Halfway through the year is a great point at which to recharge and reboot at one of Kent’s many feel-good venues. Follow our advice and treat yourself – you won’t regret it!
Elmley, Sheppey
Elmley's wellbeing spaces offer stillness among nature at this privately run gorgeous wildlife reserve on the Isle of Sheppey. The tranquil Swale Studios look out across the the River Swale, with its wellness treatments echoing the restorative calm of nature beyond. Deep tissue massages and facials, created in partnership with award-winning, natural brands Votary and Verden, aim to leave your skin relaxed, hydrated and restored.elmleynaturereserve.co.uk/treatments
Green Farm, Shadoxhurst
(pix) Inspired by nature and Green Farm’s beautiful grounds, The Spa at Green Farm is a boutique set up offering luxurious ESPA treatments, an extensive beauty menu as well as a range of wellbeing events. Be inspired by yoga and woodland workouts, there’s also forest bathing, Pilates and an immersive sound and singing workshop with Songbird Sessions. Idyllic ancient woodland and meadow pastures surround this unique rural retreat and with luxury accommodation, it offers the perfect escapes and experiences for everyone.
greenfarmkent.co.uk
Tor spa retreat, Ickham
Ayurveda, an ancient health science originating in India with a focus on both body and is used to treat both acute and chronic disease and to promote general wellbeing. It’s the speciality of Tor Spa Retreat, set within beautiful gardens in the village of Ickham. With a maximum of 18 day-spa guests, the atmosphere here aims to be both unintimidating, allowing individuals to experience treatments including Sivalepam, a back ritual including exfoliation and massage.
torsparetreat.com
Utopia Spa at Rowhill Grange, Swanley
Indulge your inner Greek god or goddess at Rowhill's temple-style Utopia Spa. With 19 treatment rooms (including two couple’s treatment rooms) plus glamorous pools, saunas, steam rooms, whirlpools and much more, it's the perfect spot for an invigorating yet decadent break away. The experience can be topped off with delicious food options in the Elements bar and if you can't bear to tear youself away, the two-night spa break is an understandably popular choice.
alexanderhotels.co.uk/rowhill-grange
Champneys at Eastwell Manor, Ashford
Nestled amid sweeping countryside grounds, Champneys Spa at Eastwell Manor, Ashford, is a heavenly spa cocoon featuring sleek treatment rooms, cosy relaxation areas, a showstopping swimming pool and high-tech thermal experiences. Working alongside award-winning brands, there’s everything from radiance-boosting facials, manicures, pedicures and tension-melting massages. Also renowned for its food, customers booking an Elemis afternoon tea will receive a full-sized limited edition Elemis candle… the perfect way to add a little bit of spa luxury to your home.
champneys.com/hotels/eastwell-manor/health-spa
Sheldon Spa, Faversham
Describe as a ‘hidden gem’ and ‘first class’ by visitors, this award-winning spa, near Faversham, has lots to offer. From its indoor heated pool, Nordic sauna and hot tub, along with a comprehensive selection of beauty and holistic treatments, it is also a Caudalie (put accent on I) stockist where Sheldon’s vinotherapists deliver the ultimate in luxurious and indulgent treatments including the Beauty Elixir Facial and Premier Cru Facial…the ultimate facial in global anti-ageing treatments.
sheldonspa.co.uk
The Granary, Ashford
An award-winning organic and holistic spa, The Granary Spa is located, as its name suggests, in a beautiful converted Victorian granary. Treatments range from massage, reflexology and facials, to spa rituals designed to meet the individual needs of clients, with Mum-to-be packages are a speciality. An absolute winner is the fact that many treatments can be adapted for those living with specific illnesses or disabilities - well worth getting in touch, then, if you have individual requirements.
thegranaryspa.co.uk
Bridgewood Manor, Chatham
Pop into this contemporary 4-star hotel to enjoy a wide range of treatments, or choose from a spa package to experience. A warm pool, sauna and steam room plus heated loungers help to ensure those r&r boxes are well and truly ticked, while head-to-toe treatments include everything from hot-stone massages and body wraps to Bridgewood’s range of signature rituals, involving everything from exfoliation to deep cleansing. Spa-cation packages available, too.
