By Amy Sharpe
Like most people, I spend most Mondays feeling desperate for a detox – cursing myself for sloshing too many vinos and overdosing on cheese at the weekend.
So I couldn’t have been happier rolling up to the Reynold’s Retreat in Sevenoaks, Kent, to sample one of their ‘Two’s Company’ pamper packages one rainy Monday in November.
The weekend’s alcohol sweats started dissolving the second I laid eyes on the place. A glorious stately home with woodland views, it looked like something out of Downton Abbey. The perfect setting for a detox day.
Starting at £99 for two people, the package includes a two course lunch, full access to spa and gym facilities and the choice of two of the following treatments: a back massage, mini-facial, manicure or pedicure, scalp massage and soft feet treatment.
Strolling in with my mum Louise – who was as eager for some post-weekend relaxation as me – we were greeted at reception with gowns and slippers.
After a nutritious brekkie in the spa’s Waterleaf Restaurant – declared ‘the best poached eggs and salmon to grace the plate’ by my mum – we were let loose on the spa facilities.
With a steam-room, sauna, giant pool, hot pool and heated loungers to choose from, it was just a question of where to rest our rumps first.
And, after a bit of breast stroke in the chlorine-free infinity pool, we settled in the steam room.
There, among the whiffs of eucalyptus and sweat-inducing steam, I could almost hear the alcohol particles from the weekend fizzling away.
But the spa’s show stealer was – unexpectedly – the showers. The choice of ‘Caribbean storm’, ‘tropical rainforest’ and ‘rainfall’ themes meant that a mere power shower this was not. Until you’ve had a shower in strobe lighting with thunder rumbling in the background, followed by a cool mist spray accompanied by birdsong, you haven’t lived.
After a crab-burger for lunch overlooking the woodland, it was treatment time.
Mum and I and I opted for the massage and facial, and I found myself snoozing blissfully as the beauty therapist worked her magic on my lower back.
We both drifted out of there, skin tingling and feeling amazing.
Given free reign of the spa for the rest of the day, we completed our detox floating about in the hot pool.
Those more dedicated to fitness than I might have spent this time amusing themselves in the gadget-filled gym, which had everything – from the run-of-the-mill treadmills to a rotating climbing wall. But by then I was feeling a little too relaxed to bother exercising.
Driving away at 5pm, I couldn’t have felt more rested after a boozy weekend and ahead of a busy week of work.
If unwinding and detoxing is a top priority, this countryside mansion is the ultimate setting
For more information please visit http://www.reynoldsgroup.co.uk/retreat/
