The Coach House Spa at Beaverbrook

There are spas, and then there are spas. Beaverbook’s Coach House falls into the latter category. Set in the grounds of another historic house on the outskirts of London, once owned by British newspaper tycoon, Lord Beaverbrook, the Coach House spa is home to an outdoor pool, an indoor pool, a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, and a thermal spa with steam and sauna rooms, plus a beautiful relaxation area set underneath a painted stained glass ceiling. Medicinal plants from the on-site apothecary garden are used in treatments and teas.

The standout treatment here is the Vibrational Sound Bodywork performed in The Meadow Hut – a private, tranquil hut located within the spa grounds and looking out over the Surrey Hills. This 90-minute ritual, it incorporates energy cleansing with sage and rosemary, a full-body massage, and sound healing, featuring the use of chimes, gongs, Tibetan bowls and tuning forks. Master practitioner Lino Zinchi has created something truly unique here. Bespoke facials and private yoga and pilates sessions are also available.

At the end of my treatment, I sipped herbal tea and looked out across the horizon. A storm was coming in, and an enormous rain cloud, shaped like a hare, began to move across the landscape. For a moment, so light did I feel after Zinchi’s treatment, I seriously considered moving into the hut, throwing away my smartphone and becoming at one with that cloud.

Beaverbrook has no fewer than seven restaurants and bars, so make sure you save some time to explore the sprawling estate of this hotel. If you’re not in a rush to get back to the city, stay overnight in one of the hotel’s cottages or a room in the main house named after one of its many iconic historic guests - Elizabeth Taylor or Rudyard Kipling.