Forest Awakening Spa Day @ Aqua Sana FOREST SPA
One of my most favourite things to do, or not to do as it were, is to spa…
When I say spa, I don’t mean the kind that involves violence, I mean the relaxing, switch off, meditate and go somewhere else in my mind kind of spa’ing, so when I was invited to experience the Forest Awakening Spa Day at Aqua Sana Forest Spa, located within the Sherwood Forest, Center parcs site, I was already packing my swimwear before I could say “Yes please”!
The location in itself is a dream, situated in the heart of Sherwood Forest, right where a day spa should be, surrounded by woodland and wildlife.
The free parking on site is useful and upon arrival, mum and I were greeted warmly by Mandy on reception, given our locker wristbands and directed to the complimentary robe and towel wall to help ourselves, before heading into the changing rooms to prepare for our day of bliss.
Once changed, we decided to enjoy breakfast in the Vitale Café Bar, which is included in the Forest Awakening Spa package and once again were given a friendly welcome to our table and offered drinks and menus- the choices are ample within this package and include everything I enjoy in a breakfast, so we opted for the scrambled eggs on sourdough with ricotta and pesto, which was delicious and just the right sized portion, along with coffee and lemon and ginger tea.
Off into the spa we then trundled, again greeted with a warm welcome and were offered the opportunity to book onto a number of different speciality wellbeing sessions including a guided mediation sleep session, a sound bath and more (also included at no extra cost).
Once into the spa, the first noticeable feature is the main swimming pool, which is large enough to do lengths, or just bob around and chat like many did. Until you are fully immersed in the pool you cannot appreciate it’s beauty, as you look up and see that you are surrounded by overhanging vines, giving a wonderful Mediterranean feel- we could almost have been in Italy.
The pool also has a few hydro jets, which are great for circulation, so we spent rather a lot of time in the pool on and off throughout our visit, in-between the twenty five other experiences on offer.
This spa is one of the best I have been to, given its array of experiences to chose from, you never get bored, as there is so much to see, you definitely have enough to fill a full day and that we did, having arrived at 9am when doors open, we stayed until after 3pm, which surprised me, as I assumed we may have had enough by around lunchtime, but no, the offerings made sure that we were more than happy to stay all day, which this spa package allowed up until 4.30pm.
Room experiences included many types of thermal rooms, all with individual health benefits, for example the Ice Cave, great to do just before heading into the Nordic Sauna. The Alpine, salt and Volcanic Steam Rooms offer individual health benefits by helping to ease muscle tension, detox and ease into a state of relaxation, not to mention opening airways, stimulating circulation and purifying the body inside and out.
The hot and dry atmosphere of the Lava Sauna once again relaxes muscles and helps strengthen core immunity amongst other things and the Nordic Sauna provides a dry heat, cleansing the body of impurities.
There are various Rain Showers dotted around the spa, including the Rainforest Shower using meridian acupressure techniques, Volcanic Mists which offer nature inspired settings such as tropical rain and cold bucket showers for the brave!
It would be rude to miss out the feet, so there is even a Sole Therapy room to treat the feet, with a footbath- great if you fancy a natter with your friends or family whilst relaxing, as it is worth saying that some rooms are silent rooms dedicated to quiet time, deep rest, relaxation and even sleep which some tend to do.
The highlights for me were the Treetop Sauna– this is an incredible experience, offering panoramic views over Sherwood Forest whilst lying (or sitting) in the sauna accompanied by birdsong- heaven.
Another highlight for me was the Forest Glade – inspired by a forest clearing, the seats are replica tree stumps and every so often a hydrating mist arrives, alongside the sounds of the forest with a soothing cherrywood essence- bliss.
My third highlight was the Forest Meditation – a dry room you can enter in your robe, relax, sit back and stare at the ceiling, which is an animated atmospheric meditation space, featuring woodland, birds, the night sky and other stunning visuals, taking you to a place of deep state relaxation.
Finally, a place we spent quite a bit of time in was the Sweet Slumber- heated body-contoured lounges within a darkened room, surrounded by an artistic wooden tree wall.
It’s worth saying that there are several other dry /sleep rooms too such as the Fireside Relax, where I lost my mum to at some point during the day, as well as the Forest View- which is as it sounds and offers soft cushioned day beds.
They have literally thought of everything at Aqua Sana Forest Spa, I would struggle to think of anything they missed out and because of this, I would have to say that this is my top choice of spa in the UK and one I recommend regularly.
To end what was a wonderful day, we were then treated to a glass of fizz in the treatment relaxation area by the lovely Jo, who went out of her way to chat and look after us, so a big thank you to Jo and to everyone who made our day so special.
If you are wondering which UK spa to book for your next treat, then I wouldn’t hesitate at recommending Aqua Sana Forest Spa – they tick every box, for great service, location, value and with 25 experiences, you have 25 reasons to relax and unwind- what more could you ask for?
The Sleepy Vegetarian
The Forest Awakening Spa Package is available from £109 per person. Prices are subject to availability
