Find Out What We Thought of Grantley Hall's Three Graces Spa
We escape to the Three Graces Spa at Grantley Hall to try out their ultimate spa day package
Having made our way through the hotel’s long, richly-furnished corridors to the spa, we’re promptly shown through to the warm (and immaculate) changing rooms, where we find everything we need for the day in our lockers. Suitably changed and wrapped in cosy dressing gowns, we start the day with coffees, pastries and fresh juices in the Three Graces Spa Lounge – a tranquil space decorated in hues of pale blue and cream, dotted with comfortable chairs and small tables.
We’ve got half an hour before our booked treatments, and so we abandon our sofa in favour of exploration, heading back through the changing rooms to enter the spa proper. Beneath a vaulted ceiling held up by columns, the 18-metre swimming pool is lined with comfortable loungers and cabanas.
On the other side of the pool is an experience shower with various settings, a eucalyptus-scented steam room and a large glass-fronted sauna with tiered wooden benches. There’s also a snow room (sadly out of action during our visit), but we can see it’s dusted with snow and must make a fabulous contrast to the dry heat of the sauna next door.
We just have time to get our bearings before it’s time for our treatments. The treatment rooms are spacious and secluded, with views over the peaceful gardens and automatic blinds which lower to give privacy, and to create a dimly-lit, relaxing vibe. I’m booked in for a D-Stress treatment, which includes both a back massage and a facial. It’s a luxurious oxygen therapy, detoxifying and hydrating targeted areas, but it’s also supremely relaxing. Sixty minutes fly by.
We enjoy lunch back in the lounge, dining on noodle salads, along with oak-roasted salmon (for me) and chunks of grilled Yorkshire halloumi for my companion. We’re not here to be too pious, so we follow our healthy salads with a couple of desserts and a glass of of Prosecco each – my Madagascan vanilla ice cream sundae comes with a heap of deliciously fresh berries and a welcome swirl of caramel sauce.
By the time we finish lunch the clouds outside have given way to some weak winter sunshine, so we head out to explore the spa’s garden. There’s plenty of room to relax out here (the terrace is furnished with comfy looking loungers), but on a cold day in winter we head straight to the large square hot tub set into the deck. The bubbling waters are heated to the extent that, a little while later, it’s almost a relief to emerge back into the cold air. Across the way is the Nordic Spa garden, which has a gorgeous wooden sauna pod adjacent to two Brass Monkey ice baths. Having dipped my left foot in, I decide discretion is the better part of valour and head straight for the hydrotherapy pool.
The hydrotherapy pool here is both indoor and outdoor (the outdoor section is accessed through a sliding glass door which sits just above the waterline, keeping the indoor area toasty). We float in the warm waters, making our way around the various areas, trying out the underwater recliners, pushing the buttons at the pool’s edge to discover what massaging bubbles and jets will appear each time.
It’s almost time for us to head home, but first my friend takes the chance to swim some lengths in the pool, while I’m happy to lie on one of the loungers, moving only to reach for the bell marked ‘press for service’ and order us a couple of drinks. It’s thirsty work, enjoying yourself.
