THE LOCATION

I really thought I must have taken a wrong turn as I bumped along a quiet country track on the edge of Somersham en route to Sandpiper Pool and Spa. And as my Sat Nav told me to pull up outside someone’s house I vowed to finally replace my trusty old TomTom. But then I saw the Sandpiper sign pointing into the pretty back garden and owner Emma waved me in over the gate. No reception with medical forms to fill out, no other cars parked up, and no sign of the spa as yet! Right from the start I knew this was going to be a spa experience like no other.

The spa is at the bottom of Emma and her husband Tim’s beautifully kept, flower-filled garden and you can see why they built it here. It’s so tranquil, private and quiet. They have masterfully turned some former farm sheds into a state-of-the-art wellness space with a huge heated pool, al fresco jacuzzi, rainforest shower, one of the UK’s five snow rooms! What makes it so completely unique though, is the fact that when you book a spa session you get to have the whole place to yourself (and whichever friends and family you choose to invite along), and it is vast! It’s not overlooked at all either, so you can be as free and au naturel as you desire (if you get my drift!).

THE VIBE

If you can’t relax in this luxe private spa in the middle of the calming Cambridgeshire countryside, you probably won’t anywhere. As I decide between a dip in the pool or a stint in the sauna, it really hits me how rare it is to feel 100% at home in a normal spa that is full of strangers. Here, there’s no worry of sitting on top of someone by mistake in the steam room or getting annoyed at the man doing front crawl in the pool and creating tidal waves in your direction. It’s all so serene and everything is yours to enjoy exactly as you want, even down to the lighting and music channels, which you can change to suit your tastes (the best of Pink Floyd on repeat anyone?)

As well as the pool and hot and cold spa experiences, there’s also a relaxation room with heated beds, a calming sitting area and a comfy lounge with magazines, books and coffee and tea making facilities. If you decide to stay for the day – and why wouldn’t you? – you can order lunch to be delivered too. Finally, you’ll find two treatment rooms off the lounge into which freelance therapists from My Blissful Retreat magically seem to appear and disappear so as not to disturb your privacy.

 THE THERAPIST AND TREATMENT

Vicky, the owner of My Blissful Retreat, was my therapist and took me from stressed-out to serene in thirty minutes with a de-stress face, neck and shoulder massage. It normally takes me at least twenty minutes of annoyingly intrusive thoughts about work and life admin before I can switch off during a massage, but Vicky’s clever hands had me close to sleep in record time.

With two treatment rooms and the mobile spa company able to cater to any group size, Sandpiper is the perfect place for a hen party. Just imagine – treatments for all the girls and the run of the place with no-one to get annoyed at the noise or constant champagne glass clinking!

PRICES

Two hours, from £50pp. Treatments start at £20. Groups of 5 – 7 receive 10% discount, 8 – 12 15% discount.

Sandpiper Pool & Spa, Colnefields, Somersham, Cambridgeshire, PE28 3DL. Tel: 01487 740896