SENSEA Nordic Spa — Attraction in Chester

Issa long one so buckle up. LOL

First off, I had the Ayurvedic scalp treatment with Robyn and that was AMAZING. 10/10 would recommend.

That being said, I have a few issues with the facility itself:

My first area of disappointment was when I was waiting for the Barrel Sauna. I saw a couple of staff members go in there so I thought ok, maybe they are cleaning it? They didn’t put up a sign or anything though. Anyways, I thought: I’ll wait. And I waited. Lol I waited for 15 minutes (I had my phone on me so I know how long it was) before I politely opened the door just to give them a head’s up that someone was waiting outside. They said they were trying to fix the music and it would be another few minutes. Few minutes, I can do that. And I wait another 10 minutes. SO now I’ve been waiting for 25 minutes. Yeah, I should’ve walked away a long time ago but the main sauna was full and the Tree Sauna was closed. Why didn’t they just put a sign up/close the Barrel Sauna while trying to fix stuff? Or just, leave it with no music??? Lol. No consideration for guests waiting outside in the cold/rain apparently. No update to say how much longer it would be or any apologies from the staff either. After the 25 minutes I left to go to the Facial Hut and didn’t bother going back to check.

And now we’re on to the “Facial Hut” area. It is a pretty small space and it can’t fit more than “one group”/4 people max (it does have a sign outside saying only one group can go in at a time). Trouble with that is the group ahead of me was taking mad long. Like they were in there as long as I was waiting for the Barrel Sauna, and I know this because I watched multiple other guests come and check if they could go in and leave because of the group. I waited another few minutes outside and then I just decided to go inside the hut. After I came inside and just awkwardly stood there the group kinda got the point and left thankfully lol. Point: There needs to be more of those huts built or a bigger space built with more facial set ups inside because this just doesn’t work. Line ups outside always waiting for that hut. Was a bit of a mess where you do the facial because people are messy in general.

On the cleanliness or lack there of topic, as far as that goes it was mostly clean there, but the hot pools at the front near the change rooms didn’t look so hot (pun intended). Iron deposits, leaves floating/debris collecting, and almost none of the jets were working. The jets not working was a common issue in every hot pool there actually. And in the female change rooms there was a bunch of dust/spider webs on the ceiling.

And speaking of the female change rooms, when I put my robe in the laundry/“robe deposit shute” thing at the end of my visit, I could see clearly through the back of the shute a male employee on his phone. Like if he looked behind him he could easily see into the female change room. That was a bit jarring to me, it almost made me laugh though just because I didn’t expect to see a person chilling at the end of a laundry shute. LOL

Honestly other than the above things, some of which could’ve been just the day I went, the experience was pretty decent overall. I went on a rainy overcast day which meant it wasn’t too busy and the rain pelting on the outside of the yurts was kind of a vibe. It was about 5 degrees out and pretty foggy/mild, but any colder would’ve been brutal for waiting outside and definitely wouldn’t go when it’s icy because with the walking between areas you could slip for sure. The whole area smelled really good as well. The fire pits and eucalyptus-type essential oils going made it smell very spa-like and I enjoyed that part a lot. The area itself is quiet and serene because you’re in the middle of nowhere essentially. And again, that treatment with Robyn alone is worth it to come. Personally I won’t be coming back because of the issues I mentioned and also just because it’s the type of thing that now that I’ve experienced it once, I wouldn’t go again. That’s...