bridgewoodmanorhotel.com/spa
Reynolds Retreat, Sevenoaks
Combining the tranquillity of the outdoors with its relaxing thermal rooms, fitness centre and country club, Reynolds Retreat is set in 17 acres of beautiful countryside, with views over the Weald of Kent. A hydrotherapy pool, feature monsoon showers, steam and sauna bath, as well as an ice fountain, deep relax room and heated loungers all form part of the facilities. In one of the seven treatment rooms you can enjoy anything from a massage to a pedicure. Other Reynolds fitness spas at Sittingbourne and Bexley.
reynoldsgroup.co.uk
Reuthe’s, Sevenoaks
Best known since its opening in 2018 for reopening its lovely once-lost gardens and now with an award-winning plant nursery, Reuthe’s (pronounced 'Royters', incase, like us, you were wondering) makes the most of its setting as the backdrop for a range of wellbeing events. On June 10 and August 12, for instance, Clare Teale, empath coach and inspirational speaker, will be leading a Women’s Circle event that encourage participants to dig deep and release anything that’s holding them back, all while surrounded by nature. Look out, too, for ad hoc days that make the most of Reuthe’s indoor pool, with massages and facials on the menu.
reuthes.com
Retreat Wellness Centre, Maidstone
While there’s a range of beauty treatments on offer here that make full use of ESPA products, it’s holistic treatment that The Retreat Wellness Centre specialises in, with its aim to see every client move and feel better. To this end, treatments include acupuncture, chiropody and podiatry, counselling and osteopathy, physiotherapy and sports massage, so you should emerge from a session here looking and feeling better inside and out. theretreat.uk.com
The Secret Retreat, Ashford
Here’s a haven of a day-spa setting, located within a beautiful barn and former stables dating from the 18th century. Treatments range from a hot-stone back massage to a rebalancing chakra massage, or enjoy an aroma soul ritual scrub that promises to leave skin revitalised. Heads in the Clouds, meanwhile, is a treatment based on old Ayurvedic techniques and involving work on the upper back, should, neck, scalp and face to help relieve tension. Sounds wonderful.
thesecretretreatdayspa.co.uk
The Spa at the Spa Hotel, Tunbridge Wells
Small but perfectly formed, the spa at this elegant hotel – dating from the 18th-century and surrounded by lovely gardens – is a great spot at which to enjoy an inclusive package. You could, for instance, pick an Indulgence Experience that includes a massage and facial, two-course lunch and a glass of bubbly, with time to enjoy the 10-m heated pool and his ‘n’ hers saunas, either on your own or with a friend. Spahotel.co.uk
Bloomsburys, Biddenden
This recently revamped rural spa boasts its own private terrace with hot tub, cold plunge pool and loungers for sun bathing in-between treatments. It's complemented by other wellness businesses on-site, too: a cafe, herbal dispensary, a hair salon – even a physiotherapist. And if you want to make a stay of it, a luxury yurt with its own sauna and hot tub could be just what you're looking for... bloomsburysbiddenden.com
J Sabai Spa, Maidstone
“Sabai” is the Thai word for “relaxed” or “content” and staff at the J Sabai salon-style spa say they want their clients to gain a sense of inner wellbeing from time they spend here. The philosophy follows the Eastern approach to health and wellness with holistic treatments designed to treat the mind and body as a whole. Treatments include Trad Thai, which claims to release blocked energy within the body, as well as deeply relaxing hot-stone massage.
