Life has been incredibly stressful lately. I lost my young aunt Zak after a 4 month battle with cancer and whilst we had been prepared for the inevitable early on, the shock and sheer pain is palpable.
I’m in the midst of wading through grief and have been seeking solace in my blog, mostly committing my stream of consciousness to digital paper (not hitting publish on most) to try and help process and soothe in some way.
I wrote this post a few weeks back after a visit to Cliveden’s Luxury Spa in Berkshire close to where we now live in Windsor, and wanted to reminisce on a special day there which helped give me some solace as I was coming to terms with the trauma of my aunt’s aggressive cancer…
It is hands down one of my most favourite spa experiences to date and luckily on my doorstep too.
Cliveden House spa is elegant without being stuffy and was the perfect setting for a girlie day of R&R with my good friend Jacqui of Jacquipaterson.com (who was the first to introduce me to the splendour of Cliveden). It was a welcome pause in both our busy schedules: a chance to catch up, have a giggle and rest.
Famous for being the location of the Profumo Affair and later the movie Scandal, charting John Profumo, the Secretary of State for War’s fall from grace in the 60s after his liaison with model Christine Keller, Cliveden House offers the guest a piece of history along with it’s stirring views and quintessentially English elegance.
So, what treatments did we have?
I opted for blissful body massage split into two hour long treatments with a swim in between, both in the indoor and outdoor pools (the latter, above is a grade I listed pool to boot and the only one in the UK).
After all that splashing around, we devoured a filling lunch in the on-site minimalist, relaxing cafe, with Jacqui sampling a chicken pesto panini and I, the Greek-inspired (obvs) jacket potato with feta and tomatoes.
China cups of cappuccino and mint tea were also consumed throughout the day!
Truly delicious!
Most of all. I loved spending quality time with Jax doing nothing but prance around like ladies of the manor, lapping up the views and enjoying dreamy pampering sessions living our best lives!
It’s vital to get off the hamster wheel now and again (however much you love the hustle) and CHILL THE HECK OUT!
With rose bath rituals pre-massage, low lighting, soothing music and TRULY magical hands in both Amber and later Steph there, I felt like I was floating on air by the time we left. To be fair, we didn’t actually WANT to leave. Ever. But the school-run was calling and thanks to Cliveden Spa, I was able to float into the evening one serene mama not shouting at the kids once (where it’s usually 10 times an evening). Talk about a testimonial for the quality of the spa day!
Jacqui had a divine, cleansing facial after her back massage which gave her a glow I’ve only ever seen in pregnancy before…and we can’t wait to return to our now ‘second home’ for more restful fun.
Stressed mamas, book now!
Huge thanks to James at Cliveden for spoiling two very busy mumbosses and on a school-day too! We cannot recommend The Cliveden Spa highly enough, it’s divine in every way with every detail considered from soft towels, GHDs and high tech hairdryers in the dressing rooms to goodie bag gifts to go home with.
Go schedule in some ‘me time’ for yourself immediately. You deserve it.
I’m personally committing to a monthly massage from now on, for sure. It’s time to refuel regularly so I can be strong for everyone else.
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