HEALTH + WELLNESS
A beautiful location, contemporary salon and spa, gorgeous Aveda products and fantastic staff to boot; Samantha Ready relished an afternoon of pampering at The Rye Retreat.
It was a beautiful, sunny autumn afternoon as I made the pleasant journey to the ancient Cinque Port town of Rye in East Sussex. As well as offering a glimpse to into its historic past by way of quaint cobbled streets, medieval buildings and a pretty harbour, the town also has another little treasure- located in the heart of Cinque Port Street is a beautiful double-fronted building; the exterior is a nod to its historical architecture, but beyond the arched entrance lies the sleek, contemporary and fabulously executed, Rye Retreat.
The Rye Retreat prides itself on its plentiful Aveda products and has been offering its services for over three decades, but rather than resting on their( clearly very effective) laurels, the evidently passionate team behind this salon and spa are always striving to improve and refresh. Their most recent project? A slick refurbishment of the main ground floor salon; and while my eye was drawn to the freshly painted, industrialinspired, hub of hairstyling, I was actually beginning my visit in a somewhat more tranquil setting: the lower ground floor spa.
Set beneath the main salon area is a calming, warm and welcoming garden spa and I needed no encouragement to take up residence on one of the Moroccan-inspired loungers that look out through the French doors to the pretty courtyard terrace; its gentle water feature providing the only sound as I awaited the arrival of my therapist. It wasn’ t long before I met the lovely Emily, who, after going through my skin type and beauty regime, led me to the gorgeous garden therapy room to begin my treatment- an Elemental Nature Facial.
Now, I have long confessed that facials are not always my thing- I know, I know- but there are valid reasons: a combination of sensitive skin, some awful previous experiences, and now the absolute horror of revealing my toddler-induced, sleep-deprived dark circles when being makeup free, but not only were my worries completely unfounded here... I may now be a facial convert!
The Elemental Nature Facial wasn’ t simply a facial, but instead, like all the treatments offered here, a ritual; a pure, bliss-inspired 75 minutes of uninterrupted‘ me time’. It began with my choosing one of three signature scented oils, which then influenced my ritual journey of deep breathing, foot cleansing and a facial treatment. The facial element itself was a hands-on, gentle and soothing combination of cleansing, exfoliation, clay-whipped mask and moisturiser applied with massaging strokes so relaxing that i’ ll admit, I did have a gentle snooze. Roused back to the world to the sound of the trickling water feature and the final cooling finish to my treatment, Emily explained how she had tailored the Aveda products used to calm my sensitive skin and aid dryness, and also provided helpful recommendations for products I could use at home too- the result was fantastic; fresh dewy skin that still felt fabulous days later.
Led back to those cosy loungers, I was reenergised with a refreshing lemon sorbet and a glass of water before being escorted back up to the renovated salon for the next part of my Rye Retreat pamper session- an indulgent blowdry.
The salon itself is made up of two styling stations that both lead to the basins at the rear, and although it has just had a makeover to a deep shade of grey, the space is light and bright with a sense of calm and clear organisation, although constantly active.
Chelsea, my friendly stylist, went through various styling options before explaining that all treatments begin with a head, neck and shoulder massage- what an amazing and relaxing start! From the massage station, it was only a couple of steps to the basins where chairs come with footstools( finally a hair wash that didn’ t lead to dreaded neck ache!), where Chelsea tailored the Aveda products to work best for my scalp and hair to provide not only fresh, clean locks, but locks that looked healthy and restored too.
With my bouncy blowdry( that lasted for a good three days) and freshly pampered skin not only did I feel and look great, I had also been given the chance to see firsthand just why this place is considered such a go-to destination salon. The professional, seamless army of staff clearly love where they work and this is evident in their work, which leads to fantastic results and happy smiles on the faces of each and every other customer I saw that day.
I doubt it’ ll be long before I join the ranks of their impressive repeat client list.
The Rye Retreat 36-38 Cinque Ports Street, Rye, East Sussex, TN31 7AN
01797 222 211 www. theryeretreat. co. uk
@ TheRyeRetreat
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TheRyeRetreat
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