HEALTH + WELLNESS
ROWHILL GRANGE: FINDING UTOPIA
FOR SOME STAYS, FINDING OUT THAT YOUR HOTEL HAS A SPA LEADS TO ADDING A TREATMENT AS A FOMO ADD-ON; AT ROWHILL GRANGE, THE SPA IS VERY MUCH THE REASON TO COME. BY SAMANTHA READY
Set within 15 acres on the edge of Wilmington, close enough to Dartford to make travel a breeze( bar any tunnel-of-doom related shenanigans) yet surrounded by enough greenery to quickly lose the sense of being quite so close to London, Rowhill Grange is a hidden gem that still evokes claims of“ I didn’ t know that was there” when I recommend it to those looking for a spa break, while its grounds form part of its enduring appeal for wedding couples. Part of the Alexander Hotels Group, at the heart of the manor house offering is Utopia, the group’ s original subterranean spa that remains one of its most distinctive.
Above ground, Rowhill Grange has all the familiarity of a country house hotel. Its white weatherboarded exterior, pretty gardens and ample terrace space give way to spacious lounges, statement staircases and traditionally styled bedrooms. Below, things become considerably more Roman.
Utopia Spa spreads across two levels, with an upper swimming pool, lower hydrotherapy pool and jacuzzi, gender allocated saunas and a pool-side steam room, all surrounded by stone columns, arches, Italian frescos and low lighting. There are 19 treatment rooms too, including two designed for couples. The effect is modern yet cocooning rather than clinical, with plenty of corners to disappear into with a magazine( this one of course) and very little incentive to look at the time.
Mr R and I made good use of the pools first, moving between a proper swim( him) and the considerably less energetic business of hydrotherapy, heat and steam( me, naturally) before it was time for the main event.
While Mr R headed for a 50-minute Swedish full body massage where Lilly opted for firm pressure to wile away his aches and pains, I was lucky enough to be heading for the 70-minute Utopia Hot Stone Massage, a head-to-toe treatment using heated basalt lava stones. The warmth is far more than a pleasant addition. Applied to the body and incorporated into the massage itself, the hot stones warm the muscles, helping them to relax so the therapist can work more effectively into areas of tension without relying solely on increasingly firm pressure. For anyone who carries tightness through their back and shoulders, as I invariably do, the combination of sustained heat and massage feels particularly effective.
There is something deeply soothing about the weight of the stone, too. Heat spreads gradually through the muscle before the smooth basalt is worked across the body in long, controlled movements, alternating with hands-on massage. Rather than the intensity of a deep-tissue treatment, the warmth does much of the work, encouraging tight muscles to soften while the repetitive movements gradually slow everything else down with them.
By the time the adept Bronti, my therapist for the day, had reached my shoulders, the knots that normally demand determined attention felt considerably more willing to cooperate. 70 minutes also gives the treatment enough time to work from head
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