A traditional British spa in Yorkshire

Combining laid-back country hospitality with spa benefits, Verbena Spa at the Feversham Arms is the perfect weekend retreat. By Bernadette Fallon

With so many spa hotels and spa offers floating around just now, it's quite refreshing to find something a little bit different. And it's happening in Yorkshire.

 

Modern day spas have quite an Eastern feel, with lots of Ayurvedic experiences, Thai massage and Eastern therapies clamouring for our attention. But what about British spa traditions -  Bath's Roman spa baths and the waters at Buxton for example - a glorious history of natural healing that has little to do with orchids or Feng Shui.

 

The recently opened Verbena Spa in the Feversham Arms Hotel, located in the picturesque Yorkshire town of Helmsley, is marrying British country hospitality with Eastern wellbeing. And that's why, in the spa relaxation area for example, you'll find lots of over-stuffed sofas loaded with cushions, coffee tables fully stocked with glossy magazines and - my favourite bit - bulging bookcases that are a treasure trove of finds, everything from Jackie Collins to Wilkie Collins.

 

Lying in a darkened room sipping herbal tea wrapped in a fur throw is a pleasant experience after a treatment - but if you've booked in for a spa day with friends, whispering in a dark room isn't much fun - sofas are much more convivial!

 

The spa styling is very much in keeping with the overall feel of the building which has been converted from a pub-cum-guesthouse to a really individual quirky boutique village hotel. And that's a lot of adjectives - but somewhere as individual as Feversham merits them all.

 

Individual touches

 

In fact it's so unique that every bedroom has its own photograph on the hotel website, www.fevershamarmshotel.com.There are 33 rooms, 22 are suites, and it's important to know the story of each before you book - there is no such thing here as a ‘standard' room. There are the original rooms in a rustic stone-walled corridor, recessed windows showcasing the incredible wall depth, attic suites with wood-burning stoves, suites with working fireplaces where your fire is set and a basket of logs placed on the hearth to keep the flames burning, and poolside and garden suites with balconies overlooking the central courtyard swimming pool.

 

The lounge and bar areas are cosy, with roaring open fires and an abundance of magazines and books to pore over - myself and my friend Sally knocked great entertainment out of a book of Vogue covers with our post-dinner coffees. This is less country house grandeur, more welcoming country inn, but with the professionalism and luxurious touches of a large scale operation. This is hardly surprising given its pedigree - owner Simon Rhatigan is former general manager of Blanc Restaurants Ltd/Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons, and since buying Feversham has won a host of industry awards including Small Hotel of the Year and Best Manager.

 

Charming extras

 

So those little extras are common; complimentary tea and coffee sent to your room on arrival, complimentary papers and drinks with our Sunday morning wake-up call, guide books highlighting the area's charms thoughtfully provided in our room, jars of cotton wool and cotton buds with our standard bathroom toiletries, candles in the bathroom - and matches to light them with!

 

Standard also are Bang & Olufsen TVs in every room, as well as DVD and CD players (and DVD films and CDs for your entertainment). In addition to the guide books there is an interesting selection of reads on our coffee table - Churchill's ‘Storyteller' and a biography of Shakespeare.

 

I drag myself away from the charms of the suite to check out the spa. I've opted for a skin-brightening facial and it starts unlike any facial I've ever had, with hot cloths applied to my feet! It's a pleasant sensation and a nice relaxer. There is a lot of use of hot cloths throughout the treatment, so it's the perfect treatment for these cold winter months. And again at the end, a nice finishing touch that goes the extra distance, I'm treated to a gentle hand and arm massage, using scented oils.

 

Local skills and produce

 

Making the most of its location, clever building to let in the soft Yorkshire light and outdoor pool and Jacuzzi with a lovely view of the village rooftops, the hotel also uses the best of local skills, craftsmanship and produce. Paintings that decorate the walls are by local artist Malcolm Ludvigsen - a professor of cosmology in his ‘day job' - and are available to buy.

 

And fresh local food is used as much as possible. At dinner that night the shellfish comes from Whitby and the cod from the East Yorkshire coast, myself and Sally, both of us skin brightened from our treatments, opt for fillet of Yorkshire beef and local partridge. It looks like a great spot for a celebration, and the wine list matches this with a good range of sparkling wines and champagne up to vintage treats - with half bottles on offer if you're only ‘kind of' celebrating; in general it's a good wine list with an excellent price range.

 

If I have a criticism it's that there's too much to do, from the spa to the outdoor pool to cosying up in the library - yes, it has one! - and that's not even getting to the charms of the picture-perfect village on the doorstep. Simon's wife Jill, who grew up in the area, tells me that a trip to Helmsley was an occasional Sunday afternoon treat when they were children, a day out to poke around the shops and have tea in a tearoom. And today a visit to the Feversham Arms is just that, a treat to be savoured.

 

Contacts and getting there

 

Contact the Feversham Arms hotel, Helmsley, North Yorkshire, YO62 5AG; 01439 770766, email info@fevershamarmshotel.com, or visit the website at www.fevershamarmshotel.com.

 

Bernadette travelled by train with National Express East Coast, which offers advanced purchase return fares, booked online, from London King's Cross to York from £20 standard class or £65 first class. Book at www.nationalexpresseastcoast.com, call 08457 225 225 or visit any staffed rail station.

 

Money-saving offer for All About You readers

 

Get £75 off your bill at the Feversham Arms and enjoy a complimentary massage in the Verbena Spa, find out more here

 

See last month's spa review - Hot Stones in London

 

---

 

 

More in beauty and health

 

The cost-wise guide to younger-looking skin

 

Thinning hair problems? 20 things to do

 

Top tips for great winter health