusive Leisure facilities throughout the day.

For more information visit www.thorntonhallhotel.com or call 0151 353 3737 or 0151 336 3938

Author