My Healthy Lifehouse Spa Retreat Review

The other week I did something that I’ve never done before; I went on a health retreat! I’ve always been intrigued by health and spa retreats. The alluring promises of feeling totally relaxed, rejuvenated and renewed, what’s not to love?! And just incase you’re fascinated too, I thought I would share my experiences and thoughts with you on it!

 

The health retreat that I went on was one of the Lifehouse Spa & Hotel “Wellness Breaks”. They offer 2 to 5 night stays down in Essex (5 minutes from the beautiful seaside!) and my partner and I stayed for 2 nights; Sunday to Tuesday.

 

 

Throughout your stay you get to experience delicious healthy food, walks in the beautiful grounds, spa treatments, a dip in the pool and (if you’re feeling energetic!) their fitness classes.

 

On arriving at the spa we checked into our room, which overlooked a lovely little lake, popped on our fluffy white bathrobes and slippers and headed to explore. One of the things that I loved about the spa was the super chilled atmosphere. Most of the guests walked around in bath robes during the day (in between breakfast, relaxing treatments, lunch and the pool) and then changed into smart/casual clothes for dinner. The restaurant was beautiful and over-looked the main lake. During the day the restaurant offered a healthy buffet (as well as menu options) and then on an evening it turned into a tranquil space for diners to sit back and relax in the candle light.

 

 

After exploring the inside of the spa hotel we each had a full body scrub and I had the Ishqya seaweed body wrap (which made my body feel the smoothest it has ever been!) before getting ready for dinner. My menu of foods had been pre-planned as I was going to experience their “detox” menu;  I use this word  “detox” lightly, and not by the dictionary definition, as although the body can detoxify itself (and it does so on a daily basis), sometimes it’s nice to give it a break from stimulants such as caffeine and alcohol as well as ‘junk food’, and feed it 100% nourishing whole food.

 

I really was THRILLED by the menu of healthy foods and drinks that they had in store for me – they were all things that I would have chosen anyway and I seriously was impressed with the chef. He made healthy food not only look good but TASTE AMAZING. I even asked for one of the recipes (which I’ll share with you later in this post!).

 

 

 

Here is what I had to eat and drink during my stay:

 

• Sunday Dinner: A juice made with broccoli, kale, parsley, green apple and celery (would you believe that it tasted lovely?!) followed by their delicious fresh parsnip soup and a courgette, carrot & parsnip spaghetti with slow roasted tomato sauce & basil.

 

• Sunday Supper: A nourishing night cap of warmed coconut milk with a touch of 70% dark chocolate and a cinnamon swizzle stick.

 

• Monday Morning: Fresh lemon and warm water was delivered to the room and was followed by breakfast in the restaurant. I enjoyed a vegetable juice made with beetroot, celery, carrot and ginger followed by poached fruits with yoghurt and I also opt’d for poached eggs with smoked salmon for a protein boost as I was heading to a Circuits class shorty after!

 

• Monday Lunch: For lunch I had another juice made from apple, cucumber, kale, mint and celery followed by the soup of the day (tomato and basil) and a delicious superfood salad made from mixed leaves, beetroot, apple, homemade pesto, humous and garlic confit with flaxseed crisp breads (these were SO delicious) and this salad was probably my favourite dish of the entire stay!

 

• Monday Mid-Afternoon: I had a Hydration Green Bfresh cold pressed juice made from apple, cucumber, iceberg lettuce, romaine and lime.

 

• Monday Dinner: A green juice consisting of broccoli, kale, parsley, green apple and celery followed by sea bream with steamed vegetables and a beetroot dressing. For dessert I had an amazing avocado chocolate mousse made from one avocado, 200ml coconut milk and raw cacao which was topped with fresh raspberries.

 

• Monday Supper: A cup of melted dark chocolate and a cinnamon swizzle stick.

 

• Tuesday Morning: Following my warm water with lemon I had a delicious vegetable juice made from beetroot, celery, carrot and ginger followed by a yummy bircher muesli made from oats, raisins, desiccated coconut soaked in apple juice enriched with coconut cream – it was incredible!

 

• We had to head home at 7am so unfortunately couldn’t stay for lunch!

 

• Extra Drinks: Throughout my stay I also drank lots of still and sparkling water (the latter flavoured with lemon and lime slices) as well as herbal teas including peppermint and camomile.

 

 

On the Monday morning I took part in a Circuits and ViPR class led by the lovely PT Phil (9am – 10am) and really enjoyed it. The other ladies in the group were really welcoming and the time just flew. Other fitness classes on offer included spin (they called it Life Cycle), meditation, stretching, yoga, pilates, barbells and boxing.

 

During the day time (after a trip to the seaside and a walk around the grounds) I experienced reflexology for the first time as well as my first ever massage! The massage was super relaxing and afterwards we chilled out around the pool before dinner.

 

 

On the drive back to Leeds I reflected on our stay and I honestly have to say that I was super impressed. The break away really did do me a lot of good and what I loved about the stay was the fact you could do as little or as much as you wanted. One of the highlights for me though was the food; it was healthy and delicious and right up my street!

 

Have you been to Lifehouse before?!

Do let me know if you’ve been or are planning to go too, I can’t wait to go back!!

 

 

 *Lifehouse spa treated me to my stay. As always I only every blog about products and services that I truly love and all words written are my own and are 100% honest. Please read my disclaimer page for more information.