Bang bang chicken, bento boxes and absolute bliss; Savour editor Georga Spottiswood spends an indulgent day at the Spa at Ramside
The sun shone down on the championship golf course and in the infinity pool which overlooks it, my friend and I clinked our champagne flutes.
In the spa garden below, couples drifted off on the comfy loungers while others floated around in the bubble vitality pool – the equivalent of a giant jacuzzi.
The tranquil setting was a world away from the monumental meltdown I’d had that morning over putting this magazine to print!
Five minutes in the Spa at Ramside and it was as if someone had stuck a pin in me, and I’d fizzled into a zen-like state.
And that’s the beauty of this place: when you walk through the revolving doors, you leave all your troubles outside.
With a herbal sauna, Himalayan salt steam room, sunken sauna and much more, the Spa at Ramside whisks you away to nirvana.
Here, a digital detox is what you should indulge in – unless of course, you want to whip the iPhone out to post some enviable spa shots on Instagram. But your best bet is to keep them in the lockers – the savvy ones which open and lock with a pin code rather than a £1 coin – and completely unwind.
In the wet spa, the hydrotherapy pool’s massage jets are enough to loosen up the tightest of muscles and oversized, sharing loungers are scattered with soft, marshmallow-like cushions that invite you to fall into.
The sunken sauna, we’re told, is the only one outside London and its heat engulfs you – as if giving you a loving cuddle – as you walk through the door.
For the fitness fanatics there’s a state-of-the-art gym; also great if like us, you book on to the Everything Stops for Tea package so you can burn off some calories before afternoon tea.
This package combines pure relaxation with tempting afternoon tea – with an Asian twist.
Inside the Spa at Ramside is Fusion Restaurant. It offers an array of Pan-Asian delights
using traditional recipes from South-East Asia, enticing blends and locally sourced produce. Fusion delivers dishes that are innovative and fresh and the afternoon tea is no different.
As well as bite-sized prawn, pork and a vegetable dim sum, expect duck and vegetable spring rolls; bang bang chicken satay wraps and a tasty tartlet with prawns and spinach. Pots filled with hoisin sauce, sweet chilli sauce and spicy fish sauce are perfect for dunking the dim sum.
This is a taste sensation with not a cucumber sandwich in sight.
A vegetarian option with vegetable and herb dim sum; artichoke and pepper tartlet is also available.
Dessert is a more healthy affair than traditional afternoon tea with gluten-free lemongrass and lime posset; salted caramel and coffee macaroons; gluten-free mango and coconut creme brûlée and a fruit scone with jam and cream. The creme de la creme is the chilli chocolate brownie that melts in the mouth but gives a good kick as it does.
With such a twist on traditional afternoon tea, why would a cup of the good stuff be normal too?
Camilla’s Tea is a London-based company that was founded by a master tea sommelier who’s travelled the world studying the art of tea.
Exotic flavours include chocolate tea, white rose and raspberry and the Spa also has its own Ramside Revive blend with white tea leaves, apricots, marigold and mullein flowers, yellow rosebuds, lemon peel and ginger. It’s rich in antioxidants that aid health, but then again, everything about the Spa at Ramside aims to promote good health for both body and mind.
HAPPY HANDS
316. That’s the exact number of colour options available for your nails at the Spa at Ramside.
I try to count them quickly but my therapist laughed, “I placed them there, there’s definitely 316’, as she stands with a tray of four bottles. I’m told to sniff each of them; let my senses guide me to a fragrance.
I plump for plum spice and the oil inside the bottle is mixed with Shea butter salt scrub that the therapists lathers my hands in to revitalise my skin.
A creamy soufflé mask is then applied to remineralise and renourish my skin. OK, I appreciate this sounds pretentious but seriously, it’s utterly amazing. Once covered, my hands are then placed in warmed herbal mitts and a massage follows. This right here is hand heaven.
Posh is the gel colour I pip for – a simple nude shade that’s perfectly applied.
A eucalyptus cream massage finishes this treatment and my hands leave happy.
Everything Stops for Tea is £50 per person Monday to Thursday and £55 on Friday. It includes full access to the spa, spa garden for three hours and Asian afternoon tea.
The hire of the Infinity Pool Room for one hour is £60 (maximum of eight people).
Salt of the Earth Manicure, £55.