jsabaispa.com
Woodside Spa, Shadoxhurst
Set in the grounds of a farm, Woodside offers a range of Elemis-based massages, facials, manis and pedis, but it’s the chance to mix nature, relaxation and decadence that so appeals. Indulge in a spa treatment, then enjoy a twilight soak in the hot springs hot tub, followed by a final unwind in the lovely relaxation room, with a milky coffee to hand and cookies to munch on. We feel more relaxed already! woodsidespa.co.uk
The Hythe Imperial, Hythe
This independent spa is housed within The Hythe Imperial, a grande dame of Kent seaside hotels. Facilities include a jacuzzi, sauna and steam room, as well as a sizeable indoor swimming pool. All the standard treatments are available here, but for busy people, the Express Pamper Day, including a 25-minute spa treatment of your choice, two hours’ use of the leisure facilities, robe and slipper hire seems an especially good idea. Hytheimperialhealthclub.co.uk
Haeckels, Margate
Coastal enthusiast Dom Bridges founded Haeckels back in 2012, with his body and beauty range made from Margate seaweed and local botanicals. The brand has gone on to enjoy cult status and in its seaside set up, Haekels House, you can indulge in everything from a Revive and Restore facial to a Signature full-body seaweed wrap in its treatment rooms, then relax in a glass-fronted space overlooking the sea. Bliss. www.haeckels.house
Yarrow Hotel, Broadstairs
We’ve already extolled the virtues of the Yarrow Hotel as a place to stay in this issue’s feature on moving to Broadstairs – and its in-house treatment rooms, open to non-residents, are also well worth a visit. Beauty treatments are something of a speciality here and if you book a package (couple sessions are an option), you also have access to the spa’s hot tub, steam room and sauna. Yarrowhotel.co.uk
Your Spa, Ramsgate
Part of a health centre that prides itself on its friendliness and accessibility, the thermal spa here – described by one user as ‘a little gem in Thanet’ that sounds especially enticing to us. Features include a pool, an invigorating ice fountain to stimulate circulation and the lymphatic system, an aromatic and steamy salt grotto, reflexology footbaths and a herbal sauna. Treatments and spa-package days are options too. yourleisure.uk.com/your-spa-ramsgate
Bannantyne, Broadstairs
A no-nonsense modern building – also home to the Bannantyne gym – houses treatment rooms (the deep-tissue massage comes highly rated), a small pool, a relaxation area and a café where you can enjoy a glass of prosecco if you’re celebrating. Regular special offers for day visitors means this is one to have on your radar – bring your own towel, robe and flip flops to avoid an additional charge. Branches also in Ashford, Folkestone and Orpington. spa.bannatyne.co.uk
Natural Fit, Tunbridge Wells
You’ll need to be a member here to make the most of this glamorously cocooning spa - not too much of a hardship, given the excellent range of classes on offer plus state-of-the-art gym. Post-exercise it’s the ideal place in which to recharge and relax, with its warm hydro-pool, a large swimming pool complete with hydro-jets, hammam, a sauna and steam room. Add a Swedish or deep tissue massage from one of the in-house therapists into the mix and you’ve got the perfect recipe for a restorative visit. Naturalfit.co.uk
The Ferry House, Sheppey
For a sense of truly having ‘got away from it all’ The Ferry House, Harty Ferry, is hard to beat. Treat yourself to an aromatic Eve Taylor skincare facial or lie back and feel truly pampered as you’re gently massaged with essential oils blends (for added bliss, you might want to request the heated massage table). Delicious food and quietly glamorous accommodation are optional extras; the views come free. Theferryhouse.co.uk
Best Western Plus, Dover Marina
Set within this Dover hotel’s elegant 19th-century building, the Waterfront Spa offers not only seven treatment rooms plus a relaxation space for that all-important power nap post-treatment, but a spa bath, sauna and steam room too, so you really can make a day of it here. Treatment-wise, we particularly like the decadent sound of Champagne & Truffles –billed as the ‘crème de la crème of anti-ageing facials,’ so expect it to leave you with a truly healthy glow. dovermarinahotel.co.uk
Brandshatch Place Hotel, Fawkham
Everything from gel-nail manicures to Elemis deep-tissue massage and Himalayan Salt Ritual Scrubs are on offer at this 4-star country house hotel in Fawkham. Its package days look especially enticing if you’re looking to unwind and relax with a friend. They include use of facilities (including the indoor pool) a choice of 55-minute treatments, a choice of 25-minute treatment plus chilled champagne, or lunch or afternoon tea and use of spa facilities. Handpickedhotels.co.uk
Plus, don't miss!
The Kent Wellness Festival is a two-day celebration of all aspects of the wellness industry: fitness, nutrition, meditation, yoga, mindfulness, spirituality and self improvement.
Now in its fourth year at Detling Showground, there will be more than 65 hours of practical classes, talks and workshops, a psychics and mediums tent for one-to-one readings, the Holistic Day Spa, wellness marketplace as well as food and chillout areas. The £20 ticket price includes a festival tote bag and show guide.
thekentwellnessfestival.com/
