From urban beauty pampering with friends to exotic retreats for over-frazzled workaholics, here’s Ten's guide to members’ favourite spas
Members have consulted Ten when looking into spas because:
- They know what they want but don't know who offers it
- They want ideas for treatments
- They have a special occasion in mind
- We can organise spa treatments all over the world within hours
Ten's spa expert Francesca Sheldon says:
Some members love going to a spa to relax, but find choosing which one to go to taxing. I keep an eye on spas around the country and across Europe so I can advise on standards, atmospheres, prices and treatments.
The spa at Castlemartyr in Cork for example is likely to become a firm favourite with our members thanks to its award-winning therapists, stunning private grounds and a simply beautiful ozone-treated indoor pool that almost feels like it's outdoors on summer days when the glass screens are opened into the garden.
Ten often helps members to book spas as gifts for friends or as a treat for a hardworking team. If members tell us what people are like, we can generally recommend a treatment to suit them.
Couples often spa together - the Sequoia spa at The Grove Hotel is a classic country house spa that's great for a romantic getaway. It's set in Hertfordshire's rolling countryside. There's a black bottomed pool indoors, which is incredibly calming. In the summer they set up a beach area by the outdoor pool in the walled gardens, which is a great place to hang out for a day. The Gleneagles Hotel in Perthshire and Stoke Park Golf Club in Buckinghamshire have excellent spas and famous golfing greens.
There's nothing to stop a little spa-break after work: the Rasul treatment at Elemis Day Spa off Bond Street has some fans. It's a two-person mud bath for couples; you slap mud all over each other and sit in a Morrocan blue-starred dome like something out of Arabian nights.
We can organise good quality treatments all over the world within a few hours of a member calling us. I ran a health club in a five-star hotel for years so have a good radar for spas. I arrange a lot of therapist home visits too, after a relaxing massage it's sometimes great not to have to go anywhere.
One of my favourite things is finding members specialists that can really turn people's lives around - dermatologists, sports masseurs, trichologists. I have one attractive member whose skin affects her confidence at work. I recommended once a month oxygen facials and it's really worked.
- Some members want to be pampered without the spa. We can arrange for therapists to visit members at home or book a stay at a non-spa hotel with a pool. The Firmdale chain of boutique hotels in London is especially popular with members. It can arrange in-room therapists and also offers image consultations, tarot readings and cupcakes for groups.
- Many Ten members want a good urban spa for an afternoon, like Elemis Day Spa or the Urban Retreat at Harrods (well located for lunch afterwards in Knightsbridge). Ten can also arrange transport and light, healthy local restaurant recommendations.
- Ten can help members to book spas and beauty treatments as gifts. Call the team to discuss what your friend may want.
- In London, the Berkeley and the Mandarin Oriental are great for an overnight city indulgence. The Berkeley is a quintessentially English, traditional five-star hotel, and wins praise from members for its treatments. Its rooftop pool has stunning views over Hyde Park, with sushi and juices served at the poolside, which makes it popular for summer. In winter, members rate the Mandarin Oriental, with its dark, exotic, candle-lit glamour. Members recommend its natural therapies and its signature two-person two-hour £250 massage.
- Ten can arrange travel and accommodation for a spa trip, as well as make restaurant bookings. Many members ask us to book them a far-flung escape (Bora-Bora in French Polynesia always goes down well) or a spa drop-in while they're in New York.
Member feedback
One member with a 19-year-old daughter asked Ten for a present to celebrate her finishing her exams. We booked her into the Bliss salon, a super trendy and technological spa with smart NY treatments and branding, which she loved.
