Stressed? Over-worked? In need of a recharge? It’s time to take some time for you.
Treat yourself to a revitalising wellness retreat or stay at a spectacular hotel with wellbeing facilities where your only mission is to focus on replenishing your energy.
Retreats and wellbeing hotels are dotted all over the UK, each boasting a repertoire of relaxing and restorative experiences promising to give you a boost.
We’ve rounded up the best places to escape to in and out of the City – for chilling, making lifestyle changes, spa treatments, meditating, and doing absolutely nothing, if that’s what you want! You can thank us later.
Glass House Retreat, Two Day Wellness Break
Just outside of London in the lush Essex countryside, you’ll find Glass House Retreat waiting to whisk away your stresses. Set in a rural haven among seven acres of greenery, it’s peaceful, surrounded by nature, and the perfect setting for an escape.
For a short but sweet stay, we recommend the Two Night Wellness Break. The booking includes your choice of luxury bedrooms, a Cyro Chamber session, a £60 spa voucher, use of their state-of-the-art facilities (swimming pool, Himalayan salt block sauna and steam room, exterior sauna, exterior natural swimming pond, and exercise studio) and multiple daily exercise classes.
You’ll also have access to motivational talks, evening activities, and mental wellbeing sessions in ‘The Dome’. All meals are included too, from dinner on the day you arrive through to breakfast on the day you say goodbye. You can also make use of their mobile phone safe – if you’re after a complete digital detox!
The establishment is famous for its food, which is sure to help you cleanse away life’s impurities and reboot. Choose from three low-cholesterol, plant-based dietary plans, which can all help to balance your nutrition, aid your digestion, and benefit your heart health. You’ll find no ‘junk’ food – just delicious dishes that are rich in vitamins and minerals, high in fibre, healthy, and largely unprocessed.
At Glass House Retreat, even the buildings exude wellness, with ground to ceiling sheets of crystal-clear glass – letting in waves of natural light. The retreat was built using eco-friendly materials and techniques, and is complemented by solar panels, rainwater recycling technology and a ground source heat pump. So, you can rest assured that your break won’t break the planet!
Harrow Road, Bulphuan, Essex, RM14 3BP
From £259 per person, per night for double occupancy in a Superior Room with other room options available, glasshouseretreat.co.uk
Mandarin Oriental, Inner Strength, Outer Strength Two Day Retreat
Take the short journey out of the City and into the heart of the capital and you’ll discover the acclaimed Mandarin Oriental (MO), a gorgeous hotel boasting a plethora of wellbeing experiences.
World-renowned designer, Joyce Wang, used nearby Hyde Park’s natural beauty and the 20th century Golden Age of travel as inspiration to create MO’s splendid rooms and suites. But the exquisite décor is not why we recommend this hotel. Indeed, it’s the retreat options and luxurious treatments that have caught our eyes.
If you’re looking to rediscover your inner and outer strength, book yourself onto MO’s Inner Strength, Outer Strength Retreat, lasting two days. The programme combines nourishing nutrition, guided personalised exercise sessions, a VISIA Skin Consultation by Nescens and a bespoke Biologique Recherche Facial to give you a holistic, natural beauty and body reset.
Over the two days, you’ll be able to relax and destress, gain expert skincare and nutritional advice, and enjoy a guided personalised exercise experience in Royal Parkland, Hyde Park. You’ll also have unlimited access to The Spa at Mandarin Oriental’s 17-metre indoor pool, Technogym fitness centre and amethyst crystal steam room, sanarium, vitality pool, and relaxation area.
To get the most out of your two-day retreat, combine it with a relaxing overnight stay, with access to the best available room rates.
66 Knightsbridge, London, SW1X 7LA
Retreat £1,480, room prices vary, mandarinoriental.com/en/london/hyde-park/spa/wellness-retreats
Akasha Holistic Wellbeing Club at Hotel Café Royal, Signature Spa Day
Perhaps you’re looking for wellness boost that’s not quite so full on, and that’s okay! A wellness retreat doesn’t need to spread over multiple days and comprise detoxes and exercise regimes. What works for one person won’t necessarily work for another – you should approach wellness however you see fit, and however you feel most comfortable.
