Time to Relax: A Day at Bridgewood Manor Spa

* I received a complimentary voucher from Wahanda for the purposes of this review

There is no doubt about it, the past couple of months have been especially hard for us. As Stephen and I come to terms with our loss, we’ve kept ourselves very busy and it has been a whirlwind of work, studies, Italian lessons and non-stop social events. As long as we didn’t keep still for one moment we were fine but as I’m sure you can guess, all we really achieved was a state of exhaustion. It was perfect timing when the team from Wahanda contacted me to ask whether I’d like to try out their website and book one of their spa days. It was definitely a ‘yes’ from me!

Wahanda provides a comprehensive listing of spas, salons and health centres across the UK. Signing up to the website is really easy and it takes just two minutes to register. All that was required was a username, email address and postcode and the mobile site worked really well on my iPhone too.

Continuing with my determination to see more of my home county of Kent, I chose Bridgewood Manor Spa in Chatham, Kent because we found a fantastic special there. We were certainly not disappointed.

Our relaxation began the moment we arrived at the spa. We were provided with gowns and towels and immediately made our way to the pool area to take advantage of the sauna, steam room and rejuvenating cold showers. We spent sometime in the heated pool before lounging about beside the pool until lunch time.

Lunch was lovely and light. I enjoyed a jacket potato with cheese and salad while Stephen went for the healthier option of cheese and chutney on homemade bread with salad. Our special offer came with a glass of bubbly too.

After lunch we had another hour in which to lounge about both in and beside the pool and I spent more time alternating between the sauna and the showers too.

Our treatments were at 3pm and we split up to go into our respective treatment rooms. I was first treated to a full body massage which was simply blissful. Due to an old whiplash injury, I am used to much more painful deep tissue massages but on this occasion, it was just perfect to have a lighter, more relaxing touch. Perhaps the best thing about the massage was that I was able to not think about anything and simply be present in the moment as I became more and more relaxed.

I wish I could tell you more about the facial but the truth is that I found it so relaxing that I fell asleep less than 15 minutes into the treatment. I do know that they used Spa Find products which I was especially happy with as they are paraben-free and against animal testing. I emerged with soft, clear and glowing skin and was especially impressed with the eye mask used during the treatment.

As you can imagine, it took some convincing to get Stephen into a spa in the first place but he gave a glowing recommendation of his day saying that we “need to do this more often” and perhaps “we should look at spa breaks next time”. As I reclined with a cup of sweet tea at the end of our day I had to agree. We had a fantastic day and perhaps next time we come we can make use of the gym facilities or indulge in a full body scrub too.

Bridgewood Manor is a small spa and bookings are strictly limited so it is best to book ahead. We appreciated these intimate surroundings and did not feel the need to be self-conscious as you sometimes experience in larger venues.

We enjoyed a Q to Relax Together Spa Day for Two for a fantastic £138 (£69 each). Included in this price was lunch, robes and slippers and the full use of spa facilities for the day. It also included two full treatments from a choice of a full body exfoliation, full body massage, manicure, pedicure or 1 hour facial. (The fact that it included full treatments and not mini treatments was the deciding factor in why we chose this venue).

Have you been on a spa day in London or Kent? Tell me all about it!

Bridgewood Manor Hotel & Spa
Near Bluebell Hill
Walderslade Woods
Chatham
Kent
ME5 9AX
T: 01634 201333
E: Stay@qhotels.co.uk