Indulge in a day of pampering at Hale Country Club and Spa
Driving into Hale Country Club, I was met with a striking looking building that doesn’t resemble your typical gym. Well that’s because this isn’t your typical gym. Hale Country Club is a day out packed full of leisure activities that – quite frankly – means you don’t want to leave.
I was a little apprehensive that a 30 minute gym session with one of Hale’s personal trainers was included in my treatment package. However I needn’t have worried as when I met my trainer, Thomas, he reassured me that I wasn’t going to be doing anything hardcore!
After slipping into my gym gear in the luxurious changing rooms (complete with soothing, dimmed lighting) I made my way up to the second floor gym. Hale have really spared no expense within this space, with equipment installed by Technogym, which was used in the athletes’ villages at the last three Olympic games. Items include 28 treadmills, meaning nobody has to wait for a machine and they are even linked up to the internet and the television, so that you can surf the net or do your emails. The club even has a cinema room with surround sound, where instead of theatre seats you work out on machines while, if you wish, watching a different film each day on the huge screen.
Thomas started me off with a warm-up on the cross-trainer, with a view of the giant screen which plays around 2,000 motivational tracks of your choice from the digital jukebox. We then moved across to the free weights section – an area of the gym I would usually associate with ripped men, but Thomas said a lot of women work out here. He said the staff strive to achieve an atmosphere where you aren’t intimidated, and it really was pleasant here. Although I was only in the gym for a short period, Thomas asked me about my health regime and gave me dietary tips and a bond of trust was certainly formed.
Work out over, it was time to relax. I changed into my soft towel gown and slippers and adjourned to the spa on the top floor. The interior is warm and calming, with a sense of tranquillity as people chatted away after a dip in the pool or relaxed on one of the lounges. It was a beautiful spring day, and sun soaked through the glass walls. It felt like I was on holiday, and this vibe was complete when Sasha, the spa manager, kindly offered me a flute of prosecco to aid my unwinding.
Feeling rather zen after my tiring work out, it was time for my treatments: the Hot Lava Shell massage, £80 (non-member) and an ESPA facial with Lift and Firming Eye Treatment, £55 (non-member).
First, my feet were soaked in a bowl of warm water and I chose the oils to be used. The self-heating lava shells are used like hot stones, but there is no loss of contact throughout the massage, and they retain heat for longer. Sourced from the Indian Ocean, their smooth sides massaged my arms and back, the heat penetrating my muscles. Working together with deliciously scented mango body oil, my back was left supple and soft.
Some 45 minutes later, I flipped onto my back and Sasha used Hydrating Cleansing Milk on my skin, ready for my facial. Therapeutic aromas filled the air as my face was covered in a Replenishing Skin Polish, followed by a Treatment Oil and sealed in with 24-Hour Replenishing Eye Moisturiser, Nourishing Cleansing Balm and Pro Serum.
My blissful treatments over, I returned to the lounger, basking in the sun like the cat that got the cream. Hale Country Club is a luxurious experience and you leave feeling like a superstar. Well I certainly did.
Hale Country Club and Spa, Clay Lane, Hale, WA15 7AF. Tel: 0161 904 5939. www.halecountryclub.co.uk/
