My Wahanda Spa Day at Bicester Hotel Golf & Spa

I've moaned quite a lot recently about how tired I am and in need of a break, so I literally jumped for joy at the prospect of spending a day relaxing in a spa. I received a £50 voucher from Wahanda* to put towards one of their Wahanda Spa Days and I came across the Bicester Hotel Golf & Spa whilst browsing for local offers.

Through Wahanda you can book an Elemis Modern Skin Facial Spa Day at the Bicester Hotels Golf & Spa for £99. The offer includes access to their spa facilities for the day, a robe and slippers, lunch in the hotel restaurant and a 1 hour Elemis Facial. You are also free to use the gym or attend any of their fitness classes but unfortunately this isn't clear on the Wahanda website as otherwise I would have brought a gym kit and trainers along. They do offer a good range of classes and you can find the timetable on the hotel website.

The spa facilities include a swimming pool, sauna, steam room, jacuzzi and there is also a tropicarium situated within the changing rooms. The changing rooms are large and well provisioned: there was a lovely bay with large mirrors and hairdryers slightly away from the main changing room area which is ideal if you're going straight out after your spa visit. The swimming pool was quite busy for the first couple of hours as there was a kids swimming session running in the morning. Again, you can check the swim timetable in advance on their website.

I spent quite a while chilling out in the relaxation room which is exclusively for use by the spa guests. It was like a cosy snug with subdued lighting, day beds and a little area for making hot drinks. It was the perfect place to lay down for a read and if I had been less self conscious, I probably could have enjoyed a little nap in there.

I was able to choose my lunch from a little menu at the beginning of the day. As I went to the spa on my own, I think lunch was probably the most daunting part of the day. You are seated in the hotel bistro for lunch and unless you're well versed in solo dining, it can feel a bit intimating. The food was delicious and the staff friendly but I confess I ate up as fast as possible so that I could return to the safety of the relaxation room. For any future spa days, I will remember to take a friend along with me for company. Or maybe learn not to be such a wimp!

I had the treatment towards the end of my visit. The Elemis Modern Skin Facial is designed for skin that is changeable and is probably suitable for most skin types. The therapist had a chat with me beforehand about my skin, my current regime and what I was hoping to achieve and she tailored the facial accordingly. The hour in the treatment room was very relaxing and a wonderful sensory experience. There was plenty of hot flannel action which is, without doubt, my favourite part of any facial. My skin felt amazing afterwards and I can still see the results a week later: my skin is more hydrated and radiant. I was given a list of the products that were used during the facial and I am keeping the list for future reference.

I will definitely be returning to Bicester Hotel Golf & Spa for more treatments as I was very impressed by the facial. The hotel is excellently located for me and this brings me on to my final point. Another reason that I chose this particular venue is Bicester's popularity as a place to visit in the UK. The hotel is close to Bicester Village Shopping Outlet and Oxford, Blenheim Palace and Waddesdon Manor are also nearby, so it's quite a convenient spot for a weekend away (I'm itching to use the term mini-break). Whilst I was there, I noticed that the hotel does offer a number of overnight Spa Break packages and you can find more details about these packages on their website.


Images from www.bicesterhotelgolfandspa.com

*Disclosure: I received the £50 voucher from Wahanda without cost for me to put towards a treatment of my choice. Mr MB paid the rest as a birthday present.

My Facial and Foot Scrub at the Baglioni Spa

I recently visited the Baglioni Spa at the Baglioni Hotel in Kensington for a facial and foot scrub. I bought the treatment via Wahanda and the deal is still currently available and costs £50. You can see details of all of the packages available through Wahanda here. If you don't already know about Wahanda, it's a website that lists spas, salons and fitness centres in the UK and Europe with many great exclusive offers available. They also have daily Mob Deals for a number of major cities in the UK. The deals are based on a certain number of people booking together to get a really discounted price. They have great customer services too as I experienced first hand, having messed up my order on the first go!

Back to the Baglioni Spa. The Hotel was very easy to find and the concierge was kind enough to show me the entrance to the Spa. A golden door no less! I turned up quite early for my appointment but was still made to feel very welcome and in fact turning up early allowed me to fill in the health questionnaire and still have enough time to go and make use of the steam room. That was actually an unexpectedly enjoyable part of my visit. It's rare for me to have such peace and quiet and be still at the same time. It's hard to explain what luxury that is!

In the general Spa area there was a changing area and I was allocated a locker where my robe, towel and slippers were stored. The changing area was also fully serviced with a sink area with large mirrors, products and a large shower area should you wish to freshen up after using the steam room or after your treatments. There was even a hairdryer and straighteners in the changing area which I thought was very thoughtful.

The treatment that I booked allowed you to select from two of three possible treatments; a Deep Cleansing Facial, Back, Neck & Shoulder Massage and a Foot Scrub. I chose the facial and foot scrub as my two options. Rather than having these as two separate treatments they actually ran side by side. Also the foot scrub was more of a facial for your feet treatment than a scrub as the therapist explained. First of all my feet were soaked, dried and then in was time to jump on the therapy bed. A deep conditioning treatment was applied to my feet, then they were wrapped up and tucked in with a warm towel. Cosy! Then we moved on to the facial. The facial involved various stages; cleansing, exfoliation, a mask, eye treatment etc. It also included a lot of massage and my favourite bit, the hot flannels. Once the facial was over it was back to my feet for very similar to the facial. Once the treatments were finished I was allowed several minutes to lie still before making my way back to the changing area.

The Best Bits
My time in the treatment room was really blissfully relaxing. The room was dimly lit and with soothing music playing in the background. It wasn't the least bit intrusive as it sometimes can be. My therapist was lovely. She chatted to me during the foot treatment but allowed me to be quiet during the facial as drifted in to deep relaxation through the deep breathing and massage. I really appreciated this and it was such a comfortable silence. The facilities in the changing area, use of the steam room and the lovely herbal tea were also highlights for me.

Other Points of Note
The products used were the Spa's own products. Whilst they did smell lovely, I think they're probably of average quality rather than premium branded products. However, I think the expert hand of the therapist and atmosphere made up for this. For those of you that are unsophisticated like me, it's also worth knowing that the facial goes quite low in the decolletage area. I was a little taken aback but I know from discussions with friends that this is quite normal practice. I obviously need to become more European in my attitude to the entire facial area!

My trip to the Spa was a really enjoyable experience. I'm not going to leave it so long between treatments from now on as it was good to be reminded of how relaxing it really is. It was so relaxing in fact that I completely forgot to take any pictures whilst I was there so those shown are from the Bagilioni Hotel website. I will certainly be looking out for Spa offers through Wahanda in future.



Disclosure: I received the Wahanda voucher from a PR Company without cost and was free to choose from any of the offers available. The links included are for information only and are not affiliate links.