Bamford Wellness Spa: Is This The Perfect Pre-Christmas Retreat?
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Inside the idyllic Cotswolds spa
Olivia Falcon shakes off the Christmas chaos at the Bamford Wellness Spa
Review: Bamford Wellness Spa
It doesn’t have to be Christmas for me to get that warm, fuzzy, grateful feeling. I have a lot of bad habits, but the good one I religiously stick to is counting my blessings (however small) in bed every night before I power down my iPhone or Netflix (yes, I know, two horrible habits right there). A wise person once said, ‘If you want to find happiness, find gratitude,’ but often this simple practice gets lost in the noise of busy modern lives. So, if you’re looking for a reset and a place to gently steer yourself onto a more mindful course (which I guarantee will take the anxiety out of Christmas socialising), about a 90-minute drive out of London across the stunning patchwork folds of the Cotswolds is Daylesford Farm, home to the Bamford Wellness Spa and club.
‘We all know about Daylesford,’ I hear you say. Yes, I’m sure you have made the pilgrimage here for Lady Bamford’s excellent organic cheeses, biscuits, chutneys and sparkling wines, which I swooped up for my Christmas kitchen this year. However, a lesser-known treasure is her soulful spa staff, many of whom hail from India. These magical people are real-deal healers with deep wisdom and skills that go far beyond the bounds of a massage or facial.
‘It’s important to take a moment for the host,’ says Lady Bamford. ‘The festive period is a busy social time, so finding small moments to pause and recharge keep me feeling grounded, full of energy and able to really throw myself into every celebration or gathering.’ On Lady B’s advice, I scoop up one of my favourite multitasking friends who has twanged her lower back and we head to the Bamford Wellness Spa for Sound Healing with Alchemy Crystal Singing Bowls with instructor Vikrant Koli. I can’t tell you much about what happened in the next hour as I was so deeply relaxed that at one point, I was convinced I was levitating, but when we got off our mats a lot had shifted – my angst, her back pain, and a collective amount of emotional baggage.
Souls soothed, it was down to the more practical elements of Christmas admin, namely decorations. Again, Lady Bamford’s advice is bountiful: ‘I’m most inspired by the scents, colours and textures in my garden – so I always let its beautiful seasonal foliage dictate the decorations in my house. Foraged branches and bright skimmia berries add interest to mantelpieces, and I love hanging a big, welcoming wreath on the door, woven with fragrant blue spruce, white mistletoe, eucalyptus and bay.’