On the advice of a friend, I decided to go by myself. Although I was a little scared, the thought of doing things on my own timeline appealed to me so I decided to treat myself for my birthday. Try as I might, I couldn’t find a day pass (I have a colleague who is a master at stalking the website to try and grab a spot) I booked a massage, which gets you a day pass, so that’s super. Then some odd stuff started happening. I was called two days in advance, to say my massage therapist was sick, so my massage had to be canceled. (They’re sick two days from now? Ok - maybe something serious happened, I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt here. I hope she’s ok.) They offered me a day pass instead, which was great, that’s what I wanted in the first place. The next day I was online, and noticed ANOTHER massage appointment. Now, maybe it had just happened, but where I had booked a massage, the smart customer service move would have been to offer me that slot so they could charge me the higher amount, right? I booked that massage, and then tried to email them to let them know. Now unfortunately, this seems to be the real Achilles heel for this business. The online booking system does not allow for the best (or any, really) two way communication with clients. There is no phone number, when they do call you (like to cancel my massage) it’s an “unknown number” from Windsor. I thought this duplicate booking may affect their numbers, so I tried to respond to their email to let them know the situation. Plus, I didn’t want to arrive and have them charge me for both the day pass AND the massage appointment (which includes a day pass). That evening I got a call to confirm my new massage appointment, and I started to try and tell the person on the phone the situation. He cut me off twice, saying “I’m just confirming your appointment” - his name was Kristof or something similar but I had to ask him if I could just say something. Anything. He was just so intent on getting me off the phone, his manner was very unprofessional. When I finally got to speak, I told him the situation with the two bookings and he acknowledged what I was saying before we ended the call. I did get a response to my email also, which firmed everything up, so that was good. Let’s draw a line under all that. Everything else from there on was very, very nice. The reception staff were very helpful and friendly, explaining everything on site. Any questions I had of staff onsite were handled with great kindness and the utmost professionalism. My massage was with Taylor, and she was an absolute delight. Lovely to talk to, professional and did a wonderful job. The facilities are very nice (mostly in the highest quality yurts - very cool) from the changing facilities, the various saunas, and the refreshment area. It wasn’t too crowded, although there may have been a slight wait for a couple popular places - the facial hut and the barrel sauna were both very popular. I also went for a sauna ritual which was amazing. The practitioners are real pros, but I won’t tell you all about it so you can experience it for yourself. The only thing I missed out on were the heated hammocks, but that’s ok. I will try them next time, because there will definitely be a next time. It was a great day of self-care for me on my birthday, and in spite of the little bit of fracas in the beginning, the on-site experience is really spectacular, even...

Ahhhhhhmazing!! This was a pleasant surprise! What a wonderful relaxing experience. We went through the week so it was not overly busy. We had a day spa pass which was a very reasonable $60. We rented robes for $10 (well worth it) and brought our own sandals. The spa is a series of small buildings and yurts, along with several pools and relaxation areas along gravel paths. The landscape is beautiful with amazing gardens and a quiet serene atmosphere. There are several signs throughout the property reminding patrons to whisper or speak quietly and this does help keep the environment relaxed and calm. The facilities are very clean despite being largely exposed to the elements, gravel, and plant matter. The change room/washroom/shower area was spotless. There were always plenty of towels and there are lotions as well and shampoo/conditioner & body wash for the showers. We did not do any rituals but they do offer these guided experiences in the sauna and steam rooms. We did meander around the property at our own pace trying out the hot pools and the cold plunge pools which were awesome. We also tried out a couple of the saunas and loved them and we gave ourselves a diy facial while we relaxed on a heated bench overlooking the lake. There are lounge chairs throughout and there are fun hanging tulip chairs that I absolutely loved. They also overlook the lake and are big enough inside to take a nap. They also overlook rhythmic rocking instantly relaxes you and they are a great place for meditation, reflection or just reading a book. We had lunch in the dining yurt. It consisted of a great beet salad that was incredibly delicious and filling. I had a strawberry lemonade to go with it and some refreshing cucumber water. We saved the steam room for last and this was really awesome. They offer a ritual experience which lasts about 15 minutes but we did not do it. Instead we spent time relaxing in the eucalyptus steam room and then finished with a salt scrub. There are showers to wash the salt off and it leaves your skin feeling incredible. We then showered and changed out of bathing suits and headed home after 3 hours of bliss. I was sad to leave but felt amazingly refreshed. A couple things to note. The property is spread out and the paths can be hilly. Be prepared to walk a few minutes between some of the areas; Wet sandals can be hard to walk in on a hill. The pool experiences and loungers are outdoors. It is surrounded by nature with lots of trees and a lake. While beautiful, there may be bugs. There is natural bug repellent throughout the property. We did not need it the day we went. Bring sunglasses and sunscreen and maybe a hat. Wear a comfortable bathing suit. You can store your belongings in a secure locker. I did bring my phone so I had access to my credit card for lunch and it fit easily in the pocket of my robe. There was a really only one place to get fresh towels which is the changing room at the top of the hill. I recommend grabbing at least two towels if you don’t want to be going back and forth. Everyone was friendly. Although speaking quietly, we had some lovely interactions with other guests and with the staff. I highly recommend this place as a low cost way to invest in self care. I will...