An afternoon of pampering, a seriously good massage and the chance to do absolutely nothing. Sometimes that’s exactly what you need.
When Joanna from The Cheshire Club invited us to spend an afternoon at Your Chester Spa, we certainly weren’t going to say no!
And what a lovely way to spend a few hours.
Tucked away just off Northgate Street, right in the heart of Chester, Your Chester Spa feels like a little escape from the bustle of the city centre. It’s wonderfully convenient, yet once you’re inside, the busy streets outside seem a world away. And there’s something rather lovely about being able to disappear for a few hours of proper relaxation without having to venture far at all.
From the moment we arrived, the team couldn’t have been more welcoming. What really stood out was how genuinely determined everyone was to help us relax, switch off and forget about the outside world for a while. No rushing, no fuss, just a lovely, calm atmosphere and the feeling that we were being properly looked after.
My treatment was a blissful 90 minutes, combining a full-body massage with a head massage, expertly delivered by the wonderful Olena.
And I have to say, this was a proper massage.
Olena really worked into the tension in my shoulders, which spend far too much time hunched over a laptop. In fact, I could feel afterwards just how much work she’d done on those tight muscles. It wasn’t simply a gentle, relaxing treatment; it felt as though she’d really addressed the areas that needed attention.
The spa uses Yon-Ka products from Paris, which were another lovely discovery. The oils felt beautiful on my skin, and I was particularly taken with the eye oil, which is definitely going on my list of products to investigate further!
More than just a massage
And there’s plenty more to Your Chester Spa than the treatment rooms.There’s also dry float therapy, which sounds particularly intriguing. Designed to give you that lovely weightless, floating sensation without actually getting wet, it’s definitely something I’d be tempted to try on a return visit.
After our treatments, we headed for the Jacuzzi, which was the perfect way to round off the afternoon. There’s something rather wonderful about having nowhere else you need to be and absolutely nothing you need to do.
The spa also offers flexible membership packages, combining spa visits and treatments with access to private GP appointments through its sister company, Your Chester GP. So it’s somewhere you could make a regular part of your wellbeing routine, rather than saving it for a special occasion.
And being so central, you could even combine a visit with lunch or a little shopping in Chester. Although, after 90 minutes of massage and time in the Jacuzzi, I was quite happy to do absolutely nothing else!
What made the experience particularly special, though, was the team. Everyone was so attentive, friendly and genuinely invested in making sure we enjoyed ourselves.
A huge thank you to Joanna for inviting us and to Olena, Catherine (clinical director) and the whole team at Your Chester Spa for such a lovely afternoon.
It’s reminded me that sometimes we all need to give ourselves permission to stop for a little while.
And preferably let someone else work on those shoulders!
G&J verdict: A wonderfully welcoming spa, a fantastic hands-on massage and a lovely opportunity to switch off. Just what was needed.
