Donnington Spa, Newbury is set in the picturesque surroundings of the Berkshire countryside surrounded by beautiful hillsides. Just over an hour from London it has everything you could wish for and makes an ideal city get-away: 18m swimming pool, steam room, sauna, aromatherapy room and monsoon shower, a generous poolside lounge and relaxation area, including a sun terrace; seven elegantly designed treatment rooms, and a large, air-conditioned gym with state of the art equipment and studio.
On arrival we were welcomed into the spa by a friendly man on reception, he handed us over a health questionnaire, a specially selected lunch menu and an appointment sheet listing our chosen treatment and time slot. We then were offered a welcome drink to begin our Spa day, we had some shakes and some hot chocolate which was just what was needed after our journey.
After sitting comfortably for a while we headed back to the reception where a lovely lady handed over our locker keys and gave us some instructions on where the changing rooms and treatment rooms were located. After a quick change we headed straight up to the treatment room which had a beautiful relaxation area where we could relax until we were called in. The brief time in this room was great as it ensured we were fully relaxed before our treatments.
I choose the aching foot relaxer which did exactly that – it was heavenly! The treatment room was gently illuminated with soft mood lighting which set the scene for some me time. It was a 25 minute treatment consisting of a cleansing foot ritual and exfoliation with an intense massage. My first guest had the bespoke skin polish which lasted for 25 minutes and consisted of an all over body ex foliation and then using the spas fine product range a cream to help lock in all the moisture into the skin. My second guest had the aqua sun mineral treatment which recreates a beach experience by combining bathing in warm water and water jets to massage the body, it also has a low level UV canopy which helps boost well-being also lasting 25 minutes. Clearly experts in their respective fields the staff all done a perfect job in carrying out the various treatments.
After our treatments we all met back in the relaxation room feeling totally refreshed. We sat here for a little while before we headed down to the pool where we decided to eat our lunch. A young lady brought over our Bento style lunches along with our selected drinks, it was delicious. Fresh healthy ingredients including a light prawn salad with a tartlet and some healthy fruit was the course of the day ensuring the health and well-being theme continued. After finishing our lunches we decided now was the perfect time to pick up some of the magazines provided poolside and unwind for a few hours.
We spent the rest of the day slowly making our way round the pools great facilities which includes a jacuzzi, steam room, sauna and monsoon showers. We also spent an hour in the well-equipped gymnasium which was conveniently linked to the rest of the building so you never felt that you were far away from all of the great facilities at Donnington Spa.
When it was approaching the end of our stay we headed for the showers, we were provided with more fresh towels as well as all the products needed from the fabulous cosmetic range; shampoo, conditioner & shower gel – another nice touch which ensures you have one less thing to worry about during your stay. Towards the end of the day we were handed a Donnington Spa goody-bag which contained some miniature products that are used within the spa (Aromatherpay Associates London) A great addition to end a perfect day!
Donnington Valley Hotel and Spa – Newbury www.donningtonvalley.co.uk
Words by Emma Louise Phillips.