Suffolk &amp; Cambs

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="528" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/09/Bedford-Lodge-1000x528.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-28553" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/09/Bedford-Lodge-1000x528.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/09/Bedford-Lodge-800x422.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/09/Bedford-Lodge-400x211.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/09/Bedford-Lodge-900x475.jpg 900w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/09/Bedford-Lodge.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">THE LOCATION</h2>



You&#8217;ll find the <a href="https://www.bedfordlodgehotelspa.co.uk">Bedford Lodge Hotel</a> and its separate award-winning, purpose-built spa in Suffolk&#8217;s racing town of Newmarket. The spa is housed in a former hunting lodge on Bury Road near the famous Gallops and the smart Godolphin Stud, so it&#8217;s extremely easy to get to and there&#8217;s plenty of parking. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="750" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/09/bedford-entrance-750x1000.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-28565" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/09/bedford-entrance-750x1000.jpg 750w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/09/bedford-entrance-600x800.jpg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/09/bedford-entrance-300x400.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/09/bedford-entrance-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/09/bedford-entrance-394x525.jpg 394w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/09/bedford-entrance.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px" /><figcaption>Newmarket or Provence?</figcaption></figure>



The Spa has its own entrance along a vine-draped pillared walkway with huge and fragrant lavender bushes either side. It was a hot July day when I visited and with the scent of lavender and pretty sight of dappled sunlight through the vines I felt like I&#8217;d been transported to Provence. Once inside you get the sense of being in a completely different world too. The Victorian house has been renovated in truly sumptuous style and you can feel your shoulders heading south as soon as you step through the door. The main part of the spa, with the hydrotherapy pool is in a huge modern extension made up almost entirely of windows around a perfectly manicured garden. Although architecturally it&#8217;s a mix of old and new, kudos to whoever designed it because somehow it all works seamlessly together.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">THE VIBE</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/09/Bedford-Lodge-night.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-28556" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/09/Bedford-Lodge-night.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/09/Bedford-Lodge-night-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/09/Bedford-Lodge-night-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/09/Bedford-Lodge-night-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/09/Bedford-Lodge-night-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



The serenity of this spa envelops you as soon as you enter the building. The colours are all all soft muted greys and creams with some subtle gilded touches, there are&nbsp;sumptuous sink-your-feet-into carpets that create a hushed vibe. The huge sit-in-me-now seats in the stylish spa lounge invite you to curl up with a book and cup of tea for hours. 



I was here to test out the Spa Ritual package (which includes use of the spa from 10:00am &#8211; 3:30pm, lunch, a treatment and a bag with slippers) and started my experience in the cosy lounge space filling in my consultation form and choosing my lunch over a cup of tea and home-made biscuits. My guest and I were then shown around the spa to the changing rooms and the main spa area. It&#8217;s all very luxe, yet bijou so it was music to my ears that there&#8217;s a limit on how many guests can access the spa at one time, as I imagine it could quickly become overcrowded otherwise. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="450" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/09/Hydrotherapy-pool-1000x450.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-28575" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/09/Hydrotherapy-pool-1000x450.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/09/Hydrotherapy-pool-800x360.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/09/Hydrotherapy-pool-400x180.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/09/Hydrotherapy-pool-900x405.jpg 900w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/09/Hydrotherapy-pool.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



As it was, we often had the whole hydrotherapy pool with its different jets and massage areas to ourselves and there was never any doubt we&#8217;d find a lounger or have to share the sauna. We also spent a heavenly half an hour chatting away in the rooftop hot tub, enjoying having the area to ourselves and not feeling like we had to whisper in case we annoyed anyone else with our conversation.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1142" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/09/hot-tub-bedford-lodge.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-28557" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/09/hot-tub-bedford-lodge.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/09/hot-tub-bedford-lodge-800x609.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/09/hot-tub-bedford-lodge-1000x761.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/09/hot-tub-bedford-lodge-400x305.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/09/hot-tub-bedford-lodge-690x525.jpg 690w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



Everything in this spa is designed to make you comfortable with a capital C: there are heated mosaic benches lining the side of the pool where you can leave your robes for toasty towelling when you get out; the relaxation beds are on an upper level so you don&#8217;t get disturbed by people in the pool; and there&#8217;s a darkly lit relaxation room full of beds to recline in after your treatment.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/09/the-relax-room-at-bedford-lodge-hotel-spa-newmarket.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-28561" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/09/the-relax-room-at-bedford-lodge-hotel-spa-newmarket.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/09/the-relax-room-at-bedford-lodge-hotel-spa-newmarket-800x534.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/09/the-relax-room-at-bedford-lodge-hotel-spa-newmarket-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/09/the-relax-room-at-bedford-lodge-hotel-spa-newmarket-787x525.jpg 787w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