If this is the case, then a one-day spa experience might appeal more to your liking. Luckily, there are plenty in London to choose from! Not many compare, however, to Hotel Royal’s Akasha Holistic Wellbeing Club – a centre crafted for pure relaxation. The exclusive wellness club boasts stunning interiors and facilities, and expert treatments covering nutrition, meditation, yoga, Watsu, massage, personal training, and more.
The Signature Spa Day is just the ticket for resetting your mind and body. Choose from a tension-releasing Aromatherapy Associates massage or an Aromatherapy Associates facial, unwind in the spa facilities including the 18-metre-long lap pool, sauna, steam room, and jacuzzi, and enjoy a nutritious two-course lunch served in the lounge bar – with champagne!
Of course, if you fancy extending your escape, there’s plenty of gorgeous rooms available in Hotel Café Royal. An early night in a feather-soft bed is the ideal way to end your spa day.
68 Regent Street, London, W1B 4DY
Available Monday to Friday, £275 per person, room rates vary, hotelcaferoyal.com/offers/signature-spa-day
Homefield Grange, Mind Body Restorer Six Day Retreat
Step away from the demands of life and enter a world of calm at Homefield Grange. Based in a historic Northamptonshire village, the retreat is just 50 minutes from London by train. Set in 23 acres of peaceful countryside, the venue was purpose built to give you results without distractions or temptations.
If you have been overworking, overcommitting, or struggling to cope with life’s current demands, the Mind Body Restorer package is the perfect choice for you. The six-day retreat aims to improve restore your sense of balance in life, restore your energy levels, and bring you home to yourself. Say goodbye to burnout!
The retreat uses an integrated approach to getting you ‘back on track’ quickly, giving you all the tools, you need to cope long-term with the demands and stressors in your life.
Throughout the Mind Body Restorer, you’ll have access to practitioner check-ins, reflexology, massages, Mind Body Restorer therapy, yoga and meditation classes, daily Nordic walking sessions, motivational health talks, cardio classes, and more. You’ll also have full use of the Wellness Spa, which features an infinity hydro pool, infra-red sauna benches, deep relax water beds, an ice fountain, and a herbal sauna. Diet plan options and accommodation are also included, with your choice of comfortable room.
Homefield believes that you should treat your body kindly, and therefore do not implement a strict juice cleanse into their retreat options, (though if you want to juice, you can do so!). Instead, guests are encouraged to nourish themselves with wholesome, meat- and dairy-free foods, freshly prepared by Homefield’s two chefs.
Manor Road, Rushton, Northampton, NN14 1RH
From £1,599 per person double occupancy, homefieldgrangeretreat.co.uk/residential-health-retreat/mind-body-restorer
Pan Pacific London, Unwind and Relax
You’ll find wellbeing hotel Pan Pacific in the beating heart of the City, a short walk from The Tower of London, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and London Liverpool Street Station. The graceful and luxuriant hotel features top-notch dining amenities and room options, but we love it for its incredible wellbeing destination floor. The entire wellbeing floor is dedicated to holistic health, and showcases some of the most technologically advanced hotel gym and facilities in London.
There are treatments and experiences for pretty much everything and everyone, with our favourite package being the Unwind and Reconnect experience. The perfect package for the overloaded and weary, it includes morning or evening yoga or Pilates, Pan Pacific’s Sleeping Programmes, and the following treatments: Steam Room Relaxation with Aromatherapy Oil, Mindful Singing Bowl Meditation with Sauna Blanket, City Detox and Exfoliate, and Aromatherapy Self Care Bath Oil.
Other packages available are Human Performance, Performance Recovery, and Flight Mode Recovery, as well as Seasonal Rituals options.
After your main experience, we recommend booking yourself into the Mindful Studio, where you can clear your head of the day’s activities; we then suggest rounding off the day in the Drawing Room. With heated loungers and weighted blankets, it’s the ideal place to prioritise some ‘me’ time and enhance your rest and recovery.
80 Houndsditch, London, EC3A 7AB
Unwind and Reconnect, £360, room rates vary, panpacific.com
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