Stoke Park Spa

Stoke Park is a magnificent white Palladian mansion with a high domed roof – be prepared for a wow moment as you head up the drive. The hotel has 300 acres of landscaped grounds, 13 tennis courts, a 27-hole golf course and grand gardens next to a sparkling lake.

The spa is part of the country club a short walk, or a golf buggy drive, from the main hotel. Built in 2000, the interior of the mock-Georgian building (which is referred to as The Pavilion) resembles a 1960s film producer’s lair with film posters, pop art, coloured lighting and groovy furniture.

Enter the sleek marble-floored reception through revolving doors. There’s a glass fronted desk with multi-coloured lighting underneath, huge mirrors and pop art on the walls. A bright, modern shop sells spa products and gym gear, and the long Nail Bar has four manicure stations and two leather pedicure thrones.

The spa is all on one level -- the private spa area is for day guests only, while the pool, thermal facilities and pretty spa garden are shared by hotel guests and club members.

Stoke Park has two sets of changing rooms: general facilities and private ones for those who have a spa treatment booked. The general changing rooms have large wooden lockers with robes, slippers and towels; there’s a vanity station with hair dryers, straighteners and a large white marble steam room, too. The spa changing rooms, accessed with a key card, are smaller but more luxurious, with a super-soft carpet, two marble showers and plenty of products including shampoo and conditioner to preen post-spa.

The private spa area has two dry relaxation spaces. The spacious Spa Atrium has a fabulous tropical fish-tank wall, through which you can spy on the pool and gardens like a Bond villain. There are mirrored ceilings and Austin Powers-style white plastic egg chairs, but also plush velvet sofas and stylish soft furnishings fit for a screen goddess. Help yourself to bowls of fruit, dried fruit and nuts, tea and water from a long sideboard. This area also has 11 treatment rooms plus a Deep Relaxation Room with six beds separated by curtains.

The wet and thermal facilities are through the general changing rooms. The 20-metre pool is in a high-ceilinged room with a wall of huge Georgian-style arched windows letting in lots of natural sunlight. The water temperature and length are perfect for lap swimming, and there are a dozen cushioned loungers to relax on and gaze at the garden.

Through a small door poolside is a sun-trap decked area with sumptuously chic sofas, rattan egg chairs and loungers dotted on the lawn among lavender bushes, palm trees and topiary.

The spa garden (which opened in summer 2016) is a lovely addition to the spa. Along a winding path, you’ll find a hot sauna cabin, with a porch, hooks to hang robes and windows looking out over the garden. There’s an outdoor shower in an arched nook to cool off, and a rectangular warm and bubbly hydro pool lined in grey metallic mosaic tiles with seating for ten. There are loungers around the edge of the pool, pots of bright geraniums and an antique clock so you don’t miss your treatment.

We had the Thalgo Indoceane Spa Ritual (115 minutes, £145).

My therapist, Lara, met me in the Atrium and led me to a spacious treatment room, atmospherically lit with candles. She washed my feet in a golden bowl as we discussed my consultation form.

Lara left the room and I disrobed and climbed into the wide, warm treatment bed lying. Lara gently drizzled warm oil onto my back and then scrubbed Himalayan salts into each side of my body, front and back. I found it invigorating but also blissfully relaxing. The scrub came off easily in the shower, and my skin gleamed with nourishing oils.

Next, Lara moved on to an Ayurvedic massage with oil. She used powerful, flowing movements interspersed with shorter strokes ‘unblocking my chi’. My limbs felt like putty. Lara then wrapped me in towels while she gave me a face, neck and shoulder massage. At moments, she would simply hold my head or feet, which I found nurturing and grounding. She also cupped my ears to recreate the swishing sound of the sea.

To finish, Lara massaged cream into my deeply oiled body before cleaning and drying my feet so that I didn’t slip on the way out. I felt tension-free, while my skin felt deeply nourished and looked rosy.

Stoke Park offers Thalgo and Aromatherapy Associates facials, body treatments and creative rituals, as well as treatments for men, mums to be, beauty treatments and CACI machine-led facials.

Spa day guests can order lunch from a select menu to be served in the Spa Garden Lounge or outdoor terrace, for a more formal lunch you will need to dress and head to the Italian-inspired San Marco restaurant next door. We ate on the spa terrace en robe. Our tricolore salad with pesto dressing and creamy tiramisu were both fresh with beautifully balanced flavours. Also on the menu are paninis, soup, pasta, and meat and fish dishes.

In the evening, we ate at the Orangery in the main hotel with romantic views over the huge terrace, lake and church beyond. We enjoyed our beetroot starter and sea bass main, and then moved onto the terrace for coffee and summer fruit terrine. Three-rosette fine dining at Humphry’s is available for Sunday lunch and Wednesday - Sunday dinner.

We loved

The spa garden: We loved whiling away a sunny afternoon here.

Our wonderful Thalgo treatment: The perfect choice if you’re feeling stressed or run down.

We didn’t love

The pool room: While potentially stunning, we felt this lacked the same glam touches noticeable in the rest of the spa.

Sporty locals: There are tennis courts, a golf course and a 4,000 square foot gym for the taking.

Movie stars needing some R&R after a busy day of filming at nearby Pinewood Studios.

Families: Stoke Park offers dedicated swim times for children, as well as a playground, a crèche and a Little Stars Afternoon Tea.

We awarded Stoke Park Spa a Good Spa Guide rating of 5 Bubbles. From the quirky fish-tank and groovy furniture, to the beautiful outdoor space and facilities, Stoke Park has a lot to offer.  The excellent food and dramatic hotel makes a great spa break, an hour from central London.

Savant Spy visited in July 2017 and awarded it 5 Bubbles.