This week we visited Ye Olde Bell Hotel & Spa near Retford for a glorious Autumnal spa day. We also stayed over in the hotel itself in one of their lodges and you can read that review here.
Our Video Review
The Spa at Ye Olde Bell
Ye Olde Bell is a historic hotel in the Nottinghamshire countryside, but the spa itself is a much more contemporary (and very plush!) affair.
It’s a lovely boutique spa with a fabulous selection of thermal experiences, an indoor and outdoor vitality pool and plenty of opportunities for a little pampering. We visited for the five-hour spa day, which included a two-course lunch and a choice of 30-minute treatments. We both opted for the scalp massage, which sounded like just the thing for a relaxing afternoon.
The Indoor and Outdoor Vitality Pool
One of the main attractions at Ye Olde Bell Spa is the gorgeous vitality pool.
The pool stretches from inside the spa to the outdoor courtyard, so you can enjoy the warm water in the fresh air (and we visited in late October – it was very fresh!). There are various water jets and bubbling massage stations to enjoy, as well as loungers built into the pool.
I always think there’s something particularly lovely about an outdoor spa pool, especially when the weather is a little chilly. Being all warm and cosy in the water while the air is cool around you is rather wonderful.
And, of course, it’s the perfect place to while away a little time catching up with good friends.
The Thermal Experiences at Ye Olde Bell Spa
There are lots of different thermal experiences to explore at Ye Olde Bell, which makes it a great choice if you enjoy trying something a little different.
There’s an Alpine Sauna, Herbal Laconium, Stonebath and Salt Inhalation Room, as well as steam experiences and various ways to cool down. This was the salt inhalation room.
The Stonebath is a particularly unusual feature, using heated stones and steam to create a lovely warming experience. (It does make a terrifying noise when it starts up though – you have been warned!)
The Herbal Laconium offers a gentler heat than a traditional sauna, which is ideal if, like me, you sometimes find saunas a little too hot! On which note, I must mention that the Alpine Sauna is incredibly hot – our lovely spa butler told us to make sure we were wearing our flip flops in here as the floor is lava! (and he was right).
And then there’s the Snowstorm Walk. Yes, an actual snowstorm experience in a spa! Very atmospheric!
After warming up in the thermal rooms, you can cool down with a blast of chilly air and snow. It’s certainly something a little different and adds a fun element to the whole spa experience.
There are also experience showers and a cold bucket shower for the particularly brave. I think I’ll leave that one to the enthusiasts!
Outside Space
The outside space is similarly fabulous with lots of heated and unheated beds, and gorgeous alpine chalets.
It was beautifully decorated in an Autumnal theme, but must be absolutely wonderful to visit and relax in the summer!
Spa Butler
All of the staff we came into contact with were lovely and friendly. There was a ‘Spa Butler’ on duty when we visited who was fabulous, and came to find us to let us know when we needed to leave for our treatments and lunch. He was also on hand to answer any questions as well as to bring drinks to wherever we were lounging.
We visited over October half-term and the day after our spa day we popped back in and saw the spa decorated for a Halloween family day (which my kids would have loved when they were younger!). Our spa butler kindly posed for me 🙂 (needless to say, this wasn’t his usual look!)
Our 30-Minute Scalp Massage
As part of our five-hour spa day, we could choose a 30-minute spa treatment, which was a lovely extra included in the package.
I always think a scalp massage is one of those treatments that sounds quite simple but is wonderfully indulgent. There’s something incredibly relaxing about having someone gently massage your head while you lie back and forget about everything else for half an hour.
It’s also a nice choice if you don’t particularly fancy a full-body massage but still want to enjoy a proper spa treatment.
Thirty minutes is just the right amount of time for a little pampering without taking up too much of your spa day. On which note, I would recommend the full spa day. Five hours sounds like a lot, but with lunch and treatments in that time-frame, it goes really fast and I would have liked to have stayed longer! There is also a relaxation room you can visit post treatment.
Sabbia Med
We also tried the Sabbia Med experience on our visit. Designed to recreate the feeling of relaxing on a warm, sun-drenched beach, Sabbia Med combines gentle warmth with carefully designed lighting to create a wonderfully soothing environment. It’s particularly appealing during the darker winter months, when many of us struggle with the lack of sunshine and the winter blues.
The room has deck chairs and sand to feel like a beach and the light changes to represent a full day from dawn to dusk.
Our Two-Course Lunch at the Herb Garden Brasserie
Our spa package included a two-course lunch at the Herb Garden Brasserie, which is located within the spa building.
The choices were lovely and hearty – no hair shirt, health farm punishment food here!
Drinks from the Spa Butler
Another nice touch at Ye Olde Bell Spa was the drinks menu available to order from the spa butler.
I thought this was a lovely idea! There was a nice selection of drinks to choose from, and you could order them while enjoying your time in the spa.
It’s these little extras that can make a spa day feel that bit more luxurious, and it was a thoughtful addition to the experience.
Would we visit Ye Olde Bell again?
We absolutely would like to visit again! I think the five-hour package is a really nice way to experience Ye Olde Bell Spa, particularly if you’re visiting for the first time. But I would love to return in the summer and stay the whole day! If this spa is not yet on your radar, it really should be!
