LIFEHOUSE SPA THORPE-LE-SOKEN

 

LIFEHOUSE, A LIFESAVER!

 

　

As a resident of Thorpe-Le-Soken, I have watched with interest the development of Thorpe Hall. From the days of “The Lady Nelson” nursing home with its beautiful landscaped gardens which were often open to the public, through the demolition of the hall and subsequent use of some of the buildings as “The Studio”, to its present day incarnation as “Lifehouse”.

Lifehouse is a modern spa retreat with 89 bedrooms, a restaurant, café and bar and of course those beautiful gardens. The spa itself has a good sized swimming pool, a Jacuzzi, sauna, steam room, inhalation room and an ice cold plunge pool. On site there is also a hairdressers, a well equipped gym, relaxation room with massage chairs and a library with free internet access. There is an assortment of treatment rooms offering an array of treatments from manicures to a full body massage.

There are various packages that allow you access to all this indulgence, from yearly membership to overnight stays and day and evening packages. Day and evening packages start from as little as £45.

My wife and I booked ourselves in for the “Stop The World” day package which would allow us access to the spa, gym, gardens and grounds from 9am to 6pm. Included in the price of £180 was use of a robe during our visit, complimentary slippers, all gratuities and access to the Lifehouse Resort activities programme, this could be anything from Pilates to Latin dance. Also included was an hour long full body massage, a 35 minute House face treatment, a 45 minute manicure or executive hand care treatment, a two course lunch and a welcome drink on arrival.

We arrived promptly at 9am having used the new access road from Frinton Road to drive to the car park and then walk the short distance to the reception area. We registered and were then shown where the changing rooms were for us to change into our swimwear, robes and slippers. We were given a wristband with an electronic fob to operate the lockers and an account number to use for any purchases, so no need to carry cash.

Once in our robes and slippers, we were given an escorted tour of the facilities which finished in the café area where we had our welcome drink. We then made our way to the swimming pool and thermal area where we spent the next hour and a half until it was time for our first treatment at 11.30am.

I had never had a manicure before and I didn’t really know what to expect but I found it surprisingly relaxing, besides cutting and filing my nails and working on my cuticles, the young lady also treated my hands to a massage. From the manicure chair I made my way to the relaxation room to meet up with my wife, we just had time to try out the massage chairs before going to the restaurant for lunch at 12.45pm.

A two course lunch is provided in the price along with bottled water, a third course can be purchased at an additional cost. Lunch was superb and there was a reasonable choice, we both opted for the Dedham Vale steak for our main course.

We were due to have our House face treatment at 2.30pm and this was to be followed by a full body massage at 3.30pm. As it was now 2pm we decided to enquire about getting the appointments changed. We didn’t feel it would be wise to use the pool and thermal area after our treatments and wanted the times changed in order to use them first. The appointment book was rather full and the only way to accommodate our request was to move our House face treatment to 6.45pm.

Having changed our appointments, we headed back to the pool area where we relaxed for the next hour and a half until our full body massage at 3.30pm. After the massage we rested in the relaxation room, had a walk outside and spent time in the library. At 6.45pm we had our final treatment of the day, the House face treatment which incorporated having the face cleansed and moisturised as well as a head, neck and shoulder massage. It was then, unfortunately, time for us to leave, by the time we had changed and checked out it was 8pm, we had experienced the most enjoyable and relaxing 11 hours imaginable. I would recommend a little indulgence of this sort to anyone, we are already talking about, and looking forward to, our next visit.