Once we&#8217;d bobbed around the pool and felt suitably relaxed we headed out into the pretty courtyard for an alfresco lunch. The lunch menu isn&#8217;t vast, is fairly healthy (think wraps, salads, soups and sharing platters) and the portion sizes are quite small, but this is a spa after all so you don&#8217;t want to be weighed down by a heavy meal. The food was very tasty and the setting was idyllic with the tinkling of the fountain in the background. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="750" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/09/bedford-lodge-drinks-750x1000.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-28564" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/09/bedford-lodge-drinks-750x1000.jpg 750w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/09/bedford-lodge-drinks-600x800.jpg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/09/bedford-lodge-drinks-300x400.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/09/bedford-lodge-drinks-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/09/bedford-lodge-drinks-394x525.jpg 394w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/09/bedford-lodge-drinks.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px" /></figure>



 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">THE TREATMENT</h2>



This is where The Spa at Bedford Lodge really stands out from other spas &#8211; the treatment options are vast for such a small spa, and exciting news for 2022, they&#8217;ve just launched an Aesthetic Treatment Room with treatments available every other Thursday by fully qualified practitioners and therapists. If you&#8217;re not in the market for tweakments though, don&#8217;t worry because there&#8217;s also a dizzying array of ESPA relaxation treatments and Mii beauty treatments as well as options for men, if you&#8217;re pregnant or if you have cancer. The list was so long in fact that it took me a while to decide. In the end I plumped for a ESPA Personalised Facial to combine both relaxation and to help me combat my dry skin. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/09/facial-22.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-28560" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/09/facial-22.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/09/facial-22-800x534.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/09/facial-22-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/09/facial-22-787x525.jpg 787w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



My lovely therapist talked me through the treatment in the large and serene treatment room and then I got to choose the oils I wanted her to use. I love being warm and toasty during a treatment so I was delighted when she asked if I wanted the warming blanket on and started moving the electric bed around to ensure I was in the most comfortable position possible. It&#8217;s the little touches like these that make a spa treatment really stand out, I find. After cleansing, my therapist looked closely at my skin using a SkinVision lamp (yikes!). The results weren&#8217;t as bad as I&#8217;d feared. I was dehydrated (figures seeing as it&#8217;s been the hottest summer since 1976) and the sun damage was confined to around my eyes and lips (an SPF lip salve was swiftly added to my shopping list). 



Then it was on with the heavenly treatment to try and rectify the findings and detoxify, invigorate and sculpt my skin using products from ESPA&#8217;s range. Just as I was on the edge of falling asleep my therapist finished the treatment with a relaxing scalp massage and it took all of my self control not to snore. 



The verdict? Ok, so I did look like I&#8217;d doused myself in a vat of oil as I left the spa and bumped into someone I knew of course (why does that always happen?), but it was worth it because the next day my skin and hair was glowing and I did actually look less tired and dehydrated. In fact, unlike other facials where the glow disappears after a day to be replaced by breakouts, my super soft skin remained for over a week. Plus, it was absolute heaven being massaged for 60 minutes, so even just for the relaxation potential I&#8217;d highly recommend this treatment. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Muddy Verdict </h2>



Good for: Anyone in need of a heavy dose of relaxation and de-stressing with only a few hours to achieve a zen-like state. It&#8217;s just one of those places where you can escape from any worries for a few hours and easily ignore life admin and your ever growing work to-do list. In my option, the therapists here are second to none, so if it&#8217;s a superior massage you&#8217;re after get yourself booked in now. 



Not for: Anyone who&#8217;s looking to do laps of a swimming pools and spend hours trying out experience showers, ice rooms and whatever else you get at huge spas these days. The Spa at Bedford Lodge is a much more boutique offering with a focus on excellent treatments. 



££: <a href="https://www.bedfordlodgehotelspa.co.uk/special-offers/spa-days/spa-ritual-experience-65pp">The Spa Ritual Experience</a> starts from £90pp midweek. For other spa days and break prices <a href="https://www.bedfordlodgehotelspa.co.uk/spa-days-spa-breaks">click here</a>.



<a href="https://www.bedfordlodgehotelspa.co.uk">The Spa at Bedford Lodge Hotel</a>, Bury Road, Newmarket, Suffolk, CB8 7BX. Tel: 01638 676130, email: spareservations@bedfordlodgehotel.co.uk

Review: The Spa at Bedford Lodge Hotel, Newmarket, Suffolk

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