Scarlet Spy tries a Signature Manor House Temple Spa CBD Massage

Take me with you…

Set in the East Cheshire countryside, close to Stoke-on-Trent, The Manor House Hotel (Alsager) is a real find. Family run since 2013, the unassuming exterior gives way to 53 comfortable bedrooms, an AA Rosette Restaurant and a brand spanking new English country spa garden. 

Shall we spa?

Enter through the door at the back of the hotel to arrive in another world. First stop: the new indoor pool room with its own steam room, sauna and infamous blue and white striped hanging day bed. 

Wander out into the English spa garden – a real spa lovers’ playground - and make a beeline for the beautiful Vitality pool with its own swim-up spa bar. Four double-sized swing bed loungers surround the pool – each with their own covered pagoda, overhead heater and blanket to snuggle under. Seek out the enormous Salt Steam Inhalation Chamber and Potting Sauna Shed before cooling off in the icy cold plunge bath – sandwiched between the cold-water shower and bucket shower. 

Treatment talk

We tried the Signature Manor House Temple Spa CBD Massage (60 minutes, £95) 

After filling in a health consultation form via iPad, my therapist, Steph, collected me from the light and airy reception area and led me down the corridor to a large, low-lit double treatment room. She left the room while I disrobed and laid face down on the heated bed. 

The treatment commenced with three inhalations of a Temple Spa Breath of Life oil and a heavenly foot ritual. Steph then applied Temple Spa Light Relief CBD Skin Booster Oil - with tangy green mandarin - to my back and commenced the massage, checking the pressure as she went. 

Steph then applied Akwaterra pods - ergonomically-designed sandstone pods filled with water and immersed in a warming dish. Just the right side of super-hot, they melt away any areas of tension providing a continuous flow of pressure all over the body. This felt incredibly soothing, especially when Steph moved onto my legs. 

Turning onto my back, Steph popped a cushion under my head and covered my eyes. She then continued the massage on the front on my legs, arms, décolleté and shoulders. 

Steph signified the end of the treatment with a spritz of Temple Spa Spiritude – an energy boosting mist. She then let me come to, handed me a glass of water and led me to the relaxation room in my blissed-out haze.

How did it measure up?

After four hours in the car, I arrived a little tense and wasn’t sure I’d be able to switch off in the treatment, but I needn’t have worried. As soon as Steph drizzled on the hot CBD oil, and applied the Akwaterra pods, my brain and body relinquished. All memory of my journey up the M6 evaporated and I felt truly relaxed. 

Spot of lunch?

Head to Stables Bar & Grill for lunch or dinner. The AA Rosette restaurant is set in a 17th Century farmhouse, complete with wooden beams and a gastro pub feel. We slid into the floral-fabric booth table opposite the bar for optimal people watching.  

The Spa Menu offers a choice of starters and mains from Stables Aged Beef Burger with bacon jam to Linguine Fruit di Mare. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options are all available.

We feasted on a starter of mouth-watering Gambas Pil Pil with obligatory mopping bread, followed by a sizeable portion of grilled seabass with prawns and mussels in a more-ish coconut and lemongrass sauce. My spa partner opted for steak and ale pie with creamed mash and autumn greens – complete with a small pouring pot of delicious beef marrow gravy. Sadly, we were too stuffed for dessert, despite the sticky toffee pudding temptation. 

If you prefer to dine in your robe, you can feast on afternoon tea in The Pool Room - or order a fish finger sandwich to devour poolside. 

Got all day? 

While your time away in spa garden; with so many nooks to explore – it’s easy to find your own private space to chill. Bubble away in the sunken table-top hydrotherapy tub – surrounded by pops of lavender and rosemary - or curl up with a good book in Pavilion Panoramic Laconium and soak up the lovely green views. Forgot your reading material? The Summer House has a lovely selection on everything from house plants to Manifesting. 

Short on time?

Don’t miss the Vitality Pool – with its hydrotherapy jets and full body benches - lined with mermaid- tale tiles and heated to a balmy 38.C. Order a glass of Prosecco at the swim-up spa bar and sit back to watch the sunset over the spa.