Do you ever look at a spa treatment menu and not know where to start? You are either blown away with the treatments you really want or you are uninspired with the treatments on offer and nothing really takes your fancy. This last point is never something that I could ever say about the treatment menu at the Spa at the Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire. Their well-rounded menu would easily keep me out of mischief for about a weeks worth of pampering and that is before I have touched on their seasonal specials. If that does not encourage you to book yourself in for a mini break in Hampshire then maybe this little throw back will.
I was in the midst of one of my best months ever for pampering and came out of my Summerdown Awakening Ritual at the Spa at the Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire feeling like it was the one of the most invigorating and special treatments I had ever experienced. Annoyingly, I still can’t quite put my finger on what made it so perfect, but it was just that… perfect. The Summerdown Awakening Ritual is one of the seasonal specials that the Spa at the Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire do so well.
I had arrived at the Spa in 28 degree heat after being stuck on the M3 in a cheeky little traffic jam/ gridlock situation. Not fun at any time …. miserable in that kind of temperature…. and worse still when you petrified that you are going to be late for your treatment. This spa building was the perfect antidote to my journey to get there.
Once inside the coolness of the spa building I was greeted by Ahmed, the therapist/guru/skilled individual who was to look after me for the next 90 minutes. The stunning Spa at the Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire is located in an 18th Century stable block and as I was walked to my treatment room I was surprised at the spaciousness of the spa itself.
The Treatment Lowdown
Ahmed, the creator of the ritual itself, was the perfect person to be treated by for the Summerdown Awakening Ritual. Using a massage oil specially designed from the high quality single estate Black Mitcham peppermint oil of Sir Michael Coleman’s Summerdown Hampshire Farm , this treatment turned out to be not only invigorating, but soothing, relaxing and uplifting. This bespoke spa treatment felt heaven sent!
This ritual starts with your feet to help ground the body. Being prone to ticklish feet this did worry me a little but in fact I didn’t want Ahmed to move from my first foot to my second! I could have happily enjoyed this part of the treatment for the whole 90 minutes. From the chair I moved to the treatment table where the ritual continued with some stretching out of my body. Given the nature of my life, my posture is one of my failings as I am often sat at a PC or in the car. It takes no scientist to work out that I often get tight shoulders and lower back pain. These stretching motions helped wake up these tension spots to help me enjoy the treatment further.
The gorgeous ritual continued with warm Summerdown oil being massaged into my back. The mint aroma was heavenly and got me wondering why this scent is not used more often in treatments. Ahmed’s years of experience as a global spa therapist were extremely apparent as he channeled into the areas needing worked on the most. These muscles felt released without being sore. After my back, the treatment moved on to my legs and feet before I turned over and my shoulders, arms and front of my legs were worked on. As the ritual came towards its end, Ahmed performed a sublime Asian Scalp massage before concluding with an awakening facial.
The facial is another area where this treatment stands apart from anything else. Warm stones followed by cold stones were massaged onto my skin. Wow, this felt amazing. Not only was it wonderfully reviving after the treatment, it was also incredibly soothing on my sinuses which were being crucified by the seasonally high pollen count! To be honest the full 90 minute wonder floated passed too quickly. I could have easily fallen asleep during any point of this ritual, but I was curious to see what came next. Next time I am sure I would fall asleep as soon as my feet were touched.
The Pool Garden
After my treatment I headed out to the outdoor area of the Spa to take a lounge on one of the beds in the Pool Garden. I could have easily gone to one of the indoor relaxation rooms but the call of fresh air and daylight was too appealing. My immediate thoughts were how well the Pool and Pool Garden were organised. There was a perfect amount of staff. Everyone had a job to do. They all seemed in control of what was going on and everything was perfectly tidy. This sounds like a weird explanation, but what I mean is there were no beds left abandoned with crumpled up towels on them. If people using the beds were having a swim in the Vitality Pool, for example, their towels were either replaced or folded neatly. If the beds had been vacated they were quickly refreshed with new towels and liners. This really impressed me. Great 5 star treatment. All the staff were efficient, polite and friendly.
The other thing that really impressed me about the pool area was the complimentary sun lotion…. and not just any lotion but Coola Sunscreen! I had been wanting to try this for a while so this was the perfect opportunity as I enjoyed what became the hottest day of the year so far. The Pool Garden also had iced fruit infused water for guests to help themselves to….. I frequented this area a lot.
My Day Spa with the Awakening Summerdown Ritual included full use of the spa facilities and a light two course lunch at Cafe Sante. Given the heat outside I opted to have my food under an umbrella in the Pool Garden. I had been eyeing up some fruit skewers that other guests were enjoying so I knew that these would definitely be ordered. I also had a customised Chicken Caesar Salad, fresh fruit juice and a coffee. The facilities at the Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire continued to impress when freshly cut fruit was brought around the Pool area in the mid-afternoon. After a few hours of chilling out I ventured in to the changing areas where my obsession for the Summerdown Mint products continued when I found them in the showers. I was really impressed and all of this before I actually ventured into the magnificent hotel itself.
The Hotel
- Relax
- Highwire adventure
- Horse Riding
- Cycling
- Fishing
- Canal Boating
- Croquet
- Clay Pigeon Shooting
- Falconry
- Games Room for Teenagers
- Walking
The Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire has it’s own mascot, of sorts, Oliver the black Labrador. I was delighted to meet him, potentially because I was missing my lovely black lab at home quite a bit. That being said, I know now that when I return to the hotel Mr Dog can come with me…. dogs are welcomed with comfy dog beds, food, personalised spring water on arrival, dishes, in room pet dining menu and even dog-sitting….. then there is the 500 acre estate to be walked on. Now this is a holiday that my dog would love…. however he currently just exceeds the 30kg weight limit to be accepted. Sorry Mr Dog but #dietstartstomorrow!
Would I return? ….
…. to the Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire? 100% yes, no argument…. take me and even my family there tomorrow…. Mr Dog might be included if his diet goes well. Would I have the Awakening Summerdown Ritual again? In a heartbeat. It was so beautiful. My spa day was perfect and I can’t recommend it enough. The Spa at the Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire is extremely well run. From the minute you enter everyone knows what they are doing, everywhere is impeccably tidy, the pool garden is well-managed and the staff cannot do more to help you. Congratulations to the Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire you are now a 5* Fifi Friendly location. Thank you especially to Ahmed ….. I have changed your name, I hope you don’t mind, to the Amazing Ahmed.
