Spa Review: The Woodland Spa

Last weekend I visited The Woodland Spa in Burnley for the second time, and it was just as dreamy and delightful as the first time we went a few years ago. This award-winning luxury day spa is set in the rolling hills of Lancashire countryside, which is the perfect peaceful spot for a spa with outdoor jacuzzis and pools. And that’s what makes this spa one of the best I’ve ever been too – it truly is a relaxing venue.

Treatments

On our most recent visit we chose a full spa day experience, to include a 75 minute treatment. We arrived in the morning and settled in with a light breakfast of hot drinks and mini pastries (included in the package), and then went in for our treatments. I’d chosen the Decléor Prescriptive Performance Facial, but it was so much more than a facial – it started off with a soothing back massage to aid relaxation before the facial begins, as well as including an arm and head massage.

The facial itself used Decléor’s 100% natural products, and each person’s facial is tailored to their individual skin needs. Mine used the Rose range because my skin is quite sensitive, and my targeted active mask was selected to be really hydrating and to pump lots of vitamins into the skin after the cold winter months. The experience was amazing and so calming, but the benefits were also noticeable for days afterwards, and I received quite a few compliments about my skin!

And at the end of our treatments we chilled out in a quiet relaxation room for a short while to allow all of the oils and creams to soak into our skin before moving on with the next part of our day.

Thermal Journey

The spa day packages include unlimited access to the thermal spa for the day, but day passes can also be bought on their own without additional treatments. Either way, towels, robes and flip flops are provided in allocated lockers. And although our treatments really were amazing, it’s this part of The Woodland Spa that feels really special and unique.

There are lots of different areas to experience in the thermal heat and ice journey and we found it so enjoyable working our way round the different parts of the spa, which include:

• Sauna and saunarium
• Steam room and salt steam room
• Hydrotherapy pool
• Roman foot baths
• Ice fountain
• Experience showers
• Outdoor infinity hot tubs
• Outdoor Jacuzzis
• Outdoor pool
• Fire pit lounge
• Heated beds, plus indoors and outdoor loungers

You might wonder how long you could spend doing all of this, and you could easily do it all in a few hours. However, we loved making it last for the whole day and really savouring every part. I love that there are both indoor and outdoor areas to experience, which is so lovely on a sunny day, but I think would also be really cosy on a colder day.

Dining

The spa day packages all include a 2 course meal with a glass of wine, and we booked to have ours as lunch at 1pm at the Spa Restaurant. What’s nice is that as a dedicated spa restaurant, guests are allowed to dine in their spa robes, so there is no stressful dressing and undressing to interrupt your relaxing spa experience. The menu is fairly small but is varied with plenty of options. I chose the burger, which was both huge and delicious, and a raspberry and white chocolate brulee for dessert, whilst my sister went for the healthier options of Thai Green Risotto and fruit salad. We had no complaints about either the food or the views from the first floor restaurant!

Relaxing Spots

Aside from the heat and ice thermal journey, some parts of the thermal spa really are just perfect for unwinding in peace. Our favourites on both visits were the outdoor infinity jacuzzis for chilling in the open air, and the Serenity pool in its darkened room with only the sound of waves lapping (we actually napped in here!) And we also loved the fire pit lounge for cosy chats and fresh smoothies, and the Terrace Bar by the outdoor pools, where we enjoyed late afternoon Tapas plates.

Rasul Mud Ritual

Although we didn’t do a Rasul Mud treatment this time, we did experience this on our previous visit and it’s a great option for adding something extra to your day. When we did this we hadn’t bought a Spa Day package, and simply added this treatment onto our thermal spa day pass. We were given pots of 3 different mineral muds to apply to the body and then we sat and relaxed in one of their private Rasul Mud Chambers where steam and heat helps the mud cleanse the skin. At the end of the session we rinsed the mud away under a gentle rain shower and were left with nourished skin. What’s great is that you can do this experience in groups of up to 4 friends!

The Best Spa in the North West?

Everything about this spa is designed to enhance your relaxing experience. They pre-allocate lockers and provide you with wristbands to lock them so you don’t have to worry about coins or keys. You can dine in your robes so you don’t need to change. The massage treatment beds are amazing, and shape shift to ensure you are comfortable for the treatment (not just flat!). And you can set up a tab to use at the Terrace Bar so you don’t need to carry money or valuables around in your robe pockets. It’s all in the details.

I can’t claim to have visited every spa in the area, but I would thoroughly recommend The Woodland Spa to anyone wanting a truly memorable spa day. The facilities are amongst the best I have seen, and honestly I was so relaxed after my visit that my spa glow and inner peace lasted for days. The price of our spa day package was around £140, which isn’t a bargain, but it’s not a bargain type of place. A day here is a really luxurious treat to be savoured and enjoyed, and I think it is totally worth it for what you get!